Welcome to Festival Zone for March 2026.
Talking Culture 2026
Auckland Festival of Photography 2026 has gathered two lens-based experts, photojournalist mentors, picture editors and curators from Japan whose oeuvre relies on or questions this medium in the contemporary exhibition and publishing context.
We are delighted to announce the Talking Culture series 2026 will include Picture Editor, Newsweek Japan, Hideko Kataoka and Curator, Publisher, Naoko Ohta.
Naoko Ohta - Curator, Publisher WONDER Network
Naoko OHTA is president and CEO of Klee, Inc., which provides a wide range of art-related services, including the production of international exhibitions, artist representation, editorial direction, publication of books and photography collection.
To the present, has curated more than 250 exhibitions in Japan and abroad.
She also serves as nominator to PRIX PICTET Awards, the Leica Oskar Barnack Awards (LOBA) and several major Japanese photographic awards, and as jury for The Photographic Society of Japan Award 2025-2026.
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Hideko Kataoka - Picture Editor, Newsweek Japan
Hideko was appointed Director of Photography at Newsweek Japan in 2001. I In 2004, she created the 'Picture Power' section, a weekly photo essay that captures underreported topics from around the world. The series is currently celebrating its 21st anniversary and reached its 1000th instalment in 2025.
She has also served as a lecturer in photojournalism and documentary photography at Tokyo Polytechnic University since 2013, and as a member of the External Review Committee at the Tokyo Photographic Art Museum since 2016.
She regularly participates in portfolio reviews and has served as a juror for prestigious international photography festivals and competitions, including the World Press Photo, the W. Eugene Smith Grant, and many others. She is also the founder and director of Miiraii Creative. Full programme details announced in April.
Thanks to the Gerrard and Marti Friedlander Charitable Trust.
Movement - Bronek Kozka
When the Light Paused Silently by Bronek Kozka
Auckland Festival of Photography is delighted to announce we will present exclusively a suite of works from artist residency in Hainan, China by Bronislaw Kozka, Melbourne based artist as part of the Movement [Kori] theme.
Artist Statement:
Limen: Light and Weight is a body of work developed in 2026 during an artist residency at Le Méridien Shimei Bay, Hainan, China. The project sits at a threshold — between sea and forest, exposure and immersion, clarity and density. Along the coastline at Shimei Bay, the horizon opens outward: light is direct, forceful, expansive. Step inland and the world closes in. The air thickens, light fragments, and space becomes layered and intimate. These works move across that boundary. Rather than documenting the landscape, the images are constructed through an accumulative process — multiple exposures, digital translation, and AI-assisted reconstruction. Each image is built from the experience of being there: the pressure of humidity, the instability of shifting light, the sensation of moving between environments. Developed with the support of Le Méridien Shimei Bay, the series reflects a sustained engagement with the surrounding environment — from the South China Sea to the tropical forest and mountain interior.
Proudly supported by Auckland Council Event and Auckland Live through the City Centre Targeted Rate.
Movement - Andrew Cornaga
Auckland Festival of Photography is delighted to present work by Award winning photojournalist, Andrew Cornaga, Photosport focusing on the ‘Beautiful Game’ as part of the ‘Movement’ theme.
"Soccer is fundamentally a sport of constant, fluid, and multidimensional movement, acting as a "living work of art" that combines physical exertion with strategic space manipulation. It is not merely running, but an "intermittent team sport" requiring explosive bursts, technical skill, and tactical intelligence to manage the scarcity of the ball"(courtesy of National Library of Medicine, USA)
Andrew’s work on the touchline is to capture the players in action, and some of the field and behind the scenes moments at domestic games in NZ and also at the FIFA World Cups, where he is part of the official accredited media group following the New Zealand All Whites and Football Ferns, games and tournament.
Thanks to the office of Auckland Urban Development for the support of our 'Movement' themed exhibitions. Full programme details announced in April.
New Zealand v Norway 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup by Andrew Cornaga.
Call for submissions open
Get your submissions in, for in venue, online or outdoor exhibitions. Talks, walks, photobooks, projections, we invite all aspects of the photographic medium. Deadline 25th March 2026.
The theme for this year’s Festival has been announced as ‘Movement’ [kori], and we will be welcoming creative and insightful interpretations on the subject (for more information about our 2026 theme see here)
Your participation can be in-venue, online, or outdoors and can include a wide variety of activities that celebrate photography and its makers. Exhibitions, talks, events, book launches, pub quizzes, performance projections and everything in between can be suggested to our Festival Trust.
Vision - Photography Connecting Communities and People
Coming soon - Opens May 1st
Aotearoa Music Photography Awards 2026 – Opens 1st May – Cash grants 1st place $1250 and 2nd place $500, a People’s Choice supported by a Harvey Norman prize for the image that gains the most valid public votes, other products, vouchers on offer. Terms and conditions, prizes announced on 10 April.
