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AU · Nominal entry · 2026 · verified

International Landscape Photographer of the Year 2026

Pt 78 Pty Ltd (International Landscape Photographer of the Year) internationallandscapephotographer.com ↗

Closes today

International Landscape Photographer of the Year 2026 can ask for your RAW or original file (rule). Compare your RAW with the photo you plan to enter, free, on your computer → Small retouching, such as removing dust spots, is almost never marked; HDR, panoramas and focus stacks show as differences.

International Landscape Photographer of the Year 2026 is open for entries until 31 October 2026; the organiser names no time zone, and we read it as Sydney time (UTC+11). The standard entry fee is 25 USD per image. Bans AI-generated images; editing tools allowed. The licence covers every entry; it ends for some uses or entries only. Checked against the organiser's rules on 11 October 2026.

Top prize $5.0K grand prize
Fee Nominal 25 USD per image
AI policy Edits OK AI images banned
Categories 7 6 single · 1 multi-image

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

AI-generated images are out; editing tools are allowed, and each contest draws its own line on AI tools — read its rule before you enter.

  • AI rule 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 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 today 25 USD per image Upload spec: Files: JPGMin 4000px long edgeMax 5000px long edgeUnder 12 MBAdobeRGB colour profileNo watermarks
Check your file against these file rules, free → No account · type, pixel size and file size, in your browser · it does not judge the photograph
Compare your RAW with the photo you plan to enter → The organiser can ask for your RAW or original files · free · on your device, nothing is uploaded · it does not judge the photograph
№ 02 · The editorial read

What this jury looks for

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." Stated p…

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

Check a photo against these file rules, free and in your browser.

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”

International Landscape Photographer of the Year 2026’s rules let the organiser ask for your RAW or original files. Compare your RAW with the photo you plan to enter, free and in your browser.

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

From the journal

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?
No. International Landscape Photographer of the Year 2026 bans AI-generated images; editing tools are allowed, and its rules set their own line on AI tools.
When is the International Landscape Photographer of the Year 2026 deadline?
International Landscape Photographer of the Year 2026 closes on 31 October 2026; the organiser names no time zone, and we read it as Sydney time (UTC+11).
How do I know if my photo is eligible for International Landscape Photographer of the Year 2026?
Only the organiser decides whether an entry is eligible. Read International Landscape Photographer of the Year 2026's published rules before you enter, in particular the editing line, the AI clause and the file requirements. WinPhoto's free contest file check compares your file's type, pixel size and file size with those file requirements, in your browser and without an account. It does not judge the photograph.