IPFA Research
Program
Complete Form Before March 1st.
This research is conceived as a comprehensive international study that will analyse the economic structures supporting photography festivals worldwide. Building on data collected across different regions, scales, and organisational models, the report will focus on five key research areas that are essential for understanding the financial sustainability of the sector.
Funding ecosystems and income diversification
The study will examine how photography festivals are financed, analysing the balance between public funding, private sponsorship, self-generated income, and partnerships. It will investigate regional differences, dependency patterns, and vulnerabilities within funding ecosystems, identifying models that enhance resilience and reduce financial risk.
Human resources, labour costs, and professionalisation
This research will focus on staffing models, labour costs, and employment conditions within photography festivals. It will examine team sizes, contractual frameworks, remuneration levels, and the balance between paid staff and unpaid or volunteer labour, addressing professionalisation and long-term workforce sustainability.
Budget structures and cost distribution
The report will analyse how festivals allocate their budgets, including artistic production, exhibitions, communication, infrastructure, administration, and human resources. By comparing budget structures across different scales and geographies, the study will identify common imbalances, priorities, and structural limitations.
Economic sustainability, risk management, and continuity
The report will help us to understand how festivals manage financial risk and ensure continuity over time. Topics will include financial planning, reserve funds, multi-year strategies, dependency on single funding sources, and responses to economic instability, providing insight into factors that contribute to long-term survival or vulnerability.
Economic impact, policy frameworks, and future scenarios
Finally, the study will analyse the broader economic impact of photography festivals on local and regional contexts, as well as the role of cultural policies in shaping financial conditions. By identifying emerging trends and future scenarios, the report will offer strategic insights to inform policymakers, funders, and festival directors.
The Global Photography Festival Community has Spoken!
Our sincere thanks go to the 215 festivals from around the world who generously gave their time and shared their insights during virtual meetings and through the survey. Your honest and thoughtful contributions have been essential in shaping a clearer understanding of today’s photography festival landscape. This collective overview, built from your experiences and perspectives, represents a meaningful step toward strengthening the connections within our international network and building a more resilient and visible sector. The report is available to everyone!
A large, diverse, and unevenly distributed global ecosystem
There are an estimated 1,000 photography festivals worldwide, with significant differences between regions in terms of activity, continuity, and institutional support. While some territories show strong consolidation, others face high levels of inactivity and fragility, revealing structural inequalities across geographies.
A major cultural impact supported by limited institutional backing
Photography festivals generate strong social and cultural impact, engaging local communities, artists, and audiences. However, this impact is often not matched by stable institutional recognition or long-term public support, creating a persistent imbalance between cultural value and structural backing.
A sector sustained by a large but fragile workforce
Between 8,000 and 12,000 people work in photography festivals worldwide, many of them with high levels of expertise and commitment. Despite this, the report highlights widespread issues related to precarious employment, lack of specific professional training pathways, and unequal remuneration for workers and artists.
High levels of activity and participation
Photography festivals collectively organise around 18,000 activities per year and engage approximately 32,000 artists, authors, exhibitors, and curators annually, reaching an estimated 10 million participants through onsite audiences and online communities. Festivals function not only as events, but as year-round cultural platforms that build and sustain communities.
Collaboration and future sustainability as central challenges
While collaboration between festivals is increasing, particularly through exhibition itinerancy and shared projects, the report identifies sustainability as the main concern for the future. Economic stability, fair remuneration, long-term planning, and stronger networks are essential to ensure continuity and resilience in the coming years.
Future Research
Horizon 2026–2032
Following the development of the first global report on the state of photography festivals, IPFA (International Photography Festivals Association) commits to continuing its research in a detailed, systematic, rigorous, and collective manner. The information gathered has not only helped identify trends, strengths, and weaknesses of the current ecosystem, but has also revealed numerous questions that require more specific, continued, and in-depth studies.
In this section, we present a roadmap for the coming years of research. Each proposed study stems from a need identified during the preparation of this report and aims not only to describe the sector, but also to transform it: providing relevant data, stimulating reflection among member festivals, and proposing sustainable, collaborative, and innovative models for action. These investigations seek to strengthen the ecosystem, prevent risks, promote good practices, and expand the strategic horizon of festivals worldwide.
2026
Economic Anatomy of Photography Festivals: What Keeps Festivals Afloat?
This first study will attempt a precise quantification of the actual weight of each funding source: public subsidies, private sponsorships, self-financing, ticket sales, or collaborations. Understanding this economic composition is essential to assess the sector’s real autonomy or vulnerability, and to design sustainable strategies in the face of potential crises or political changes.
2027
Audience Mapping: Who Participates in Photography Festivals?
This research will investigate the profiles, motivations, levels of participation, and access barriers of audiences across different regions of the world. The study will enable festivals to adapt their programming, diversify their audiences, improve accessibility, and strengthen their cultural impact, providing tools for more inclusive and strategic local and international programming.
2028
Working Conditions and Organisational Structures in Photography Festivals
This study will address how festivals are internally organised: levels of professionalisation, team stability, employment types, and working conditions. It aims to shed light on the structural precariousness affecting much of the sector, improve the human sustainability of cultural work, and promote care-oriented policies that support continuity and professionalisation.
2029
Green Festivals: Ecological Sustainability and the Production of Photography Festivals
This research will analyze current and potential practices to reduce environmental impact, from exhibition materials to transportation and energy consumption. In the context of the climate emergency, the study will offer guidelines and replicable models to help festivals remain culturally relevant while also being environmentally responsible.
2030
Horizon 2040: Possible Scenarios for Photography Festivals
This study will project potential futures for the ecosystem based on current trends such as digitalisation, internationalisation, the climate crisis, changes in mobility patterns, and new forms of cultural consumption. It will serve as a strategic roadmap to anticipate challenges and prepare the sector for the coming decades.
2031
Festival Mortality Rates: Causes, Consequences, and Lessons Learned
This research will analyze the reasons behind the closure of festivals, exploring economic, political, institutional, and organisational factors. It will identify patterns across regions, scales, and management models, helping the sector learn from failures and design more resilient strategies.
2032
How Does One Learn to Organise a Festival? Training, Knowledge, and Transmission
This study will investigate the educational and professional paths of festival organisers: academic or self-taught backgrounds, knowledge acquired through practice, support networks, mentorship, and available training opportunities. The research will identify gaps and propose new, more accessible and systematic training models, addressing a key question for the sector: should specialised education in festival organisation be developed?
A Long-Term Research Observatory
With these annual studies, IPFA positions itself as an active research observatory committed to the present and future of photography festivals. Each investigation aims to generate useful, open, and actionable knowledge that allows festivals not only to adapt to changes, but also to lead them with responsibility and vision. From economic structures to future scenarios, this research programme seeks to build a stronger, more connected, professionalised, and resilient global community. Ultimately, the goal is to ensure that photography festivals continue to be key spaces for artistic creation, circulation of images, and the construction of collective meaning in a constantly changing world.
Complete Form Before March 1st.