Wondering what the festival della fotografia etica lodi is really about? It is an annual documentary photography festival founded in 2010, and its 2025 edition drew over 29,000 visitors.
This guide is part of a wider look at italian photojournalism, and it explains what the festival shows and how it works.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2010 |
| 2025 edition dates | 27 September to 26 October 2025 |
| 2025 visitors | Over 29,000 |
| 2025 exhibitions | More than 23 |
| Photographers in 2025 | 150, from 40 countries |
| Students reached by guided visits in 2025 | Almost 5,000 |
These figures come from the festival’s closing press release for the 2025 edition and its About page. Figures can change, so check the source before you rely on them.
What does ethical mean in this festival?
The word can sound abstract. In a 2013 account by Il Post, the organisers described ethical as facing a problem or a situation with images in order to know, and perhaps also to understand.
The festival’s own About page says it wants to stress the relationship between ethics, communication and photography. It also says the festival has paid particular attention, since its first year, to how organisations dealing with social issues use photography.
In practice, that focus shows up in three places:
- a section for work commissioned from photographers by nonprofit organisations, where NGOs can run advocacy activities;
- an international contest, the World Report Award | Documenting Humanity;
- meetings, workshops, portfolio reviews, video projections and guided tours.
How the festival della fotografia etica lodi began
The starting point was 2010, when a local photography association in Lodi came up with the idea, as the About page tells it. The main event takes place every autumn, in September and October.
Il Post described the group as volunteers who are passionate about photography, and said the festival began with photo exhibitions proposed by NGOs. Between editions, the organisers also run the Travelling Festival, exhibitions curated in Lodi that tour Italy and Europe.
In 2019, the tenth edition, an Artribune press release listing called the festival a recognised reference point among European photography festivals. The organisers there cited 90,000 attendances for the year before.
For comparison, the closing press release for 2025 reports over 29,000 visitors. Since these figures come from two separate documents, compare them with care.
For the wider setting in which a festival like this grew, read the history of italian photojournalism.
What the 2025 edition put on show
The sixteenth edition ran from 27 September to 26 October 2025. By the closing press release, it drew over 29,000 visitors, the highest turnout on record, with more than 23 exhibitions and almost 1,000 images by 150 photographers from 40 countries.
The same release names these parts of the programme:
- the World Report Award | Documenting Humanity, described as the heart of the festival;
- the World Press Photo exhibition, described in that release as the only Lombard stop of the international show;
- thematic sections: Uno Sguardo sul Mondo, Le vite degli altri, Spazio Outdoor, Spazio No Profit and Spazio Storia;
- multi-screen video projections and digital content in several venues.
The release also describes an OFF circuit that involved galleries, shops, bars and public spaces in the city, supported by volunteers of the Gruppo Fotografico Progetto Immagine. Festival director Alberto Prina said the public is not a passive spectator but an active part of a collective path of reflection.
The World Report Award at the core
The festival’s About page presents the World Report Award as more than a contest: its prizes economically support photographers working in a difficult field, and it gathers them into a community. In 2025 the MASTER category went to Federico Ríos for his story on migrants crossing the Darién, according to the closing press release.
Earlier editions show how the contest grew. In 2013, Il Post reported that 400 photographers took part, and the Master Award went to Fabio Bucciarelli for Battle to Death, his Syria report.
In 2019, Artribune reported well over 600 entries from photographers of 44 nationalities and winners in 7 categories. The MASTER prize went to Darcy Padilla for Dreamers, a portfolio on the Pine Ridge reservation.
Reading winners across years is a simple way to see what the festival rewards: long, sustained stories about people and places, not single dramatic frames. The 2019 edition also had a SINGLE SHOT category, so the contest has not ignored single images.
Portfolio reviews, students and the OFF circuit
Portfolio reading has been part of the festival for years. A 2013 festival brochure says the reviews were held by photographers, photo editors and sector experts, with pre-registration on the website. If that role is new to you, start with this guide to what is a photo editor.
The 2025 Premio Portfolio Lodi shows how such a review is structured. According to the 2025 regulations:
- It was held on 11 and 12 October 2025 at the Biblioteca Laudense, via Solferino 72, Lodi.
- It was open to all photographers, with a free theme and at most two portfolios per author.
- Only work presented as a set of prints was considered and commented on.
- Each author had two meetings with two different readers, lasting up to 20 minutes each.
- Entry was free for FIAF members and 10 euros for other participants, as a contribution to organisational costs.
The two winners were set to receive an article in the magazines Fotoit and Riflessioni, plus access to the final phase of the national Portfolio Italia circuit. This site does not run the event or take registrations, so check the organisers for any later rules.
The 2025 closing press release states that guided visits for schools, universities and academies reached almost 5,000 students. It also lists Photo Fun, workshops for children that introduce them to photography.
The OFF circuit is open to people outside the main programme. In 2019, Artribune reported that its call had no thematic or genre limits and was open to professionals and amateurs of any age.
Frequently asked questions
When was the 2025 edition held?
Show answer
The sixteenth edition ran from 27 September to 26 October 2025, according to the festival’s closing press release.
Who organises the festival?
Show answer
The festival was born in 2010 from the nonprofit Gruppo Fotografico Progetto Immagine, based in Lodi, as its About page explains.
Is there a 2026 edition?
Show answer
The 2025 closing press release invited the public to a new edition in 2026, but it gives no dates. Check the official festival website for the programme.
Can amateur photographers show their work?
Show answer
In 2019 the OFF circuit call was open to professionals and amateurs without age limits, as Artribune reported. Rules can change between editions, so read the current call.
