The 19th edition of Rovinj Photodays, Croatia’s leading contemporary photography festival, officially came to a close with the annual awards ceremony and the announcement of the Grand Prix winner, held before a packed audience at Island Hotel Istra on St. Andrew’s Island.
Over the course of two festival days, Rovinj once again became a meeting point for the international photography community, bringing together artists, curators, photographers, students, and photography enthusiasts through exhibitions, lectures, discussions, and the final awards ceremony.
This year’s edition attracted more than 3,000 photographs submitted by authors from 30 countries worldwide. The works of the finalists were premiered at the large-scale group exhibition held at the Rovinj Multimedia Centre (MMC), which served as the festival’s central exhibition event.
GRAND PRIX ROVINJ PHOTODAYS 2026
The Grand Prix Rovinj Photodays 2026 was awarded to Italian photographer Matteo Trevisan for his series “Jin, Jiyan, Azadî – Woman, Life, Freedom”, a powerful documentary project exploring the role of women within the ecological revolution in Rojava, northeastern Syria.
Rooted in the concept of a society based on social ecology, direct democracy, and women’s liberation, the project portrays a unique social model in which women actively participate at every level of community life—from local councils and cooperatives to security and governance structures. At the same time, the work raises questions about the fragility of such a system as the threat of renewed conflict once again puts years of collective development, resistance, and social transformation at risk.
The Grand Prix award was presented by Ana Bajagić, representative of Epson, one of the festival’s principal partners and sponsors.
In addition to the official Grand Prix title, Matteo Trevisan received a cash prize of €2,000, a solo exhibition at Rovinj Photodays 2027 accompanied by a dedicated exhibition catalogue, and formal recognition as the Grand Prix Rovinj Photodays 2026 laureate.
This year’s festival also featured a rich exhibition programme beyond the finalists’ exhibition.
At CVU Batana, visitors could view “Black Gold” by Mitar Simikić, last year’s Grand Prix winner—a deeply personal and powerful photographic project exploring displacement, the loss of home, and landscapes shaped by industrial transformation.
At the Italian Community Centre of Rovinj, audiences had the opportunity to see “Couplegames” by Stefanie Rössl and Massimo Sordi, a photographic dialogue between two artistic perspectives developed through a shared exploration of space and everyday life in India.
The lobby of Grand Park Hotel Rovinj hosted “Between Sky and Earth – Africa” by Saša Poldan, an exhibition featuring striking photographs captured both from the air and the ground. Through these images, the monumental landscapes of Southern and Eastern Africa are transformed into almost abstract visual compositions, offering a unique perspective on the continent’s natural beauty.
