Mobile Photography Awards 2026
Mobile Photography Awards (founder Daniel Berman) mobilephotoawards.com ↗
Closes Dec 18, 2026
·
D − 67
Worth entering? $3.0K top prize against 15 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
A few things to clear
A few things to clear before you pay — Mobile Photography Awards 2026 has 2 hard rules that disqualify entries.
What this contest takes
Standard terms — you keep copyright and full control; the licence is limited to promoting the contest.
- Copyright stays with the entrant. Rule text: "Entrants grant the Mobile Photography Awards the right to use submitted images on the Mobile Photography Awards website and for promotion" and "Images submitted may be used for a full color exhibition catalog and MPA promotion." "Entrant retains 100% of the copyright to their images."
- Duration: Not stated
- You keep your copyright
- No attribution guaranteed
What disqualifies you
- Image format Images must be shot and/or edited only on a mobile phone or tablet; any app may be used, but no desktop or laptop editing (only compression, renaming and uploading from a computer). “Entrant asserts that all submitted images have been shot and/or edited (processed with apps) or otherwise created with any and all known mobile phone and tablet devices. No desktop software is permitted. Entries which do not conform to these rules will be disqualified.”
- Copyright ownership Images must be your original work; you keep 100% of the copyright. “Entrant asserts that you have the right or authorization to submit your images to the Mobile Photography Awards and that the images you submit are your original work and do not infringe on any copyrights or any other rights of any third parties.”
Closes Dec 18, 2026 · D−67
15 USD per image
Upload spec:
Files: JPGMax 6000px long edgeUnder 8 MBNo watermarks
Check your photo against these exact rules — free →
No account · reads the editing line, the AI clause and the file spec · confirm on the official page before you pay
The full editorial read continues with past-winner pattern, fee-to-prize value, rights translated, and three comparable competitions. Studio reads the rest.
Categories
Architecture & Design / Still Life
Single
Mobile-phone photos of buildings, structures, designs and patterns, and still life.
Black and White
Single
Black and white mobile photography.
Digital Fine Art / Visual FX
Single
Manipulated and altered phone images — textures, multiple exposures, app effects.
Landscapes & Wildlife
Single
Landscape and wildlife photography shot on a phone.
Macro / Details
Single
Macro and close-up details shot on a phone.
People
Single
Mobile photography of people — the MPA's busiest category.
Portraits & Self Portraits
Single
Portrait and self-portrait photography on a phone.
The Darkness
Single
Shadows, mystery, low-key exposures and night shots.
Travel & Transportation
Single
Travel — landscape, people, culture, customs and architecture of a place — and transportation.
Silhouettes
Single
Silhouettes — sharp outlines isolated against a background.
Street Photography
Single
Street photography on a phone.
Water / Snow / Ice
Single
Water in all its forms — sea, lake, river, snow and ice.
The Photo Essay
Series · up to 6 photos (min 4)
Four to six images with a brief description; separate sub-competition with its own $500 prize and $29 entry fee.
F Format requirements 1 spec
mpa_entry
- File types: jpg
- Max long edge: 6000px
- Max size: 8.0 MB
- No watermarks
E Eligibility 3 rules
-
Images must be shot and/or edited only on a mobile phone or tablet; any app may be used, but no desktop or laptop editing (only compression, renaming and uploading from a computer).
hard
“Entrant asserts that all submitted images have been shot and/or edited (processed with apps) or otherwise created with any and all known mobile phone and tablet devices. No desktop software is permitted. Entries which do not conform to these rules will be disqualified.”
-
No AI-specific rule is published. The FAQ allows "any app or any combination of apps" on the device, and the Digital Fine Art / Visual FX category welcomes manipulated images — AI-app use is an undefined grey zone.
soft
“Yes! Absolutely. You may use any app or any combination of apps. If it’s on your phone or tablet you can use it.”
-
Images must be your original work; you keep 100% of the copyright.
hard
“Entrant asserts that you have the right or authorization to submit your images to the Mobile Photography Awards and that the images you submit are your original work and do not infringe on any copyrights or any other rights of any third parties.”
Jury context
Founded in 2011 as the longest-running international competition exclusively for photographs shot and edited on phones and tablets. Winners are chosen anonymously by a jury of photographers, journalists, teachers and artists, and feed MPA exhibits in Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Toronto and Melbourne.
Priorities: impact creativity mobile craft
Tone: phone native app processing decisive moment
Avoid: desktop editing dslr images
Prizes
$3,000 Grand Prize (Mobile Photographer of the Year), $250 per category winner, $500 Photo Essay prize; over $10,000 in cash and prizes for 2026. Winning images feature in MPA exhibits.
Exhibition
R Rights & licensing what you grant the organizer
- What you grant
- Copyright stays with the entrant. Rule text: "Entrants grant the Mobile Photography Awards the right to use submitted images on the Mobile Photography Awards website and for promotion" and "Images submitted may be used for a full color exhibition catalog and MPA promotion." "Entrant retains 100% of the copyright to their images."
- Duration
- Not stated
- Exclusivity
- none
- Attribution
- Not required
- Copyright retained by photographer
- Yes
Before you enter — quick answers
- Is Mobile Photography Awards 2026 free to enter?
- Mobile Photography Awards 2026 is not free: 15 USD per image. Check the organizer's page for the full fee rules and any waivers.
- Are AI-generated images allowed in Mobile Photography Awards 2026?
- See the published rules for Mobile Photography Awards 2026's AI policy.
- When is the Mobile Photography Awards 2026 deadline?
- Mobile Photography Awards 2026 closes on Dec 18, 2026 (in 67 days).
- How do I know if my photo is eligible for Mobile Photography Awards 2026?
- Read your photograph against Mobile Photography Awards 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.