1. Duration and development of the event: the call for proposals highlights the intention to transform the Festival from a temporary event into a ‘permanent cultural infrastructure’ operating all year round, whilst also allowing applicants the opportunity to propose a different frequency or a ‘new format’.
We would like to ask whether, when drawing up the Business Plan/sustainability plan, we should refer to the duration of the current format (from late April to early June) or whether estimates on an annual/permanent basis are required.

The business plan must follow the proposed format. Activities requiring an additional budget may be included in the format; however, these will then be conditional upon securing the necessary funds to carry them out.

2. Remuneration and nature of the €40,000 per annum: Article 6 specifies a remuneration of €40,000 per annum, inclusive of VAT and professional fees, to be divided amongst the members in the event of a joint application. We request confirmation that this amount constitutes solely the gross remuneration allocated to the Artistic Direction for the activities set out in Article 1, and whether any out-of-pocket expenses for travel and accommodation incurred by the curatorial team are to be deducted from it, or whether such expenses form part of the organisation’s general organisational costs.

The remuneration is considered to be all-inclusive of hospitality expenses for the exhibition/activity planning phase. Hospitality expenses for the festival opening ceremony for all members of the artistic directorate are to be considered outside the budget; return travel and accommodation costs for the opening days and the press preview are deemed to be covered. Any other requirements that arise during the course of the work will be discussed with the festival’s organisation and management.

3. Overall production budget for the drafting of the Business Plan: The introduction states that the average production budget for exhibitions is approximately €350,000 (with specific items included and excluded). We would like confirmation as to whether this is the reference budget to be taken into account for the financial viability of the proposal, or whether there are other dedicated resources or budgets provided by the Foundation for the remaining activities and the annual programme.

Activities taking place outside the festival may be included as additional costs, but in such cases they are subject to securing the necessary funding, which must be discussed with the Foundation’s partners or with sponsors secured specifically for this purpose.

4. Hospitality and accommodation (Artists and Artistic Direction): We would like to clarify whether the costs of food, accommodation and travel for the invited artists (and, where applicable, for the Artistic Direction team during the set-up period and the festival) are to be covered by the production budget or managed directly and separately by the Foundation’s organisational structure.

Hospitality expenses for artists and the artistic direction team in connection with any installations and during the opening days are to be considered outside the production budget.

5. Support staff and exhibition set-up: we request confirmation as to whether, for the management of exhibition spaces, the supervision of venues, the physical set-up of exhibitions and on-site technical/operational support (volunteers, staff and exhibition fitters), staff provided and coordinated by the Foundation/Municipality will be utilised, without these costs being borne by the remuneration or direct resources of the Artistic Direction.

We confirm

6. Would it be possible to receive details about the audience (number of visitors, origin, variations over the month of the festival), the nature of existing partnerships and press coverage?

Most of the requested information can be found in the annual reports available here: https://www.palazzomagnani.it/report/

Audience figures for the last four editions of Fotografia Europea:
In 2023, the festival welcomed a total of 73,200 visitors, with 14,326 tickets issued. In 2024, attendance increased to 75,700 visitors with 16,361 tickets issued. In 2025, the festival recorded 63,000 visitors and 14,034 tickets issued, while the 2026 edition welcomed a total of 61,000 visitors, with 11,152 tickets issued.
Attendance figures include visitors to both ticketed and free exhibitions, as well as all festival events.
The opening weekend accounts for approximately one quarter of the festival’s total attendance. The second weekend also typically attracts very high visitor numbers, while the remaining weeks maintain lower but consistent attendance levels.

Media Partnerships (2023-2026): British Journal of Photography, Il Fotografo, Yogurt magazine, Radio Montecarlo, Sky Arte, Lampoon
Press Coverage
Media relations were coordinated by the festival’s in-house press office in collaboration with a national press office, appointed on an annual basis.
The 2026 edition generated 575 media mentions across print, television and online outlets.
Specialised Media: Il Giornale dell’Arte, Artribune, Exibart, Il Fotografo, Arte, Fotoit, NPhotography, Art e Dossier, Arte e Critica, Segno, Touring, Inside Art, Finestre sull’Arte.
National Media: La Repubblica, Corriere della Sera, La Stampa, Il Manifesto, Il Messaggero, QN – Il Giorno / Il Resto del Carlino / La Nazione, Avvenire, Domenica (Il Sole 24 Ore), Robinson (La Repubblica), Sette (Corriere della Sera), D La Repubblica delle Donne, Io Donna (Corriere della Sera), L’Espresso, Grazia, Marie Claire, Oggi, Famiglia Cristiana, Evatremila, BBC History Italia, Internazionale, Internazionale Kids, Style, Elle, Elle Decor, Domus, Arte Sky, Italo – I Sensi del Viaggio.
Local Media: Gazzetta di Reggio, Il Resto del Carlino (Reggio Emilia edition), Torino Sette (La Stampa), Corriere della Sera (Milan edition), La Repubblica (Turin edition), Corriere di Bologna (Corriere della Sera), La Repubblica (Bologna edition), Il Resto del Carlino – Bologna Chronicle, Zero, Gazzetta di Modena, Gazzetta di Parma, La Nuova Ferrara, Corriere Romagna, Ravenna&Dintorni, La Voce di Mantova, La Gazzetta del Mezzogiorno, La Regione Ticino.
Television: Rai News24, Tutti Frutti (Rai News), TGR Emilia-Romagna, Studio Aperto (Mediaset), TV2000, TG5 (Mediaset), Rai Italia Paparazzi, TG LA7 – Viaggio nell’Arte, TG3 Fuorilinea, Sky TG24, Teletricolore, Telereggio.
International Press: British Journal of Photography, The Guardian, El País, Musée Magazine, 10 Magazine, Something Curated.

7. The call for applications requires a “contribution to the definition of the annual theme in agreement with the promoters” as well as the submission of an artistic proposal. Should the theme for the 2027 edition also be proposed by applicants, or is it already being defined by the Promoters? Should the proposal already include suggested themes and possible artists to be involved?

Contributing to the definition of the annual theme is one of the responsibilities assigned to the successful candidate and is therefore not required at this stage.
However, since applicants are asked to submit a proposal covering a three-year period, they may indicate broad thematic directions to be developed over the course of the three editions, as well as potential artists to be involved. In any case, even if the proposal is selected, the final theme and the overall artistic framework will be agreed with the commissioning body after the appointment has been made.