Open to all photographers currently living in or who previously lived in the following states: Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, Wyoming, and South Dakota. Photographers with varying levels of experience are welcome to apply, including professionals, amateurs, and students. All artwork submitted is expected to be gallery-quality regardless of your experience level.

A “student” is anyone aged 19 or older, currently enrolled in an accredited post-secondary academic institution in Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, Wyoming, or South Dakota, including private and public colleges, universities, and community colleges.

Note: Employees and Board Members of Gallery 1516, and their relatives, are NOT eligible to apply for this exhibition.

Photography is accepted from the following categories:

- Animals

- City/Street

- Experimental

- Foul Weather (storms, clouds, etc)

- Landscape (nature, plants, etc.)

- Objects (still life, etc.)

- People

- Student

Categories are subjective. When applying, select the category that you feel best describes your photograph. Students should enter their work in the “Student” category, regardless of subject matter.

Photographs generated by AI, in whole or in part, are NOT accepted. A $1,000 cash prize will be awarded to the best work in each category as determined by the judges. Gallery 1516 reserves the right to re-categorize photos if deemed appropriate in its sole discretion.

This is a photography exhibition. Images MUST be printed on paper and framed in accordance with the requirements set forth in these guidelines.

Acceptable formats include film, digital, and smartphone photography, including manually altered and manipulated images (ex. processes such as double exposure, digital composites, color manipulation).

The following mediums are NOT accepted: photos printed on canvas, metal, acrylic, wood, or other non-paper substrates, and mixed media works using photographic elements.

AI Policy: Most photo editing software now incorporates AI tools. The use of these tools for basic editing (like color correction) is acceptable. However, images generated by AI, in whole or in part, will NOT be accepted.

Work must be original in concept and execution. By submitting your work, you are representing and warranting that your work does not violate any copyrights. Photographers should NOT submit work such as advertisements, wedding photography, or family and graduation portraits.

Digital images submitted are assumed to be accurate representations of the entrant’s original artworks. Artwork that differs markedly from the submitted image will be disqualified, in Gallery 1516’s sole discretion.

No diptychs, triptychs, or multiple panel works will be accepted. Artwork must be framed as one single unit. Artwork that does not comply with these requirements will not be accepted. The entry fee is nonrefundable, including if you submit work that does not meet requirements.

Artwork must be made available to Gallery 1516 from September 15 – December 31, 2026. Artwork cannot be removed from the exhibition early, except under extreme circumstances as determined in Gallery 1516’s sole discretion.

Maximum size (excluding frame) is 48 inches on the longest side. There is no minimum size requirement.

If accepted for the exhibition, your photo must be printed on paper and framed.

Artwork only needs to be framed if it is ACCEPTED for the final exhibition. At the time of your application, you only need to provide a digital image of your photograph.

Printing and framing costs are the responsibility of the photographer. Work, if accepted for the exhibition, must be printed on paper and securely framed in a gallery-quality frame. A gallery-quality frame should be sturdy, attached securely, and be devoid of scratches, chips, and blemishes. The frame can be made from any material (wood, metal, etc). Black frames and white/off-white matting are recommended, but not required.

Work must be ready for hang upon delivery to Gallery 1516. It should include a wire and/or D-hooks ONLY. No sawtooth hangers, “floating” post mounts, magnets, or other unusual hardware. Artwork that arrives poorly framed or unsuitably mounted will be disqualified and returned to the photographer at the photographer’s expense. Plexiglass is recommended when shipping artwork, but glass is also accepted. Non-glare coatings are recommended, but not required.

Gallery 1516 has a strong following of collectors and a reputation for coordinating the sale of artwork. All artwork submitted to the 2026 Regional Biennial is REQUIRED to be for sale. Artwork that is “not for sale” or “price on request” will NOT be accepted.

Artwork must have a listed sale price. Pricing is at the discretion of the photographer and should reflect your standard pricing. Please double check your entry for accuracy before submitting.

Gallery 1516 is a non-profit organization and does not take commission fees from the sale of artwork or process payments. You will receive 100% of the sale price. In the event of a sale, Gallery 1516 will put you in touch with the buyer so you can directly handle payments. Be prepared to contact potential buyers with your preferred method of payment (ex. check, invoice, PayPal, Venmo, etc.); Gallery 1516 has no responsibility for ensuring payment. Reporting sales to your gallery representative, if applicable, is the responsibility of the photographer.

Artwork, if accepted for the exhibition, must be shipped or hand delivered to Gallery 1516 so that it arrives between September 15 – 25, 2026.

Address:

Gallery 1516, 1516 Leavenworth Street, Omaha, NE 68102

Shipping costs to and from Gallery 1516 are the responsibility of the photographer and should include a pre-paid return shipping label. We highly recommend shipping your artwork using a MasterPak, Airfloat, Uline art box or equivalent. These boxes will ensure the safety of your work and make the handling process significantly easier for the gallery.

Your biography/artist statement must be submitted in .doc, .docx, or .pdf format. Your artwork images must be submitted in .jpg or .png format.

