NOVA24 | Photo + Film Festival is located in the metro Detroit area and has had events in Detroit, Ferndale, Hazel Park, and Hamtramck, Michigan. Our primary focus is the city of Detroit, where over 85% of our events have been located.

However, the festival is not housed in one singular location. In previous years, we have had as many as eighteen different locations throughout the festival season, including spaces like Scarab Club, The Carr Center, the main branch of the Detroit Public Library, Office Space Gallery, The Voyeur Bordello, and more! Spaces utilized include traditional gallery spaces alongside outdoor or social experiences. 

The Project Open Call is for artists who want to showcase a specific project to the curators of NOVA24 with hopes of being selected for festival programming.

The Event Open Call is for individuals (artists, curators, etc) who already have a photography or film based event scheduled during the festival season that they would like to be considered for inclusion in the NOVA24 festival calendar.

The Space Open Call is for locations to submit their space for potential festival events, however they do not have anything currently planned.

That is entirely up to you, but you should know that we are interested particularly in highlighting bodies of work that emphasize innovation and experimentation in the medium. For photography, that generally means 10-15 pieces for a single project, for film, either individual films and/or experimental film installations. 

Submissions are best handled by a single project link to your website with the entire project available. Know that when our curators are making selections, we may reach out to you about any piece that is included on the page! We may include one image, a small selection, or an entire project - it depends entirely on the requirements of the space for that event.

We actually heavily recommend against this. Out of the 30+ event opportunities each festival season, solo exhibitions average less than three opportunities per year. 

When you apply to NOVA24, each event you select puts you in a separate pool to be selected. The more boxes you select, the more times your work gets in front of the curatorial team. This works to your advantage, as we often remember the work that we see in this way for potential additional opportunities outside of the festival season.

The NOVA24 Project Open Call is a unique application because it’s not applying for one single exhibition, but participation in our overall festival. You could potentially be applying to participate in 20+ NOVA24 curated events, depending on the selections you make in the application.

For example, last year, if you selected Film Screening, your work was considered for eight separate film screening opportunities. Each film screening had different criteria depending on the location - the themes, timing, level of experimentation were each considered depending on the space. 

This is why it’s important to allow yourself to be considered for multiple types of events. If your goal is to be a part of NOVA24, we want you to have as many opportunities as possible!

It depends on the type of events that you select. For outdoor or projection exhibitions, personal printing is not required, but you will have to submit files to us to complete the exhibition. For solo or group exhibitions, photographers are expected to print and frame your own work. We do have a list of sponsors who work with NOVA24 artists for a discounted rate!

Listen, we are also artists and we absolutely hate the pay to play vibe. 

After a few years of running NOVA24 though, we also are realists about how much it costs to run a festival at the capacity that we want the festival to be.

This is why we operate on a donation basis - we have a baseline minimum of $10 for the Project Open Call - this is a one time payment to place your work in front of the curators for all of the events you select as your options. If you checkmark every potential event option, it’s still just $10.

If you are in the position to and want to support the festival further, please also consider a larger donation amount! Any donation over $10 helps cover for any artist who has a financial barrier to participation, plus helps the festival with operating expenses to run from year to year. 

Beyond the initial submission donation, any cost to participate is based on what you selected. If you are chosen for a physical exhibition, you are responsible for printing and framing your work. If you are chosen for a digital or outdoor installation, there is no additional cost to you.

Outside of the NOVA24 Project Open Call, individual locations may have their own open calls available. We link those directly on the NOVA24 website. They may have their own fees and rules for submission outside of our direct influence.

If you don’t want to submit your work but you still want to be a part, you can also participate in our multiple workshops or photowalks, held throughout the festival season! Workshops have a supply fee for participation, photowalks are free!