We are pleased to announce the open call for submissions to be part of Balam, the Latin American photography magazine. The eleventh issue, focused on LGBTIQ+ archives, will revolve around the theme RADICAL. We invite photographers, collectives, artists, and projects from across Latin America and beyond to join in a celebration of queer memory and resistance.
This time, we are honored to have María Belén Correa as our guest editor—trans activist and founder of the Archivo de la Memoria Trans Argentina (AMT). Without a doubt, her extensive experience in the field will be essential in highlighting the importance of archives in documenting, constructing, and transforming a powerful and ever-evolving genealogy.
RADICAL commemorates a decade of Balam. Since its creation in 2015, its mission has been clear: to give voice and visibility to LGBTIQ+ representations, whose narratives—after centuries of invisibility and ongoing stigmatization—are still being rewritten. Driven by the desire to reconstruct the trajectory of our communities, we embrace visuality as both a trace and a symbol of existence and legacy. Therefore, we propose a tribute to archives and their role as repositories of first-person narratives and, consequently, as sanctuaries for collective subjects.
The concept of RADICAL is tied to the disruptive and transformative nature of LGBTIQ+ archives. These archives not only challenge heteronormative hegemony but also question the traditional power structures that have excluded our numerous subjectivities. The radical lies in the act of documenting what has been ignored, in building chosen families through memory, and in listening to those who have been systematically silenced. Each archive is both a declaration of existence and a call to resist.
We aim to highlight and raise awareness about the work of archives throughout Latin America, reclaiming their struggles against the persistent homophobia and transphobia in our societies. These projects, created by and for our communities, reaffirm the presence of each and every one of us in history.
We invite all those interested to submit their photography, artistic projects, or initiatives related to LGBTIQ+ archives.
©Akeem Smith
© Julieta Pestarino
© Archivo Honduras Cuir
PARTICIPANTS
Participants can be photographers, artists, groups or collectives with photographic projects from anywhere in the world.
+18 with no age limit.
WHAT THE SELECTED PARTICIPANTS RECEIVE
The selected photographers, artists, collectives and projects will appear in the printed issue of Revista Balam N°11: RADICAL.
HOW TO PARTICIPATE
1. Fill out the Registration Form at www.revistabalam.com
2. Open call for entries from February 4, 2025 until March 4, 2025.
3. The application can be as an individual photographer, project or collective.
4. You can apply with up to 20 images per project.
TIMELINE
1. Open call for entries: February 4, 2025.
2. Application deadline: March 4, 2025.
3. Private announcement to selected applicants: Abril 2025.
FAQ
- All series must be between 1 to 20 photos.
- Photographers, artists, groups or collectives do not need to have been published in other media to participate in the contest. We invite you to create new proposals based on the established theme.
- Participants can be photographers, artists, groups or collectives from anywhere in the world, +18 with no age limit.
- Each photographer/artist or group must complete only one form per project, you can submit as many projects as you wish.
- The deadline to upload your work is March 4, 2025 at 11:59 p.m. GMT.
>>> TERMS AND CONDITIONS <<<
ABOUT BALAM
Balam is an independent contemporary queer photography magazine based in Buenos Aires, the first and only one of its kind in Latin America. Through themes aimed at exposing multiple realities and supporting the struggles of minorities and dissident communities, it promotes artists seeking to express themselves and expand their work beyond borders. Its publication aims to transform, make visible, challenge, and (re)invent critical discourses that engage with social, cultural, and political issues. From an anti-hegemonic stance and with a poetic and unconventional approach, it challenges traditional photographic practices.
ABOUT THE GUEST EDITOR
MARÍA BELÉN CORREA
Olivera, Buenos Aires, Argentina
María Belén Correa is a prominent trans activist advocating for the rights of LGBTI people, especially the Trans community. In 1993, she founded the Asociación de Travestis de Argentina (now ATTTA), which she led until 2001. During her exile in New York, she co-founded REDLACTRANS in 2004 and became the patron of Santamaría Fundación in Colombia. She also created TransEmpowerment NY, a center for LGBTI people struggling with addiction, and Mateando, a support group for LGBTI individuals from Argentina and Uruguay. In 2012, she founded the Archivo de la Memoria Trans (AMT), dedicated to preserving trans history in Argentina.
