Manifesto
The Festival
F/262 International Photography Festival
F/262 is an international photography festival rooted in Caldas da Rainha and Óbidos, two UNESCO Creative Cities where water, clay, and history shape local identity. The festival celebrates photography as a living language, one that connects heritage and innovation, nature and humanity.
Through exhibitions, open calls, workshops, labs, and public programs, F/262 brings together artists, curators, educators, and communities from around the world. It creates spaces for dialogue, experimentation, and collaboration, where contemporary photography becomes a tool for reflection, resilience, and transformation.
Each edition reflects a strong commitment to environmental awareness, accessibility, and education. From thermal waters to the Atlantic coast, from ceramic traditions to emerging technologies, F/262 builds bridges between the local and the global, between memory and imagination.
The Festival Community
F/262 belongs to everyone. Artists, citizens, students, and visitors co-create a shared experience where creativity inspires change. Photography is reclaimed as a public good, a medium that invites participation, nurtures empathy, and connects us to one another and to the planet.
The Association
F/SOS – Stories of Solidarity
F/SOS – Stories of Solidarity is a non-profit association dedicated to using photography as a cultural, educational, and social tool. It exists to expand the role of photography beyond aesthetics, transforming it into a language of empathy, inclusion, and action.
We believe photography is not neutral. Images shape perception, memory, and responsibility. When practiced with care, photography can listen, connect, and give presence to voices that are too often overlooked.
F/SOS develops artistic, educational, and community-based projects that amplify underrepresented perspectives, promote accessibility, and foster collaboration across cultures and disciplines. Working alongside NGOs, schools, cultural institutions, and community partners, the association uses photography to engage with social and environmental challenges and to affirm human dignity and resilience.
Among its initiatives, F/SOS is the founding organization and producer of the F/262 International Photography Festival, alongside other long-term projects and programs developed throughout the year.
The F/SOS Community
Everyone who joins F/SOS becomes part of a collective movement. One that believes photography is not only about seeing, but about caring.
Not only about representation, but about participation.
Together, we work with intention and responsibility. We build trust, create space, and commit to meaningful collaboration. We turn stories into solidarity, and images into lasting change.
Produced by F/262 & Associação F/SOS
With the support of:
May 15 – September 25, 2026 Caldas da Rainha & Óbidos, Portugal · View map
About F/262
F/262 is an international photography festival rooted in Caldas da Rainha and Óbidos, Portugal.
Through exhibitions, talks, education, and public installations, the festival engages contemporary photography with place, community, and the world we share.
©2026 F/262 – Festival Internacional de Fotografia
Produced by Associação F/SOS – Fotografia, Solidariedade e Obras Sociais