05/27/2026
We invite photographers to explore the profound beauty of forgotten spaces. We seek imagery that captures the atmosphere of abandonment—whether industrial decay, derelict homes, overgrown ruins, or personal relics left behind.
We are looking for narratives that reveal the tension between stillness and decay, memory and emptiness, and the stories overlooked by time.
The deadline is June 5
Juror: Matthew Christopher
His interest in abandoned sites started when he was a child, he began documenting them in 2006 while researching the decline of the state hospital system. Since then, he has photographed and written about the ruins of schools, churches, industrial sites, amusement parks, malls, hotels, and prisons across the world, including defunct auto factories in Detroit, former gold mining towns in California, and the rusting husk of what was once the largest and fastest ocean liner built in the United States. His website, Abandoned America, has been featured in books, magazines, and media outlets worldwide, including The New York Times, ABC and NBC News, The Atlantic, Photographer’s Forum, and many more. His articles chronicling the lost histories of iconic places and the disastrous social consequences of our disposable culture have appeared in numerous publications and media outlets.
Submit here: https://chicagophotoclasses.com/product/the_persistence_of_memory/