Image files of 300 dpi are preferred, at approx. 1200x1800 pixels or 4x6 inches. File sizes of 5MB or less per image are preferred. The absolute maximum file size is 64MB per image, but be aware that larger images may be difficult for the website to process.

File names should NOT contain unusual characters such as colons ( : ), semicolons ( ; ), number signs ( # ), asterisks ( * ), etc. If your file names contain these characters, your files will not be correctly uploaded and your application cannot be processed.

Example: “Portrait #2” is NOT an acceptable file name.

Solution: Remove the unusual characters and rename the file to “Portrait 2”

Submissions will be reviewed blindly by the judge(s). They will only see your artwork, not your name - this helps prevent name-recognition and other bias.

Your digital submission is reviewed online. If selected for the exhibition, you will be notified via email no later than August 31st.

You retain copyright to your image. However, by submitting an entry, you give permission for Gallery 1516 to include your name, likeness, and image as well as the image of your submitted work, in photographs, videos, printed materials, web pages, social media posts, and local media stories for informational, promotional, and archival purposes, without compensation and without the right to review such items prior to their use.

Artists whose work is accepted into the exhibition will have their photo featured in, and will receive a copy of, the 2026 Regional Biennial exhibition book.

Photographers agree to abide by all rules in these guidelines. Submission of entries and entry fee, which is non-refundable, constitute agreement with all conditions set forth in these guidelines. Any and all decisions made by Gallery 1516 hereunder are in its sole discretion and are final.

All entries will be made at the risk of the applicant. By making a submission, you acknowledge that you understand the nature of the exhibition and the risks associated therewith. Although Gallery 1516 will strive to exercise reasonable care and caution in the handling of all artwork, Gallery 1516 will not be held responsible for loss or damage. Photographers are responsible for insuring their work at all times - during transit and while on Gallery 1516 premises. To the fullest extent permitted by law, by making a submission, you are forever waiving, releasing, discharging, covenanting not to sue, and agreeing to indemnify and hold harmless Gallery 1516 and its affiliates, directors, officers, agents, employees, and researchers from any and all claims, demands, losses, injuries, and damages of any kind or nature and however caused that result from or arise out of the exhibition, directly or indirectly, except if solely caused by Gallery 1516’s willful misconduct or gross negligence.

For the avoidance of doubt, photographer retains copyright to their image(s), however, by submitting to this show, photographer agrees to Gallery 1516’s use of the digital images as set forth in these guidelines.

Yes, artists who previously applied or were accepted for one of Gallery 1516’s past Regional Photo Biennials or Nebraska Biennial exhibitions are eligible to apply this year. You are highly encouraged to submit different artwork than what you submitted to previous exhibitions.

No, the subject matter of your photos does not need to be related to the midwest. Any subject or style is welcome!

The only requirement is that the artist is a current or former resident of one of the eligible states.

Upload a current biography or resume outlining your artistic experience, or a current artist statement describing your artistic process/vision. Information could be in paragraph form or a bulleted list. This information will only be viewed by gallery staff. Your level of experience or past acknowledgments will not affect your chances of being accepted for the exhibition.

The “Gallery Representative” section is for artists whose work is represented by a gallery. Please put the name of the gallery.

If you do not have gallery representation, simply write None or your own name.

The “Hometown” section is where you should enter whatever place you consider to be your hometown – it may differ from your current address and might be where you were born or spent most of your childhood.

This section is primarily used to verify the regional connection for those artists who do not currently live in an eligible state, but who were born in or lived here previously and are therefore still eligible to apply. This information will not be seen by the judge.

The “caption” section is a space to include a brief (1-2 sentence) description of your artwork. You can include important info such as unique photographic techniques you used, an explanation of the subject matter, etc. The caption should include any info you think would help the judges better understand your artwork.

After you fill out the application and click the submit button, you will see a confirmation page. This page has a red button that will redirect you to the entry fee payment.

If you accidentally close the page or do not pay the entry fee, we will contact you with a reminder. If your entry fee is not paid by the application deadline on July 31, your submission will be disqualified.

The most likely cause of an error is incorrect file formatting. Double check that your images and biography files are in the correct format and do NOT have unusual characters in the file names. Correct any errors with your uploads and try submitting again.

Biography/resume should be a .pdf or .docx file. Images should be .jpg or .png files. Your file names should also be simple and MUST NOT include unusual characters including :, ;, #, $, *, etc. Recommended file name format is “LastName Title,” ex. “Smith The Winter Storm”.

Corrections to your application must be made BEFORE the application deadline on July 31. Contact info@gallery1516.org with the correct changes as soon as possible.

Any notification of errors AFTER the application deadline will NOT be accepted. Artworks that have been submitted with inaccurate information or images will be disqualified. Application fees are non refundable under any circumstances.

Email us at info@gallery1516.org or call/text 531-375-6643. We’re happy to help, so please contact us ASAP so we can answer your questions and help you submit your application on time!