From the Streets of Rome to Chelsea: My Entry in the 8th Chelsea International Photography Competition
Every street photographer knows the moment. You walk the same streets for years and slowly learn which images still hold your attention long after you took them. Then comes a different kind of decision: choosing a few of those images and letting strangers judge them. I have just made that decision: I am now taking part in the 8th Chelsea International Photography Competition, organized by New York Art Competitions, a division of the Agora Group.
Why this competition
The competition’s stated purpose is simple and appealing: it gives winning participants the opportunity to exhibit at the organizer’s gallery in the heart of Chelsea, New York. The exhibition will take place at Agora Gallery, 530 West 25th Street, in February 2027. According to the organizer, Agora Gallery was established in Chelsea in 1984 and offers artists a way to present their work to the New York art market and to collectors around the world.
For someone who photographs Rome, there is a personal thread here as well. New York is one of the cities I have already explored with my camera, and a small NYC series sits in my portfolio next to the Roman work. The idea of Roman streets hanging on a wall in Manhattan feels like a natural continuation of that dialogue between two cities.
What is at stake
The organizer has announced that 30 photographers will be selected to exhibit in New York. Five of them will each receive a cash award of 500 dollars. A separate Art of Light Award comes with an Avant Max Creator Kit by Harlowe. Five photographers will also receive a year-long spotlight on ARTmine.com, and ten will receive an honorable mention together with a complimentary entry to the 9th edition of the competition.
The entries will be reviewed by a jury of three: Alison Morley, Chair Emerita of the Documentary Practice and Visual Journalism Program; Roy Schweiger, photographer and director; and Sandra M. Stevenson, Deputy Director of Photography at The Washington Post. The competition is open in two divisions, Amateur and Professional, and I am competing in the Amateur division. Entries close on November 3, 2026.
Why street photography belongs here
I am a street photographer from Rome, and photography for me is a form of creative self-expression. Street photography is the art of capturing life, culture and humanity in a candid way, and Rome makes that both easy and difficult. Easy, because the Eternal City never stops offering scenes. Difficult, because those scenes have been photographed countless times, and finding something honest and personal requires patience, attention and a fair amount of walking.
My work is organized into a few ongoing series: City Stories in black and white, City Stories in color, People of Vatican City, and the NYC series. What connects them is the same approach: no staging, no direction, just people living their day in the places they share with everyone else.
Preparing an entry is a useful exercise in itself. A competition forces you to ask whether a photograph speaks to someone who has never walked those streets and knows nothing about the moment behind it. It is a question every street photographer should ask more often.
What comes next
Selection is never guaranteed, and that is part of the point. Entering a juried international competition is a way to measure your work against a wider field, to step out of the familiar circle of followers and friends, and to accept an independent opinion. Whatever the outcome, I will share it here. In the meantime, the full portfolio, from Rome to New York, is available on romastreet.it.