Established in 1977, PhotoSpiva is the longest-running competition of its kind.
PhotoSpiva is a national competition hosted annually by Spiva Center for the Arts. Founded in 1977, PhotoSpiva has become the longest-running photographic competition of its kind in the U.S. As stated by the founders, the objective of PhotoSpiva is to “present an exhibition of excellence in photography, celebrating the scope and vigorous activity of today’s contemporary photographers.”
Co-Founder Jim Mueller stated, “We have intentionally avoided any categorization of either photographers or their work in setting forth the criteria for this competitive.” PhotoSpiva welcomes any photographic process as long as it is original artwork and has not been previously exhibited at Spiva Center for the Arts. This philosophy has created an unbiased forum for exhibiting and educating photographers. The PhotoSpiva prospectus, promotional materials and exhibition brochures are distributed to professional photographers, emerging artists, educators, students, and amateur photography enthusiasts throughout the United States.
PhotoSpiva is open to any amateur or professional photographer in the United States or its territories. Submitted images must be the photographer’s own work, and it is the sole responsibility of the photographer to obtain written releases from any recognizable person(s) depicted. Two-dimensional work derived from any photographic process — traditional, digital, or photo-based mixed media — is eligible as long as the work is original and has never been exhibited at George A. Spiva Center for the Arts. Three–dimensional work is not eligible for this competition and exhibition.
Begin entering on November 7, 2025.
Deadline is Jan 5, 2026
A $40 fee is required to enter five (5) photos. You must enter 5 photos and no less. If you wish to submit more than five images, each additional entry is $10
The images need to be JPEG formatted and in RGB color mode. You aren’t required to give us a specifically sized image, but a good guideline is to make either the width or the height about 1600 pixels and maintain the aspect ratio.
Place | Value
1ST | $1,000
2ND | $750
3RD | $500
Merit Award (3) | $150
Honorable Mention (3) | $100
All photographic content is protected under Copyright law. Use is prohibited unless permission is obtained. All non-photographic content Copyright © 2012 George A. Spiva Center for the Arts.
Read the full terms and conditions.
Dan Winters is arguably one of the most versatile, celebrated, and renowned photographers working today, widely known for his unusual and iconic portraits of celebrities, his scientific and aerospace work, street photography and illustrations. Dan has won over one hundred national and international awards, including the Alfred Eisenstaedt Award for Magazine Photography, World Press Photo award, many awards from American Photography, Siena International Photo Awards, International Photography Awards, Communication Arts, National Magazine Awards, The Society of Publication Designers, PDN, the Art Directors Club of New York and Life Magazine, among others. He was also honored by Kodak as a photo “Icon” in their biographical “Legends” series. He was also honored in 2025 by Professional Photographers of America with a lifetime achievement award. He is also National Geographic Explorer.
His work appears in many national and international publications, including The New York Times Magazine, National Geographic, Texas Monthly, The New Yorker, New York Magazine, WIRED, Golf Digest, Fortune, Vanity Fair, GQ, TIME, Stern, Paris Match, Esquire and Rolling Stone. His clients include Apple, Netflix, HBO, Amazon, NBCUniversal, Warner Brothers, Paramount, DreamWorks, Disney, Twentieth Century Fox, Atlantic Records, A&M, RCA and Interscope, Microsoft, Facebook/Meta, Samsung, Nike, Patagonia, Target, Saturn, Fila, Sega, Sony, HP, Bose, among others. He has had multiple solo gallery exhibitions in New York, Los Angeles, Siena, Italy, Madrid, Spain, Sharjah, UAE and a solo exhibition at the Telfair Museum Jepson Center for the Arts in Savannah. His work is in the permanent collections at the National Portrait Gallery, Museum of Fine Art, Houston, the Telfair Museum and The Harry Ransom Center. His books include Dan Winters Photographs, Dan Winters’ America: Icons and Ingenuity, Last Launch, Periodical Photographs, Road To Seeing, which chronicles his path to becoming a photographer, and The Grey Ghost, a selection from 30 years of his New York street photography. As a film director, he has recently produced and directed two award winning short films, TONE and World War Rylan. He lives in Austin, Texas, Los Angeles and Savannah, Georgia with his wife, Kathryn.
Learn more about Dan at danwintersphoto.com
Monday: Closed
Tuesday: 10:00AM – 5:00PM
Wednesday: 10:00AM – 5:00PM
Thursday: 10:00AM – 5:00PM
Friday: 10:00AM – 5:00PM
Saturday: 10:00AM – 5:00PM
Sunday: Closed
212 W. 7th Street
Joplin, M0 64801
