Photo contests that ask for RAW files in 2027, and when

We re-checked the rules of eleven photo contests that are open on 21 October 2026, and all eleven ask, or keep the right to ask, for your RAW or original files. Five ask at a later stage of judging: the shortlist, the final round, the finalists or, at Glanzlichter, after the first pre-selection. The Fine Art Photography Awards may ask its winners. Four others keep the right to ask without naming a stage, and Sony asks only if a question about manipulation comes up. Only Glanzlichter gives a date for the originals, 7 February 2027; Bird Photographer of the Year says “by the given deadline”. Everything below comes from the organisers’ rules pages, fetched again on 21 October 2026.

The eleven at a glance

Contest by contest

Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2027

Rule 5(4): “If your photograph is shortlisted for the Final Round judging, you will be required to provide the following:” and then “RAW files (e.g. .ARW, CR2/3, .NEF, .ORF, .PEF), or original untouched JPEGs (with a range of ‘before’ and ‘after’ original untouched JPEG files); and original transparencies or negatives, will be required for authentication. DNG files are only permitted if this is the native RAW format of the camera;”

Rule 5(5) goes wider: “We reserve the right to ask you to supply a range of ‘before’ and ‘after’ original files for any photograph that requires further authentication.” The Museum’s prepare-to-enter page is blunt about a missing file: “If you’re unable to provide the requested original files, your entry will be withdrawn from the competition.” It also says: “If you embedded the original RAW in the DNG during the conversion process, you can extract it and submit it as proof of authenticity.” No deadline for the originals is given; first-round results are due on Friday 22 January 2027.

Bird Photographer of the Year 2027

Rule 5.2: “Entrants who are shortlisted for the final round of judging will be required to provide: raw format files (such as .NEF, .CR2 etc.) or, if unavailable, original untouched JPEGs for authentication and forensic purposes. DNG files are not permitted unless this is the native raw output of your camera;” The same rule adds the full high-resolution file, an extended caption and, “if required by Bird Photographer of the Year for authentication, a range of images taken before and after the particular image in question.”

Rule 6.3 says the shortlist’s further high-resolution files “must be supplied by the given deadline, or may be disqualified”, and the homepage timeline puts the request in February 2027. Rule 5.3: “If an entry is unable to be authenticated by Bird Photographer of the Year, or is not of a sufficient quality (to be determined by Bird Photographer of the Year acting in its sole discretion), it will be disqualified from the Competition.” The FAQ asks for “all raw files” in one zip folder.

Glanzlichter 2027

The English rules page: “After the first pre-selection, the authenticity of the images is examined based on the original RAW image file. These must be submitted following a request from the competition management. RAW files of all formats are permitted as original image files. Only files that originate directly from the camera are considered original JPGs. For scanned slides or negatives, the evaluation is based on the analog originals.”

The German rules add a warning the English page leaves out: “Bereits eine Dateiumbenennung kann bei Original-JPGs dazu führen, dass diese nicht mehr als Original identifizierbar sind.” In plain English: even renaming an original JPG can mean it can no longer be identified as an original. The two pages also differ on the closing time: the German rules give “10. Januar 2027 24:00 Uhr (MEZ)”, the English page “January 10th, 2027 - 12:00pm (CET)”. The timeline lists requests for original data “ab dem 27. Januar 2027” and the originals deadline as “07. Februar 2027”, with no time of day. The rules state no penalty for a missing original as such; in doubtful cases, “entscheidet die Jury darüber, ob das Bild ausgeschlossen wird” (the jury decides whether the image is excluded).

Sony World Photography Awards 2027

Clause 4, the same on all four track pages (Series, Single Image, Student and Youth), starts with what you must do when you enter: “Your Entry may feature manipulation, but where Entries are manipulated, the extent of which must be described in the image description section when submitting.” It goes on: “Should a question arise through the judging process regarding the extent of your Entry’s manipulation you may be requested to submit the original photograph and image file to verify.” No format is named. Rule 4.4 applies to shortlisted and winning photographers on all four tracks: “If the World Photography Organisation does not hear from the entrant by the date specified in any correspondence and is therefore not able to ratify the entry that entrant will be disqualified and replaced by another photographer.”

World Food Photography Awards 2027

The terms: “The entrant must retain the original capture file(s) and provide supporting files and workflow information on request.” No time to supply is given. The general rule: “Entries that are found not to comply with the World Food Photography Awards Terms and Conditions will be disqualified without discussion and without refund or compensation.”

Fine Art Photography Awards 2026–2027

The terms: “Winning Entrants must be able to provide a high resolution digital file (minimum 3000px wide@300dpi) and may be asked for original RAW file (or files). This file will be used only to prove the ownership of the image. Winning Entrants who do not fulfill these eligibility criteria will be deemed ineligible and disqualified without the right to appeal.” Nothing covers DNG, JPEG-only shooters or film scans.

