Sponsored by Cambria Center for the Arts

Submissions open October 1
Final date to enter November 30
Winners announced December 15
Winners displayed in CCA Studio January 5 – February 18

Looking for love? Find and photograph the hidden hearts that abound along our beautiful Central Coast . . . along the shore, in the sky, deep in the woods or high in the hills, or anywhere in unexpected places. Just as our annual film festival this year focuses on the theme of “for love of film,” we ask all photographers out there to focus on finding signs of love in life around you.

Submit your best and most intriguing shots. Our panel of judges will select its 10 favorite heart images, print them in large format, and display them in our Cambria Center for the Arts Studio Gallery before and during the upcoming international Cambria Film Festival, February 8 – 11, 2024. Winners can opt to keep their large print after the show, or offer it for sale and keep the proceeds minus our standard gallery commission. All entries will be available to view in a special digital gallery at CambriaArts.org during the film festival period. Viewers will be allowed to vote for their favorite among those displayed in the Studio. The Audience Favorite will be announced at the end of the film festival period.

Accepted Photo Formats:
Horizontal or Vertical - Ratio 3:2 - min 3600 x 2400 px  - JEPG
or Square min 3000 px - JPEG

up to 4 entries per person

In 2008, something special this way came: scarecrows! Each October since, dozens, then scores, then hundreds of scarecrow creations began to populate the streets of Cambria and San Simeon. In this documentary, you go behind the scenes at the Cambria Scarecrow Festival to learn more about the love and labor that goes into making this happen each year.  Director:  Robin Smith, USA. 40 minutes.

Film screenings at Cambria Center for the Arts, 1350 Main Street, Cambria
Daily Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 1:00 pm and 3:00 pm, all October beginning October 6
Free, but donations requested

To celebrate the launch of pass sales for our 2024 Festival, our programmers have selected one or two favorite shorts from each of the first six years of the Festival. It’s all here: comedy, heartache, tenderness, love and so much more. In fewer than 90 minutes, you’ll be touched by a dozen or so beautifully crafted short films.( Attendees will also be shown trailers for some of the upcoming 2024 Festival selections and have a special opportunity to purchase 2024 passes at an Early Bird Discount.)

On August 10, 2022 we held our first ever outdoor movie screening on the grounds of the Stolo Winery with a special screening of Moonstruck.  

Here are some pictures of that night.