The Colmenar Viejo City Council has launched the 1st Old Photography Contest to gather historical images of the municipality and safeguard its collective memory. Announced on 24th October 2025, the contest aims to convert the family albums into a first-class cultural resource.
Wanted: photographs taken before the year 2000 that show streets, landscapes, buildings, traditions, festivals and local daily life. These contributions will feed the Municipal Photographic Archive, after a process of digitalization and cataloging that guarantees its conservation.
Deadlines and how to participate
The delivery period is open until January 15, 2026. Photos must be submitted to the House of Culture (Pablo Picasso Cultural Center, C/ de la Iglesia, 12), within normal business hours.
The images must be original and authentic, and each entry must be accompanied by the owner's first and last name, the approximate date it was taken, and the identification of the people, places, or events that appear in the photograph.
When delivering the material, the City Council will provide a reception receipt for each photograph submitted, which will serve as proof for subsequent return.
The Councilor for Culture, Rocio Camara Pellon, encourages neighbors to share their memories and “open their albums” so that together they can reconstruct a visual history of the municipality accessible to future generations.
Digitization, rights and cultural use
All photographs received se will digitize and they will be returned to their owners once the contest concludes and the prizes have been awarded, preserving the integrity of the originals.
The City Council will retain a copy for cultural purposes non-profit (exhibitions and publications), complying with the regulations of data protection and image rights in force in Spain.
The presentation of works entails the full acceptance of the bases, available for consultation on municipal channels.
Jury and evaluation criteria
The jury will be composed of the mayor Carlos Blázquez, the Councilor for Culture Rocío Cámara Pellón and the historian specialized in Colmenar Viejo Mariano de Andrés, among other profiles linked to local heritage.
Among the aspects to be evaluated are: antiquity of the shot, the originality, the documentary value and the cultural interest of each image, prioritizing contributions that help to understand the urban and social evolution of the municipality.
Awards and exhibition
The jury's decision will be made public before the February 1th 2026 and the following cash prizes will be awarded:
- 1st prize: 500 euros
- 2.º prize: 300 euros
- 3st prize: 200 euros
- From 4th to 10th: 100 euros each
In addition to the awards, the following will be selected: 50 outstanding photographs for your interest and 30 of them will be printed in high resolution for an exhibition at the Pablo Picasso Cultural Center, where the award ceremony will also be held.
Where to get information
For inquiries and further details, the reference is The House of Culture (Pablo Picasso Cultural Center, C/ de la Iglesia, 12), where the reception of works and practical information about the competition are centralized.
An opportunity to strengthen the memory of the municipality and put into value family funds: Images prior to 2000 are accepted until January 15, with a specialized jury, prizes of up to 500 Euros and a public screening through the exhibition at the Pablo Picasso.
