KNOXVILLE, TN (August 28, 2026) – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Visit Knoxville announces “Knoxville, Lived,” a new photography project designed to showcase Knoxville and Knox County as they are genuinely lived and enjoyed by people.
The project invites photographers to document authentic moments that reflect Knoxville today — from friends gathering in Market Square and families exploring local attractions to runners downtown, paddlers on the Tennessee River, live music crowds, and everyday moments that reveal a true sense of place.
The project officially starts the day of this release, ending with a submission due date of October 3, 2026. At the conclusion of this project, the photographers will select their print to be entered into the competition, and all selections will be shown as a gallery collection, The public is invited to this free event, and all attendees will be able to vote for their favorites to produce the competition winners.
Knoxville, Lived Photography Showing Event
Place: Visit Knoxville Visitors Center
Address: 301 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902
Date: October 10, 2026, 2–6PM.
“I had the opportunity to work with Visit Knoxville on its last photography project nearly a decade ago, so it’s especially meaningful to be part of this new rendition that gives local photographers a chance to share their unique point of view,” said Bruce McCamish, of Bruce McCamish Photography. “I’m looking forward to seeing Knoxville through their eyes and discovering the moments they choose to capture.”
“Knoxville, Lived is about capturing the personality of our destination through the people who experience it,” said Kim Bumpas, President of Visit Knoxville. “We want to see Knoxville in motion; the moments, connections, and settings that make this community feel unmistakably like Knoxville.”
Photographers may submit work for consideration in three categories:
Professional and amateur photographers are encouraged to participate and will compete across the following three categories within their respective divisions (i.e., professional photographers can capture and submit photos for the following three categories and their photos will be judged against other professionals. Similarly, novice photographers can capture and submit photos for the following three categories and their photos will be judged against other amateur photographers.)
- Knoxville in Action
Goal: Capture people actively experiencing Knoxville. Focus on connection, energy, and shared experiences such as friends on Market Square, families at an attraction, couples dining out, crowds enjoying live music, groups at breweries, kids playing outdoors, as well as community gatherings and more.
- Knoxville in Landscape
Goal: Capture people within the larger Knoxville scene. Pull back to show how people experience the places and settings around them like runners moving through downtown, crowds on a festival lawn, fans at a game, paddlers on the river, cyclists on a greenway, hikers on a trail, or families enjoying a park. People should remain part of the story, even when the setting takes center stage.
- Knoxville in Your Pocket
Goal: Capture people experiencing Knoxville through the camera you carry every day. Use a smartphone to document authentic, spontaneous moments like people exploring, gathering, celebrating, dining, playing, or simply enjoying everyday life in Knoxville. Smartphone photography may only be submitted in this category.
For all categories: Images should clearly convey a sense of place, with enough of the surrounding setting to identify the experience as distinctly Knoxville or Knox County (in other words, submissions are not tightly cropped images that could have been captured anywhere).
Submission Guidelines
Knoxville, Lived is a photography project documenting Knoxville as it is today — its people, places, neighborhoods, and everyday moments. The goal is for authentic photographs that tell the story of Knoxville through the perspectives of the people who experience it.
- All photographs must be the photographer’s original work.
- Photographs must have been taken within the City of Knoxville or Knox County, Tennessee.
- Photographs must have been taken within the last 12 months (sometime between October 2025 and the October 3, 2026 deadline). Photographers are required to complete a submission ticket for each photo so that professional and amateur photographers identify their work accordingly.
- Photographers are responsible for ensuring their work complies with applicable law, including Tennessee Code § 39-13-605 regarding unlawful photography. When people are recognizable subjects of a photograph, use good judgment and respect their dignity and privacy. Photographers are responsible for following applicable laws and respecting private property, posted restrictions and reasonable expectations of privacy. Do not enter private property without permission or photograph individuals in circumstances where they have a reasonable expectation of privacy.
- AI (or other editing tool that materially alters the reality of the original scene) is not permitted. Knoxville, Lived should reflect Knoxville as it actually existed when the photograph was taken. Standard photographic adjustments are welcome, including:
- Exposure, contrast and color correction
- Cropping and straightening
- Sharpening and noise reduction
- Black-and-white conversion
- Minor corrections that do not materially change the scene
- Photographers may submit 10 or more photographs for consideration using this link: https://app.snapsea.io/p/link/knoxville-lived-photography-project.
- Upon submission, each photographer can enter a maximum of one photo per category to exhibit at the Knoxville, Lived Photography Showing Event. For the event photographs, each must be mounted in a hangable form — i.e., gator board, framed, framed and matted, canvas, or metal.
- Photos will be shown at the Knoxville, Lived Photography Project event in the Visit Knoxville Visitors Center on October 10, 2026 (2–6PM). Event attendees will vote on submissions for a total of 6 winners (professional photographers compete against other professionals in the three categories, and amateur photographers compete against other amateurs in the three categories).
- Photographers may sell photos that have been entered into the competition.
Photographer Rights and Image Usage
Photographers retain copyright and ownership of their work. By submitting a photograph to the Knoxville, Lived Photography Project, the photographer grants Visit Knoxville permission to reproduce, publish, display, and promote selected photographs in connection with Knoxville, Lived and for the promotion of Knoxville and Knox County. This permission is non-exclusive, meaning photographers remain free to use, publish, license, and sell their photographs elsewhere.
Photographer credit will be provided when reasonably practical and appropriate to the format. Visit Knoxville may crop, resize or make minor production adjustments as needed for different formats, but will not materially alter the photograph without the photographer’s permission. Selected photographs may be used in Visit Knoxville channels and materials, including:
- Websites and social media
- Digital and print advertising
- Visitor guides, publications and promotional materials
- Public displays and exhibitions
- Media, public relations and presentations
- Other Knoxville, Lived and Visit Knoxville marketing
Submission Deadline is October 3, 2026
Submit 10 or more digital photos here: https://app.snapsea.io/p/link/knoxville-lived-photography-project
Drop off photographs (maximum of one photo per category) at the Visit Knoxville Visitors Center by close of business. Exhibitions must be submitted in a hangable, sellable position when turned in on Saturday, October 3, 2026.
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ABOUT VISIT KNOXVILLE
Visit Knoxville (Knoxville Convention and Visitors Bureau) is the official CVB for the City of Knoxville and Knox County. Visit Knoxville is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, private company that works together with the community, business leaders, and local and state government to further develop Knoxville as a premier leisure, meetings, and travel destination. Tourism is the second highest grossing industry in the state of Tennessee. Knoxville/Knox County annually produces over $2 billion in travel spending. Visit Knoxville is also home to the VK Sports Commission, the VK Film Office, the Sunsphere Welcome Center & Observation Deck, and the Visitors Center at 301 S. Gay Street. For more information, go to visitknoxville.com and follow on Facebook and Instagram.
Kristen Combs
Director of Communications
Visit Knoxville
865.306.4341
kcombs@knoxville.org
