Understanding the £50.00 participation fee

​

We believe in being open and transparent about how our exhibitions work, so we’d like to explain what the £50 participation fee covers and why it is necessary.

​

Submitting your work is completely free.

The £50 fee only applies if your work is selected to take part in the exhibition.

As a small, independent, non-profit gallery, the Glasgow Gallery of Photography covers the costs of organising, producing and presenting each exhibition. The participation fee helps us meet these costs and continue providing photographers with the opportunity to exhibit their work in a physical gallery space.

​

What does the £50 cover?

​

The cost of exhibiting a photograph goes well beyond printing and framing. Every exhibition involves a range of expenses, including:

• Printing your photograph: Producing a high-quality print suitable for display in the gallery.

• Mounting and framing: Preparing your work for exhibition using the gallery's frames and display materials.

• Exhibition preparation: The time spent reviewing submissions, selecting work, organising images, preparing exhibition layouts and coordinating participants.

• Installation and removal: Carefully handling, hanging and displaying your work, followed by dismantling the exhibition when it ends.

• Gallery rent and utilities: Contributing towards the cost of maintaining a physical exhibition space, including rent, electricity, water and other essential running costs.

• Staff time: Paying the people who help manage submissions, communicate with photographers, prepare exhibitions, welcome visitors and keep the gallery running.

• Website and online exhibition: Hosting your work in our online gallery and maintaining the website where visitors can discover your photography.

• Exhibition promotion: Creating and sharing exhibition content, including social media posts, photographs and videos of your work on display.

• Administration and business costs: Covering essential expenses such as accounting, insurance, website services, equipment and other operational requirements.

 

These are all necessary parts of creating and maintaining a professional exhibition experience. Exhibitions take weeks of planning and time before a single fee is taken.

​

Why do only selected photographers pay?

We want everyone to have the opportunity to submit their photography without having to pay an upfront fee. That's why our submission process is free. We don't agree that photographers should blindly pay up front without any guarantees their work will be selected.

The participation fee only applies to photographers whose work is selected, because they are the ones receiving the benefits of exhibiting with us.

This means you can submit your work for consideration without any financial commitment, and only pay if you are offered a place in the exhibition.

​

Supporting independent photography

​

The Glasgow Gallery of Photography is an independent, non-profit gallery. We work hard to keep our exhibitions accessible while balancing the significant costs of running a physical gallery.

The £50 participation fee helps us cover the practical costs of exhibiting your work and supports the continued running of the gallery. It is not simply a charge for a print and a frame; it contributes towards the people, facilities, preparation and promotion that make the exhibition possible.

We understand that taking part in an exhibition is an investment, and we want photographers to know exactly what they are contributing towards.

By participating, you are not only exhibiting your own work; you are also helping us continue providing opportunities for photographers to share their work with the public in a dedicated gallery space.

​

Thank you for supporting the Glasgow Gallery of Photography and helping us continue to champion photography.