Ybor City’s Florida Museum of Photographic Arts celebrates the work of photographers from around the world in the
2025 International Photography Competition exhibit, on display from July 15th through August 24th.
Exhibition Manager Jodie Katzeff says FMoPA is one of the smaller photography museums in the U.S. But the annual international competition spreads its name across the globe. This year’s competition received 2,537 submissions from 579 photographers and 55 countries.
“We get people who submit every year, but this year there were also a lot of new names we have never seen before,” Katzeff says. “Every year it seems to be growing with a wider reach.”
The panel of judges is also an international group, with members from the U.S., Italy, Sweden, Cyprus, Japan, Australia, and India. This year’s Best in Competition winner is “pray Eid al-Fitr,” by an Iranian photographer known as “Maho,” which also won first place in the People/Portraits category. “Maho” also won first place in the Places/Landscape category for “The Flow of Life.”Iranian photographer, Armin Armiria also won first place in the Conceptual category for “Rebel-01.” In a restrictive, society like Iran, having a creative outlet like photography can take on more meaning, Katzeff says.
“They’re taking risks sometimes by even making art there,” she says. “It’s hard for them to get their voices heard.”
That also resonates with the judges, Katzeff says.
“Those are places that most of us can’t go,” she says. “That is one of the cool things about photography. You’re able to see things you wouldn’t normally see in your day-to-day life. I think that’s the reason some of those photos are so compelling to the judges. There are countries you can’t travel to.”
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Courtesy FMoPASan Francisco-based photographer Lauren Bettino’s “Breaching Humpback Whales,” first-place winner in the Nature/Science/Animals category in FMoPA's 2025 International Photography CompetitionOther first-place winners in this year’s competition include San Francisco-based photographer Lauren Bettino’s “Breaching Humpback Whales” in the Nature/Science/Animals category; Peru’s Thibault Gerbaldi’s “Salt of the Earth” in Documentation/Photojournalism; New York-based photographer Howard Lewis’ “Origami Folds #18” in Abstract; and “Still life in a black rectangle” by Olena Zubach, a Ukrainian photographer based in Slovenia, in Still Life.
In a new partnership this year, Seminole Heights’ The Photographer’s Framer is handling the framing for all photographs in the exhibit. Visit Tampa Bay and the Hillsborough County are also sponsors.
The opening reception for the 2025 International Photography Competition exhibition is 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. July 15th at FMoPA, located on the first floor of the Kress Contemporary, 1630 E. Seventh Ave. in Ybor.
This year’s exhibit follows on the heels of
“Another Weeping Woman,” a self-portrait series by 2024 International Photography Competition winner Diana Sosnowska that runs through July 13th. Born in Poland and raised in Italy, Sosnowska is currently an MFA student at the University of South Florida.
“It’s kind of a cool transition to go from the winner of last year’s competition into this year’s exhibit because one of the prizes is to be considered for a solo show,” Katzeff says.
Also at FMoPA, “
Here For Now,” a photography and video exhibit exploring themes of migration, impermanence, and identity, is on display through October 5th. The exhibit is curated by video and performance artist Kalup Linzy and presented in partnership with Queen Rose Art House and Tulsa Artist
Fellowship. Featured artists are Jackson Adair, Adam G. Davis, Le’Andra LeSeur, Eyakem Guililat, VC Torneden, and Martha Rosler.
FMoPA is also accepting submissions through August 18th for
“The Soldier’s Lens,” a curated photo exhibition exploring the perspectives of active-duty service members, veterans, and their families.
“The exhibition will explore the diverse experiences of military life, from moments of intensity to everyday routines,” a description reads. “Chosen submissions will be selected by a panel of judges knowledgeable in art and military service.”
The exhibition is scheduled to run from October 21st through December 7th. 2025.
Powerstories Theatre 25th anniversary season
Powerstories Theatre continues its 25th anniversary season with “Witch Hunt or, A Discourse on the Wonders of the Invisible World,” July 11th through 20th at Stageworks Theatre in Tampa’s Channel District.
Written by Liz Duffy Adams, “Witch Hunt,” like all Powerstories’ productions, is historic and based on a true story.
“This is about the Salem witch trials,” Powerstories founder and Executive Director Frank Powers says. “It’s set about 10 years after the witch trials, when one of the
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Provided by Powerstories TheatreA rehearsal for Powerstories Theatre's upcoming production of “Witch Hunt or, A Discourse on the Wonders of the Invisible World." key players, Abigail Williams, comes back and wonders why all of this happened. That’s what the play is about. It’s actually historic-comedic believe it or not. One wouldn’t think that would be the case with such a serious topic. But it’s a little bit more of a light-hearted show.”
Shows are July 11 through 13th and 17th through 20th.
Powerstories season continues in September with a production of Lauren Gunderson’s “Ada and the Engine,” the story of young inventor Ada Byron Lovelace, the daughter of poet Lord Byron, at the dawn of the British Industrial Revolution. That play runs September 12th through 21st at Stageworks.
In November, Powerstories wraps its 25th season with its first-ever collaboration with St. Pete’s The Studio@620, a production of the civil rights story “Cadillac Crew.” Written by Tori Sampson, “Cadillac Crew” sheds light on an often overlooked story in the Civil Rights Movement - a group of Black and white women activists who traveled together by car through the South advocating for desegregation and equal rights.
“There truly were women who did this but they don’t get a lot of attention,” Powers says. “We want to bring that to light.”
Powers describes the collaboration with The Studio@620 as a “win-win.” It’s also Powerstories’ first production in St. Petersburg since the theater company’s early years, she says.
Powerstories has been without a theater of its own since losing its leased space on Kennedy Boulevard in 2023 because of redevelopment plans for the property. Since then, they’ve been a “theater in motion,” Powers says, renting space at other theaters for shows and using a small studio space in South Tampa for auditions and rehearsals.
“We loved having our own space,” she says. “You can do more theater in it. You can offer more to the community, you can be more creative. But we don’t have that now.”
Powers says the Powerstories’ resilient team makes the best of being a transient theater company.
“We have to find the silver lining in it because we have no choice,” she says. “There is a freedom to it. We like to say we’re very nimble now. Free to move around as we need to. We do want to find a space that we can call home again. But I’m not sure when that will happen.”
In the meantime, Powerstories will continue to put on productions that shed light on the inspiring true stories of women and girls. Powers says the theater company will soon release the schedule for its upcoming 2026 season.
”We are not going to stop,” she says. “We are resilient, we are dedicated, and we are passionate. So we will keep on moving.”
For more information, go to Powerstories