Bring Your Own Venue [BYOV]

FLASH Photographic Festival began as an annual event in 2014, with an idea to help promote photographic artists through the presentation of multiple shows over one whole month. FLASH’s vision is to increase the number of artists working in the photographic arts in Manitoba, to increase the public’s appreciation of these art forms, and to educate both artists and the public in techniques and philosophies of photography.

Anyone can produce a show.

FLASH will not jury, approve or deny your photography.

Beginning in April 2025, the festival will become a biennial, taking place every two years. 

The Bring Your Own Venue program empowers a wide range of artists within the community to showcase their work in a variety of venues throughout the Festival. Artists are tasked in securing the venues that will display their work throughout the nature month of April.

What We Will Do:

Help coordinate as many photographic exhibitions as possible in with Manitoba photographers intraditional venues (galleries, museums, artist-run centres, etc.) and non-traditional spaces (bus shacks, restaurants, breweries etc.) during the month of the festival (April 2025).

Market and promote these exhibitions to garner a large and enthusiastic audience for the work on display. This will include web-based promotion, social media campaigns, traditional print and broadcast media promotion, and the publication of a digital and hard copy festival guide. Each participating individual artist or organization will receive a dedicated page on the festival’s website and a page in the festival guide book.

Host events throughout the month of the festival for both photographers and photography fans, such as training workshops, photography meet-ups, lectures, panels and artist talks.

Assist participants in hosting their own events in conjunction with their exhibitions and help promote those events to the general public and the FLASH audience.

What You Will Do:

Agree to present a photography-based exhibition that falls within the month-long Flash Photographic Festival (April 2025). This exhibition can begin prior to the festival’s start date and can extend past the festival’s end date, but at minimum, it must be on display at some point during the festival month itself.  

Agree to pay an $150 admin fee that guarantees a full page in our festival catalogue.

IMPORTANT DEADLINE: Everything (form + sample images + payment) must be received by FlashFest no later than JANUARY 10, 2025

To sign up for the Bring your Own Venue program and commit to displaying your work during the festival please fill out the form here.