Starting Blocks NCY

Nancy, capital of sports photography

Starting Blocks NCY is a unique project that makes Nancy the capital of sports photography for the duration of a biennial. Created in 2024, this one-of-a-kind festival offers a photographic exploration of the links between sport, aesthetics, and human engagement. Every two years, the city hosts a rigorous selection of works created by photographers who have documented the major moments of contemporary sport.

Major exhibitions

The festival presents sports photography exhibitions spread across various locations in Nancy and its metropolitan area. The exhibited works capture the beauty of the athletic gesture, the intensity of competition, the emotion of athletes, and the fervor of supporters.

Professional and amateur photographers

Starting Blocks NCY brings together a selection of works by renowned professional photographers, such as sports press agency photographers, and passionate amateur sports photographers. This dual approach offers a cross-perspective on sport, blending expert views with sensitive viewpoints.

An international dimension

The biennial hosts national and international photographers, offering a diverse panorama of sports photography worldwide. Works documenting major sporting events — Olympic Games, world championships, local competitions — coexist with more intimate series on daily sports practice.

Sport, culture, and education

Starting Blocks NCY defines itself as a project that brings together sport, culture, education, and artistic creation. Beyond exhibitions, the festival offers cultural mediation activities, meetings with photographers, conferences, and educational workshops for schoolchildren and the general public.

Olympic legacy

The second edition of Starting Blocks NCY, in 2026, is part of the legacy of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. The festival demonstrates Nancy's commitment to perpetuating the sporting and cultural momentum generated by this global event, placing photography at the intersection of sport and art.