World Nature Photography Awards 2027

The rules: “WNPA reserves the right to request further information about how any image was made, including RAW files, EXIF data, field notes, location details, and a written account of the circumstances of capture.” The next sentence: “Images may be disqualified where the organisers consider that the method of capture is inconsistent with the rules, animal welfare, or the values of the competition.”

Ocean Art Underwater Photo Competition 2026

The competition details: “Finalist Verification: Original RAW files straight from the camera, along with a high-resolution JPEG, will be requested from finalists for auditing. An entry may be disqualified if an original RAW or original JPEG cannot be provided. Finalists are expected to be contacted during mid-December 2026 before the second round of judging.”

International Landscape Photographer of the Year 2026

Rule 7: “We reserve the right to ask entrants to submit the raw file(s) to prove an Entry’s authenticity.” The rules state no time to supply and no penalty for a missing raw file as such. Rule 18: “The Organiser reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to disqualify and/or remove any Entry that does not comply with the Competition Rules.”

RPS International Photography Exhibition 168

Rule 20: “The RPS may request original files to check authenticity”. No format, stage or time is named. Rule 19: “The RPS reserves the right to reject any entry/image at its discretion”.

KL International Photoawards: AUTOPORTRAIT 2026

Rule 7i: “Finalists may be required to submit their original RAW or JPEG files for verification.” Rule 5h limits the capture date: “All photographs must have been taken between 2024 and 2026. Proof may be required at the verification stage.” The rules do not say what originals a film shooter would supply.

Checked, and not asking

None this time. Every contest in this check asks, or keeps the right to ask, for originals.

What to keep ready

• Keep the untouched RAW, or the original JPEG, for every entry. Not an export, not a re-save. Wildlife Photographer of the Year says it plainly: “Keep the original file, as we’ll need it later for authentication.”
• Leave out-of-camera JPGs as they are, name included. Glanzlichter warns that renaming an original JPG can stop it being identifiable as an original.
• Keep every frame of a stack, panorama or HDR, where the rules allow them. Wildlife Photographer of the Year and Bird Photographer of the Year can ask for frames taken before and after the image, and Wildlife Photographer of the Year accepts stacks of frames “taken at the same location at approximately the same time as a continuous sequence”, and in-camera multiple exposures in its Natural Artistry category. Ocean Art does not allow HDR, blended exposures or focus stacking, except in its Underwater Digital Art and Underwater Fashion categories.
• Don’t convert to DNG unless DNG is your camera’s native format. Wildlife Photographer of the Year and Bird Photographer of the Year both refuse a converted DNG. If you embedded the RAW when you converted, Wildlife Photographer of the Year says you can extract it.
• Keep the capture metadata. The World Nature Photography Awards may ask for EXIF data and say “EXIF details should be kept intact”; the Sony Series and Student rules say “EXIF data must be left in the image file”; KL Photoawards may ask for proof of the capture date.
• Note what you changed, entry by entry. The Sony World Photography Awards ask you to describe the extent of any manipulation in the image description when you submit.
• Know how long you get. Glanzlichter wants originals by 7 February 2027 and Bird Photographer of the Year sets its own deadline in the request. The others give no time, so keep the files where you can reach them quickly, on location included.

Before you enter, WinPhoto’s free Originals Check compares your RAW with the photo you plan to enter, in your browser: it lines the two files up, marks the areas that differ and drafts a plain list of what it measured (crop, straightening, marked areas) for you to correct and complete. It is a self-check for you, nothing more; only the organiser decides whether an entry meets its rules.

Questions

Which photo contests ask for RAW files in 2027?

All eleven open contests we re-checked on 21 October 2026, including Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2027, Bird Photographer of the Year 2027, Glanzlichter 2027 and the Sony World Photography Awards 2027, ask or keep the right to ask for RAW or original files.

Can I send a DNG instead of my camera’s RAW file?

Not at Wildlife Photographer of the Year or Bird Photographer of the Year, unless DNG is your camera’s native format.

What happens if I can’t supply the original file?

At Wildlife Photographer of the Year the entry is withdrawn. Bird Photographer of the Year disqualifies an entry it cannot authenticate, and Ocean Art says an entry may be disqualified if an original RAW or original JPEG cannot be provided.

Sources

The rules were fetched from these organiser pages on 21 October 2026: Wildlife Photographer of the Year rules and prepare to enter, Bird Photographer of the Year, homepage and FAQ, Glanzlichter (German) and English, Sony World Photography Awards Series, Single Image, Student and Youth, World Food Photography Awards and FAQ, Fine Art Photography Awards and homepage, World Nature Photography Awards and homepage, Ocean Art, International Landscape Photographer of the Year, RPS IPE 168 and KL International Photoawards. Checked 21 October 2026.