This spring there’s a chance for everyone to capture the beauty of the city with TILT Institute’s annual Philly Photo Day. Taking place this spring in May, the weeklong initiative welcomes locals to grab their camera or smartphone and “capture images of both the grand and the mundane that make our city so special.”
Submissions officially open for 2025 on Monday, April 7, and anyone interested can submit their photos online by April 13 for inclusion in the Philly Photo Day exhibition, which will be displayed for free to the public in TILT’s Project Gallery (1400 N American St Unit 103) from May 8 to 31.
“Philly Photo Day serves as a great love letter to the city while celebrating community and tradition,” said Sarah Stolfa, President, CEO, and Artistic Director of TILT in a statement. “Whether or not people are aware of it, our access to cameras and photography through our phones makes everyone an artist with a unique creative viewpoint and relationship. Through Philly Photo Day, TILT invites everyone to spend time embracing this medium and share a meaningful vision of Philadelphia whether they’re a professional photographer or a casual enthusiast.”
The first Philly Photo Day took place over a decade ago in 2011, and was held consistently until 2015. The event was intended as an opportunity for the Institute to engage the Philadelphia community, foster creativity through photography, and highlight the unique sights of the city, a release notes.
Over those inaugural years, submissions showcased a lot of the city, or more so, how locals see it with snaps of Love Park, images of kids and pets, concert crowds, and creative perspectives of the skyline. In 2015, the day featured 1,412 images captured by participants living in the city, as well as surrounding counties, South Jersey, and parts of Delaware.
Philly Photo Day was brought back in 2024 amid TILT Institute for the Contemporary Image’s 15th anniversary. The organization—which was formerly known as the Philadelphia Photo Arts Center—was founded in 2009 as a localized creative arts venture with international reach.
This year however, TILT decided to make the occasion a week-long experience versus a one-day event. Located in the Crane Arts Building in South Kensington, the TILT Institute for the Contemporary Image’s galleries are free and open to the public—and that will include the official Photo Day exhibit set to open in May.
The exhibition’s opening reception will be held during the May Second Thursday Gallery Night on May 8, from 6 to 9 p.m. Patrons attending TILT’s annual celebration and fundraiser InVISION on May 2 will also receive a first look.
To find out more information on 2025’s Philly Photo Day, visit tiltinstitute.org
