Textile Transformations 2025

The overall winner will receive a commission to the value of $10,000

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Clothing and textiles connect us intrinsically to our planet and its many ecosystems, cultures, and communities. The materials used to make them come from farms, forests, or even oil from the earth. They have often passed through many pairs of hands, transformed each time before they become the final product that we buy.

This transition starts with the plants, animals, or processes that give us materials like cotton, viscose, wool, or polyester. These fibers become thread, thread becomes fabric, fabrics become finished products, and finished products become cherished or symbolic items.

While each transformation brings cultural and emotional significance, our collective appreciation of textiles often centers around the product itself, rather than where it came from, who created it, or what it has come to mean. That’s why, in partnership with Magnum Photos, we are looking for photographers and filmmakers interested in exploring the way we transform textiles, and how textiles in turn transform us.

By placing these themes at the center of the story, the initiative hopes to reframe the way we relate to their social, cultural, and environmental implications. It is about altering our attitude towards these everyday items, all while providing a springboard for emerging talent to embrace a more human approach to visual storytelling.

Prizes:

Winners will be selected by a panel of expert judges, and chosen based on their submitted projects.

The overall winner will receive a commission to the value of $10,000 for Textile Exchange to document the stories behind some of its members as well as a mentorship with a leading talent from Magnum’s network of photographers and support from the Magnum Photos Education team.

One runner-up will receive a commission to the value of $7,000 for Textile Exchange.

The winning entries will be published in our annual printed zine, Unwoven, as well as showcased in an original exhibition at the Textile Exchange Conference. Held annually, the event brings over 800 brands, retailers, and suppliers together to ensure that fashion, textiles, and apparel are produced in a way that supports our planet, its ecosystems, its landscapes, and its communities. 

Eligibility:

Applicants must have the legal right to work in their country of residence and be available to travel for the winning commission at some point between Autumn 2025 and Summer 2026 (specific timing to be mutually agreed)

Copyrights & Usage Rights:

All submissions must have the appropriate model releases and third-party clearances to be eligible for prizes. Textile Exchange will request releases to hold on file (including audio releases for moving image soundtrack) ahead of publication of winners, in accordance with our Terms & Conditions.

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