©️ 2025 BALAM
We are pleased to announce the open call for submissions to be part of Balam, the Latin American photography magazine. The eleventh issue, focused on LGBTIQ+ archives, will revolve around the theme RADICAL. We invite photographers, collectives, artists, and projects from across Latin America and beyond to join in a celebration of queer memory and resistance.
This time, we are honored to have María Belén Correa as our guest editor—trans activist and founder of the Archivo de la Memoria Trans Argentina (AMT). Without a doubt, her extensive experience in the field will be essential in highlighting the importance of archives in documenting, constructing, and transforming a powerful and ever-evolving genealogy.
RADICAL commemorates a decade of Balam. Since its creation in 2015, its mission has been clear: to give voice and visibility to LGBTIQ+ representations, whose narratives—after centuries of invisibility and ongoing stigmatization—are still being rewritten. Driven by the desire to reconstruct the trajectory of our communities, we embrace visuality as both a trace and a symbol of existence and legacy. Therefore, we propose a tribute to archives and their role as repositories of first-person narratives and, consequently, as sanctuaries for collective subjects.
The concept of RADICAL is tied to the disruptive and transformative nature of LGBTIQ+ archives. These archives not only challenge heteronormative hegemony but also question the traditional power structures that have excluded our numerous subjectivities. The radical lies in the act of documenting what has been ignored, in building chosen families through memory, and in listening to those who have been systematically silenced. Each archive is both a declaration of existence and a call to resist.
We aim to highlight and raise awareness about the work of archives throughout Latin America, reclaiming their struggles against the persistent homophobia and transphobia in our societies. These projects, created by and for our communities, reaffirm the presence of each and every one of us in history.
We invite all those interested to submit their photography, artistic projects, or initiatives related to LGBTIQ+ archives.
© Julieta Pestarino, Archivo Honduras Cuir, Akeem Smith
ABOUT BALAM
Balam is an independent contemporary queer photography magazine based in Buenos Aires, the first and only one of its kind in Latin America. Through themes aimed at exposing multiple realities and supporting the struggles of minorities and dissident communities, it promotes artists seeking to express themselves and expand their work beyond borders. Its publication aims to transform, make visible, challenge, and (re)invent critical discourses that engage with social, cultural, and political issues. From an anti-hegemonic stance and with a poetic and unconventional approach, it challenges traditional photographic practices.
ABOUT THE GUEST EDITOR
MARÍA BELÉN CORREA
Olivera, Buenos Aires, Argentina
María Belén Correa is a prominent trans activist advocating for the rights of LGBTI people, especially the Trans community. In 1993, she founded the Asociación de Travestis de Argentina (now ATTTA), which she led until 2001. During her exile in New York, she co-founded REDLACTRANS in 2004 and became the patron of Santamaría Fundación in Colombia. She also created TransEmpowerment NY, a center for LGBTI people struggling with addiction, and Mateando, a support group for LGBTI individuals from Argentina and Uruguay. In 2012, she founded the Archivo de la Memoria Trans (AMT), dedicated to preserving trans history in Argentina.
© Rafaelly La Conga Rosa
PARTICIPANTS
Participants can be photographers, artists, groups or collectives with photographic projects from anywhere in the world.
+18 with no age limit.
WHAT THE SELECTED PARTICIPANTS RECEIVE
The selected photographers, artists, collectives and projects will appear in the printed issue of Revista Balam N°11: RADICAL.
HOW TO PARTICIPATE
1. Fill out the Registration Form at www.revistabalam.com
2. Open call for entries from February 4, 2025 until March 4, 2025.
3. The application can be as an individual photographer, project or collective.
4. You can apply with up to 20 images per project.
TIMELINE
1. Open call for entries: February 4, 2025.
2. Application deadline: March 4, 2025.
3. Private announcement to selected applicants: Abril 2025.
FAQ
- All series must be between 1 to 20 photos.
- Photographers, artists, groups or collectives do not need to have been published in other media to participate in the contest. We invite you to create new proposals based on the established theme.
- Participants can be photographers, artists, groups or collectives from anywhere in the world, +18 with no age limit.
- Each photographer/artist or group must complete only one form per project, you can submit as many projects as you wish.
- The deadline to upload your work is March 4, 2025 at 11:59 p.m. GMT.
>>> TERMS AND CONDITIONS <<<
©️ 2025 BALAM