Photo Competition 2025
Open House Chicago photography competition returns after a successful first year in 2024 receiving over 1,300 submissions.
Open House Chicago photography competition returns after a successful first year in 2024 receiving over 1,300 submissions.
Open House Chicago (OHC) 2025 will occur over the weekend of October 18-19 with photo competition being held in conjunction with the festival. Sites will be announced mid-September, sign up for our newsletters to be the first to know!
About the OHC photo competition
Whether you’re a seasoned photographer or a hobbyist with a camera phone, this is your chance to show off your best photos taken while exploring Open House Chicago sites.
We invite participants of all ages and skill levels to submit images across five categories:
- Interior
- Exterior
- Detail
- Black & white
- People & buildings
CAC's curatorial team will select photos for display at the Chicago Architecture Center in a forthcoming photo exhibition. To be considered for the competition, photos must be taken on October 18 or 19, 2025 and submitted by October 26, 2025 at 11:59 p.m. CDT. Please note that each participant may submit a maximum of 5 (five) photographs across the 5 (five) categories. Entries that exceed this maximum will be voided by the CAC team.
Following the opening of the show, a jury of professional photographers will select one winner and one honorable mention from each category. Winners will receive complimentary annual memberships to the CAC.
Please read before submitting your entry
Terms and Conditions for participation in the Open House Chicago 2025 photo competition and subsequent Framed Views exhibition.
When you upload a photo to the Chicago Architecture Center’s Open House Chicago photo competition via this form you also agree to the following terms, conditions and rights. Chicago Architecture Center will hereinafter be referred to as CAC; Open House Chicago will be referred to as OHC.
To be considered for the competition, photos must be taken on October 18 or 19, 2025 and submitted by October 26, 2025 at 11:59 p.m. CDT.
1. IMAGE REQUIREMENTS
- The submitted photo must be in JPG, TIFF or HEIC format, which is standard for most digital and phone cameras. Photos should be submitted as full resolution (uncompressed) and suitable for printing at 2550 x 3300 pixels (8.5” x 11”). Maximum file size is 10 MB.
- Photos must feature an official OHC 2025 site as the primary subject.
- Each participant may submit a maximum of 5 (five) photographs across the 5 (five) categories. Entries that exceed this maximum will be voided by the CAC team.
- If the submitting photographer is under the age of 18, all rules and guidelines herein are the responsibility of their parent or legal guardian, who must complete this form on their behalf.
2. IMAGE RESTRICTIONS
- It is not permitted to upload photos of people who have not given their consent for the photo to be made public. This also applies to photos of people in private, awkward or embarrassing situations, regardless of whether the subjects in the photograph are in a public space or are visiting an OHC site. You are personally responsible for obtaining consent for publication from all individuals featured in your photo, and any claims brought against CAC will be transferred to you.
- We reserve the right to reject any photos that are perceived to be inappropriate or offensive in nature. Photos carrying a watermark or containing text, such as a date, company name or logo will be rejected out of consideration for the exhibition. CAC may at any time delete submitted photos that are not in compliance with the above terms and conditions.
- Selfies will not be accepted.
3. RIGHT OF USE
- When you submit a photo to CAC, you simultaneously give your consent for the photo to be used by CAC for promotion of the photo competition and for promotion of and use in the subsequent exhibition and in future OHC festivals. CAC’s promotional activities include but are not limited to: newsletters, publication on the Internet and social media, descriptions of CAC’s projects, and inclusion in publications, including through third party press coverage.
- There will be no compensation, monetary or otherwise, for use of your photograph as described within these terms. If CAC wishes to use your photo in other commercial contexts, we will contact you to obtain your prior consent.
- You always retain the copyrights to your photos, and you will always be credited whenever your photos are used.
4. OWNERSHIP
- It is not permitted to upload/tag photos that you have not taken yourself. You must be able to confirm that you hold the copyrights to the photos you submit, and that you have the unrestricted right to use the photos, and thereby also the right to publish the photos. You must also guarantee that all photos are free of third-party rights, and that all identifiable individuals in the photographs have given their consent for the photos to be used in accordance with CAC’s guidelines.
5. PROCESSING OF PERSONAL DATA
- Your name and personal data will only be used in connection with the competition and exhibition, and follow-up communications from the CAC relevant to the competition. Your name may be used in connection with crediting photos. The winners will be contacted directly and announced to the public via CAC’s channels.
- All personal data provided to CAC will be kept confidential and will not be shared with any third party. Read our general guidelines in our Privacy Policy.
BY SUBMITTING YOUR PHOTO, YOU SIMULTANEOUSLY AGREE TO THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS STATED IN THIS AGREEMENT. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE WITH THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS, PLEASE DO NOT SUBMIT YOUR PHOTO.
If you have any questions regarding the terms and conditions and how they apply to you, please contact the project team at exhibitions@architecture.org
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