The theme of the festival is Metropolis - City Life in the Urban Age, and professional photographers, curators and institutions are invited to enter distinctive documentary series which engage with it. The theme is intended as a counterpoint to the 2010 Noorderlicht Photofestival, which focused on Land - Country Life in the Urban Age.

"On May 23, 2007 the world celebrated the begining of the urban millennium," write the organisers. "It was on this date that, worldwide, for the first time in history more people lived in cities than in the countryside: 3.3bn people, on 3% of the earth's surface. This development has far-reaching implications. Is a decent, human ife possible in a modern megalopolis that is bursting at its seams? And how can the countryside survive the economic, demographic, cultural and ecological clear-fell taht ubranisation brings with it?"

Archival work can be submitted but the organisers are keen to see contemporary projects and work that hasn't been shown in The Netherlands before. The series should be submitted with a CV, a clear description and any supporting material such as photobooks or catalogues. Images can be sent via DVD, CD-ROM, email (15MB maximum), a file-sharing site or as prints, which should be at least 8x10 inches. For more information, visit the Noorderlicht site.

The Noorderlicht Photofestival has been running since 1990, and grew out of the Noorderlicht Photogallery, which was established in 1980. The Noorderlicht Photography Foundation is devoted to documentary photography and now runs a publishing house, educational events and touring exhibitions as well as the gallery and festival.