The Colburn School Arkatov Photography Contest

How do you see music and dance? Share your vision through the Colburn School Arkatov Photography Contest! 

For more than seven decades, the Colburn School has been a home for developing performing artists  where creativity in all its forms is nurtured. The visual arts and performing arts are deeply connected as complementary creative pursuits, and the School has a long history of showcasing art on campus to inspire and uplift the community.

The Colburn School is privileged to be the home of an extraordinary James Arkatov photography collection. A celebrated cellist and gifted photographer, he used his camera to create intimate portraits of legendary artists such as Isaac Stern, Igor Stravinsky, Sir Thomas Beecham, Gregor Piatigorsky, and Yo-Yo Ma, among many others. 

In honor of Arkatov’s photographic legacy, the School is hosting the 2026 Arkatov Photography Competition to capture and celebrate the personal, human view of performing artists in still images. Prizes will be awarded to winners in two categories: External Photographers and Colburn Students.

Submission Deadline  

  • March 15, 2026

Judging Period  

  • March 15 – March 31, 2026

Winners Announced 

  • April 1, 2026

On-Campus Exhibition  

  • April-May 2026 – winning photographs on display in the Zipper Hall lobby

External Photographers

  • Open to all photographers (professionals, amateurs, and hobbyists) age 18 and over. Submissions welcome from Colburn faculty and staff.  

Colburn Students

  • Participants must be enrolled in the Colburn Community School of Performing Arts, Music Academy, Conservatory of Music, or Trudl Zipper Dance Institute during the 2025–26 school year. 

Photos should capture the performing arts experience of musicians or dancers through a compelling visual narrative in alignment with Arkatov images. 

  • All entries must be original work created by the entrant and taken within the past four (4) years.  
  • Entrants may not submit images that have been published for commercial purposes, including stock photography. However, photos submitted to other contests will be accepted as entries except photos that have been awarded: a best in show or placed first, second, or third. Photos awarded honorable mention will be eligible for submission.  
  • Individuals may only enter one photograph. 
  • Entrants are responsible for obtaining subject’s or subjects’ prior consent to be depicted in image and permission for the photography to be displayed and reproduced by the Colburn School. 
  • Entrants agrees the Colburn School reserves in perpetuity the non-exclusive right to publish entries for promotional purposes in print; online including social media accounts, electronic newsletter, and website; and on display on the Colburn Campus. 
  • Use of AI tools is not permitted. Entrants are fully responsible for the integrity of their submissions to this contest and are liable to be disqualified from the contest if AI tools are discovered in the submission.  

Entrants confirm: 

  • You are the sole owner and author of photograph. 
  • The submission does not infringe upon the copyrights, trademarks, contract rights, or any other intellectual property rights of any third person or entity, or violate any person’s rights of privacy or publicity.
  • Digital photo submissions must be submitted via the Colburn School website. Images submitted via other means, including email and postal mail, will not be accepted. 
  • Color or black-and-white images created with digital cameras, smartphones, and images shot on film that have been scanned are eligible. 
  • Images must meet the following requirements: 
  • File format JPEG format at 300 dpi 
    • Maximum file size 20MB 
    • RGB or sRGB format  
    • Each submission must contain the entrant’s name and category as part of file name. File name example : JohnSmith_ColburnConservatory_Student or JohnSmith_ColburnMusicAcademy_Student or JohnSmith_ExternalPhotographer 
    • Colburn students should identify their School unit. 
    • Additionally, provide your email address and phone number. 
  • Winners should be expected to provide higher-resolution images for exhibition. 

The Arkatov Photography Contest judging panel consists of experts in the field of art photography from  institutions in Southern California.  

  • Photos will be judged on originality, technical excellence, and composition, capturing the performing arts.  
  • After the submission deadline, judges will select one or more winners for the External Photographer and Colburn Student categories.

Winners will be notified by April 1, 2026 via email and will be required to sign and return a release allowing Colburn School permission to use the image for display, marketing, and promotional purposes.  

Prizes 

  • External Photographer – up to $2,500 in total award funds, to be distributed among one or more winners at the discretion of the judging panel
  • Colburn Student Photographers – up to $2,000 in total award funds, to be distributed among one or more winners at the discretion of the judging panel

Winning photographs will be printed and displayed on the Colburn campus near the Arkatov collection.

Alex Slade, Committee Chair
Assistant Chair of Fine Arts, Otis College of Art and Design

Rebecca Truszkowski
Senior Photographer,  J. Paul Getty Trust – Getty Digital
Instructor, Los Angeles Center of Photography
Independent Photographer and Filmmaker

Everard Williams
Photography and Imaging Department Chair, ArtCenter College of Design

Contest deadline: March 15, 2026
Submissions are now closed. Winners will be announced in April.

 

The Colburn School assumes no responsibility for any network failures, computer viruses, unauthorized server access, or other circumstances beyond the School’s control, or for any damages or the like incurred by the entrant in connection with such circumstances.