What is life like in a Mediterranean city during a heatwave? How do gestures, spaces, and habits change?

From today until 30 September 2025, the European photo contest “Urban Heat in the Mediterranean” is officially open. The contest is promoted by the Cool Noons project, which involves five Mediterranean cities — Imola (Italy), Budva (Montenegro), Dubrovnik (Croatia), Lisbon (Portugal), and Marseille (France) — working together to find innovative solutions to improve the urban experience for both tourists and residents during the hottest hours of the day.

The contest invites anyone living in or visiting these cities to capture, through a photograph, how people cope with urban heat: bodies seeking shade, gestures of relief, clever solutions, hidden coolness. Far from technical concerns, we seek to poetically depict resistance to the burning sun.

Deadlines:

• Registration by 7 August 2025
• Photo submission by 30 September 2025

In mid-August, an online workshop with visual artist Kmar Douagi will be held to support participants in developing their creative ideas.

What you can win:

• 1st prize: Round-trip travel to one of the project cities (max €360)
• 2nd prize: Photography equipment (max €200)
• 3rd prize: Artistic mentoring with the @Heartline collective

The top 15–20 selected photos will be featured in a traveling exhibition across several Euro-Mediterranean cities in 2026.

The contest is open to all ages and to anyone currently in one of the participating cities, even temporarily.

A unique opportunity to portray the Mediterranean from a different perspective — that of those who seek shade and create beauty, even under the sun.

>  https://coolnoons.interreg-euro-med.eu/picture-competition/