When Do the Reviews Take Place?
The reviews will take place once a month from September to December 2026, on Fridays from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
How Long Does a Review Last?
Each review date offers six 45-minute time slots. One reviewer will be present for each session.
Where Do the Reviews Take Place?
The reviews will take place at Mediapark 7 (Komed Building), 4th floor.
Address:
Im Mediapark 7
50670 Cologne
Germany
The venue is centrally located near the Hansaring S-Bahn and U-Bahn station and can be reached from Cologne Central Station in approximately 15 minutes by public transport or 25 minutes on foot. The building is accessible at ground level and has an elevator. If you have any specific accessibility or support needs during your visit, please feel free to contact us at anna.doebbelin@photoszene.de.
How Does the Portfolio Review Work?
If your application is selected, you will be assigned a review appointment. You may indicate preferences regarding the review date and reviewer. During your 45-minute session, you will have the opportunity to present your work. You may bring your portfolio either digitally on your own laptop or in an analogue format.
We recommend bringing a specific project and preparing questions in advance that you would like feedback on.
Who Can Participate in the Portfolio Review?
The Portfolio Review is funded by the Diversity Fund of the Ministry of Culture and Science of North Rhine-Westphalia and is specifically aimed at photographers and artists who feel affected by marginalization. This may include, for example, individuals who identify as BIPoC, LGBTQI+, disabled, or who have previously been excluded from similar formats and professional exchange due to factors such as classism or language barriers.
Preference will be given to individuals and/or collectives whose work engages with anti-discriminatory and democracy-promoting themes and who demonstrate a clear commitment to fostering diverse perspectives within photography.
Until When Can I Apply for the Portfolio Review?
The application deadline is 30 July 2026.
Submitting an application does not guarantee participation in the Portfolio Review. After the deadline, all applications will be reviewed, and the available slots will be allocated according to the criteria outlined above.
A total of 24 review slots are available. Applicants will be notified of acceptance or rejection by early August 2026.
Does the Portfolio Review Cost Money?
No. Thanks to the support of the Diversity Fund, participation in the Portfolio Review is free of charge.
I Do Not Live in Cologne and Would Need to Travel. I Would Like to Print My Photographs but Do Not Have the Financial Means. Is There Any Support Available?
All participants who receive a review appointment may, if needed and upon submission of the relevant receipts, claim up to €100 in total for travel expenses and/or production and preparation costs. Applications from abroad will also be considered. This will not result in an increase in travel expense reimbursement.
I Would Like to Stay Overnight in Cologne. Is There Any Support Available?
Unfortunately, accommodation and meal expenses cannot be reimbursed.
What Happens If I Have to Cancel My Portfolio Review Appointment at Short Notice? What Conditions Are Associated with the Application?
We kindly ask applicants to apply only if they are genuinely able to attend one of the review dates. Last-minute cancellations result in unused time slots that could otherwise have been offered to other participants.
If you need to cancel due to illness, we will try to find an individual alternative solution.
Who Are the Reviewers?
11 September 2026
Giulia Cramm (she/her) is a curator and photo historian. Since 2019, she has co-curated several exhibitions for the photo archive of the Ruhr Museum. She currently works as curator for the Documentary Photography Grant of the Wüstenrot Foundation in cooperation with Museum Folkwang.
Her research interests include documentary photography, documentary practices in the context of spatial sociology concepts and theories, and women's contributions to the history of photography.
09 October 2026
Anna Spindelndreier (she/her) is a photographer from Dortmund with a trained eye for what often goes unnoticed. Her photographic work focuses on the authentic representation of people, particularly people with disabilities. With great sensitivity and a strong commitment to diversity and inclusion, she advocates for visual narratives that make diversity visible and challenge existing stereotypes.
A central aspect of her work is her involvement with the platform Gesellschaftsbilder.de, which promotes inclusive representation in the media. Her powerful photographs—including images of wheelchair athletes—demonstrate how visual storytelling can break down barriers and open up new perspectives.
Alongside her photographic practice, Anna Spindelndreier is actively involved in educational work. Through lectures, workshops, and discussion formats, she shares her expertise on inclusive visual communication and encourages responsible visual representation of social diversity.
06 November 2026
Mirelva Berghout (she/her) is a curator of photography and lens-based art with a particular interest in popular culture, representation, and decolonization.
Previously, she worked as a project manager at the Museum Night Foundation (n8) and served as Head of Projects and Curator at Foam Photography Museum. At Foam, she curated the exhibition Adorned and contributed to several editions of the Talent exhibitions, focusing on identifying and supporting emerging artists. She also developed and curated public programs that complemented the museum’s exhibitions.
Berghout co-curated the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam exhibition Municipal Acquisitions: Circulate – Photography Beyond Frames, which highlighted artists challenging conventional boundaries of photography in both form and subject matter.
She is currently Interim Curator of Photography at the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam. In addition to her curatorial work, she serves as a scout for the Cultuurfonds (DNB) and is a member of the advisory committee of the Mondriaan Fund.
04 December 2026
Noam Gramlich (he/they) is a curator and Head of the Africa Department at Linden Museum Stuttgart. His work focuses on collaborative museum practices, colonial memory culture, and trans*/queer histories within historical collections of African cultural heritage.
He is the initiator and project director of the federally funded project Digital Queer Archive in Africa and the Diaspora, supported by the German Federal Cultural Foundation. His curated projects include the participatory exhibition A Thousand Pots: Food Matters at MARKK Hamburg and the digital intervention Colonialism & Resistance: Paths of Remembrance at Museum Fünf Kontinente in Munich.
In which language are the reviews conducted?
Giulia Cramm and Noam Gramlich speak German and English; Mirelva Berghout speaks English and Dutch. There is also the option to have the portfolio review simultaneously translated into German Sign Language (DGS).
I have a question that I couldn’t find an answer to here.
You can contact us at any time—by email at anna.doebbelin@photoszene.de—and we’ll do our best to answer your questions.
There will also be online Q&A sessions where you can ask questions. This event will be held in German (questions may also be asked in English) and cannot be translated into German Sign Language (DGS). You can find the dates on the landing page of the Portfolio Review:
How do I apply?
Please apply using this registration form. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us at anna.doebbelin@photoszene.de