Collected Item: “artist and writer”
Your Name
austyn mccall
Your Pronouns
they them
Instagram handle, if any
austynmccall
Work Title
artist and writer
Work Year (We are not accepting images older than 5 years)
2025/26
[Image Rights] Do you confirm that you hold the rights to this image?
Yes
[Eligibility] The Curve Photo Contest proudly centers and uplifts people who identify as lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and queer women and nonbinary people. Please share how you self-identify, using language that feels most accurate to you. Feel free to include all intersections of your identity. (Examples: lesbian, trans person of color, Latinx queer woman, radical faery, butch, etc.)
queer nonbinary lesbian
[Artist Statement] Tell us more about your photo by sharing a brief artist statement OR answering this prompt: "This is what being ______ means to me..." (Max. 100 words)
entry 3/3 :
baptism, 2026
35 mm film
this work is about wanting to be good for as long as you can remember - being taught to scrub your own skin raw if it meant others would tell you it was finally clean enough to be loved. As we grow we learn to relinquish the shame imposed on us by others - for it belongs only to them. and even so, I catch myself weeping in the bath every so often wondering if I haven't gotten all the way clean. (queer self reflection, a moment of reprieve, and the sweetness of solitude)
baptism, 2026
35 mm film
this work is about wanting to be good for as long as you can remember - being taught to scrub your own skin raw if it meant others would tell you it was finally clean enough to be loved. As we grow we learn to relinquish the shame imposed on us by others - for it belongs only to them. and even so, I catch myself weeping in the bath every so often wondering if I haven't gotten all the way clean. (queer self reflection, a moment of reprieve, and the sweetness of solitude)
[Visual Description] Describe your photo so we can provide alt-text. Example: "Two women holding hands and smiling as they walk in a pride parade, surrounded by rainbow flags."
a queer person sitting nude, criss cross on the bottom of the tub, water pouring out of the shower head and splashing onto their face.
includes markings from film processing
includes markings from film processing
[Agreement] In the event that you win the 2026 Curve Photo Contest, do you consent to having your photograph printed for the sole purpose of displaying at The Curve Foundation's one-day event at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (San Francisco, CA) during Lesbian Visibility Week? The Curve Foundation will cover printing costs, but will not cover costs for mailing the print after the event ends.
Yes
[Agreement] Do you consent to The Curve Foundation storing, sharing, and using this image and its description as we deem appropriate, including disseminating on our social media, website, and Curve Archive and Curve Quarterly?
Yes
[Agreement] By checking 'I understand' below, I acknowledge that this contest upholds values of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and I confirm that my submission does not contain anti-LGBTQ+ or other discriminatory, hateful, or exclusionary content.
I understand