International Landscape Photographer of the Year 2026
Pt 78 Pty Ltd (International Landscape Photographer of the Year) internationallandscapephotographer.com ↗
Closes Oct 31, 2026
·
D − 19
Worth entering? $5.0K top prize against 25 USD per image. The jury read and the rights terms below are what decide it — not the prize math. Jury read ↓ · Rights & disqualifiers ↓
Submit-Safe · before you pay the entry fee
Read the fine print
Read the fine print first — International Landscape Photographer of the Year 2026 has 4 hard disqualifiers and demanding rights terms.
What this contest takes
You keep copyright, but the licence reaches past promoting the contest — wider uses, sub-licensing or passing it to others. Read the licence clause before entering.
- Copyright stays with the entrant. Rule text: "The Organiser acknowledges that You retain full ownership of the copyright in each Entry." Any entry may be used "for the purposes of judging the Competition, and marketing and promotional purposes of the Competition"; winning entries (incl. Top 101) may be exhibited, published in the book and future anniversary compendiums, and sub-licensed to the press in connection with the competition. "Non-winning entries may be used solely to promote the competition for a period not to exceed 3 years from the close of the competition."
- Duration: Non-winning: up to 3 years; winning: open-ended promotional use including future publications
- You keep your copyright
- Credited when used
What disqualifies you
Generative fill is out; AI denoise / sharpen / upscale are fine — but “excessive manipulation” is judged subjectively, so keep the edit honest.
- Ai generation Must be photographic in origin. No AI-generated images or AI-generated components; AI noise reduction and minor retouching that doesn't create new content are fine. Composites of your own captures are allowed and there are otherwise no post-production limits (all editing must be your own). RAW files may be requested. “AI generated images (and for composite images, AI generated image components) are not permitted. Minor AI retouching is acceptable as long as it is not creating new content.”
- Capture date after Original exposures must be taken on or after 1 January 2021 (composites: created on or after that date). “Entries must be from original exposures taken on or after 1 January 2021.”
- Copyright ownership You must be the sole owner and author of each entry, and do all post-production yourself. “You are the sole owner and author of each Entry”
- Image format JPG, AdobeRGB 8-bit, 4000–5000px on the longest side at 300 dpi, max 12MB; blind judging — no names or titles visible on the image. “AdobeRGB colour space, 8-bit; [...] Measure between 4000 and 5000 pixels on the longest side, 300 dpi. [...] Be saved as a JPG [...] There is a maximum file size of 12MB”
Closes Oct 31, 2026 · D−19
25 USD per image
Upload spec:
Files: JPGMin 4000px long edgeMax 5000px long edgeUnder 12 MBAdobeRGB colour profileNo watermarks
Check your photo against these exact rules — free →
No account · reads the editing line, the AI clause and the file spec · rules human-verified
The full editorial read continues with past-winner pattern, fee-to-prize value, rights translated, and three comparable competitions. Studio reads the rest.
Categories
Special Award
one image · 5 categories
- Black and White
- Seascape
- Snow and Ice
- Cloud
- Night
International Landscape Photograph of the Year
Single
Single landscape photograph; top 101 scores published in the awards book, top 20 re-judged for the title. Mountains, coast, desert, forest — any landscape.
International Landscape Photographer of the Year (portfolio)
Portfolio · up to 4 photos (min 4)
Built automatically from an entrant's four highest-scoring landscape entries (enter at least four; one must reach the Top 101).
F Format requirements 1 spec
ilpoty_entry
- File types: jpg
- Min long edge: 4000px
- Max long edge: 5000px
- Max size: 12.0 MB
- Color profile: AdobeRGB
- DPI: 300
- No watermarks
E Eligibility 4 rules
-
Must be photographic in origin. No AI-generated images or AI-generated components; AI noise reduction and minor retouching that doesn't create new content are fine. Composites of your own captures are allowed and there are otherwise no post-production limits (all editing must be your own). RAW files may be requested.
hard
“AI generated images (and for composite images, AI generated image components) are not permitted. Minor AI retouching is acceptable as long as it is not creating new content.”
-
Original exposures must be taken on or after 1 January 2021 (composites: created on or after that date).
hard
“Entries must be from original exposures taken on or after 1 January 2021.”
-
You must be the sole owner and author of each entry, and do all post-production yourself.
hard
“You are the sole owner and author of each Entry”
-
JPG, AdobeRGB 8-bit, 4000–5000px on the longest side at 300 dpi, max 12MB; blind judging — no names or titles visible on the image.
hard
“AdobeRGB colour space, 8-bit; [...] Measure between 4000 and 5000 pixels on the longest side, 300 dpi. [...] Be saved as a JPG [...] There is a maximum file size of 12MB”
Jury context
Five judges score every entry out of 100 on calibrated monitors, opening files pixel-for-pixel before giving high scores. The 2026 panel lists David Burnett, Jim M Goldstein, Kaye Davis, Tim Parkin, J. Fritz Rumpf (last year's winner) and Peter Eastway. "Technique and craft are just as important as creativity for the top awards."
Priorities: art and craft of landscape technical quality at full resolution creativity portfolio consistency
Tone: landscape craft post production skill light and atmosphere
Avoid: ai generated content outsourced editing near duplicate entries
Prizes
Photographer of the Year (4-image portfolio): US$5,000 / $1,000 / $500 plus trophies. Photograph of the Year: US$2,000 / $1,000 / $500. Special Awards (Black and White, Seascape, Snow and Ice, Cloud, Night): $500 each. Top 101 published in the awards book. US$12,500 total cash.
Publication
R Rights & licensing what you grant the organizer
- What you grant
- Copyright stays with the entrant. Rule text: "The Organiser acknowledges that You retain full ownership of the copyright in each Entry." Any entry may be used "for the purposes of judging the Competition, and marketing and promotional purposes of the Competition"; winning entries (incl. Top 101) may be exhibited, published in the book and future anniversary compendiums, and sub-licensed to the press in connection with the competition. "Non-winning entries may be used solely to promote the competition for a period not to exceed 3 years from the close of the competition."
- Duration
- Non-winning: up to 3 years; winning: open-ended promotional use including future publications
- Exclusivity
- none
- Attribution
- Required
- Copyright retained by photographer
- Yes
Before you enter — quick answers
- Is International Landscape Photographer of the Year 2026 free to enter?
- International Landscape Photographer of the Year 2026 is not free: 25 USD per image. Check the organizer's page for the full fee rules and any waivers.
- Are AI-generated images allowed in International Landscape Photographer of the Year 2026?
- AI-assisted editing is permitted at International Landscape Photographer of the Year 2026, but the image must originate from a real photograph and manipulation may need to be disclosed. A fully AI-generated image is not eligible as a photograph.
- When is the International Landscape Photographer of the Year 2026 deadline?
- International Landscape Photographer of the Year 2026 closes on Oct 31, 2026 (in 19 days).
- How do I know if my photo is eligible for International Landscape Photographer of the Year 2026?
- Read your photograph against International Landscape Photographer of the Year 2026's published rules — the editing line, the AI clause, and the file requirements — free and without an account with WinPhoto's eligibility check. It tells you whether your image is eligible before you pay the entry fee.