RPS International Photography Exhibition 168 (open call)
The Royal Photographic Society (RPS) rps.org ↗
Closes Dec 15, 2026
·
D − 64
Worth entering? Free to enter against a $1.3K top prize — the cost is your rights, not your money: read the licence terms below before you submit. Jury read ↓ · Rights & disqualifiers ↓
Submit-Safe · before you pay the entry fee
Read the fine print
Read the fine print first — RPS International Photography Exhibition 168 (open call) has 4 hard disqualifiers and demanding rights terms.
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: "The intellectual property of all entries remains with the photographer." "Entrants licence the RPS to reproduce, without payment, any images for publicity and promotion purposes in connection with the International Photography Exhibition and the RPS’s activities, including within the RPS Journal, website, and social media, for a period up to four years from the date of the open-call launching." Photographer always credited.
- Duration: Up to 4 years from the open-call launch
- 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 Generative AI in whole or in part is not eligible; software or darkroom manipulation is permitted; originals may be requested to check authenticity. “Work that includes generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) in whole, or in part, is not eligible for submission.”
- Prior publication Images previously selected and exhibited in RPS exhibitions are not eligible; no duplicate entries. “Images that have previously been selected and exhibited in RPS exhibitions are not eligible”
- Copyright ownership Images must be the sole work of the entrant (found photographs may be incorporated) and must not infringe third-party rights; collaborators must be credited. “Images must be the sole work of the entrant but can include found photographs within the final work.”
- Image format JPEG, sRGB, max 10MB; anonymous submissions (no name in titles, statements or watermarks); shortlisted entrants must supply prints (work normally no larger than 50 x 60cm). “Files must be no more than 10MB in size. All images must be submitted as JPEG files, in sRGB colour space.”
Closes Dec 15, 2026 · D−64
Free to enter
Upload spec:
Files: JPGUnder 10 MBsRGB 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
Open call — single images
Single · up to 4 photos
Open call with no predefined categories — any genre, process or technique (film, digital, experimental, alternative processes). One free single image for everyone; paid entries of four single images.
Open call — series of four
Series · up to 4 photos (min 4)
A series of four images from the same project (paid entry).
F Format requirements 1 spec
ipe_entry
- File types: jpg
- Max size: 10.0 MB
- Color profile: sRGB
- No watermarks
E Eligibility 4 rules
-
Generative AI in whole or in part is not eligible; software or darkroom manipulation is permitted; originals may be requested to check authenticity.
hard
“Work that includes generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) in whole, or in part, is not eligible for submission.”
-
Images previously selected and exhibited in RPS exhibitions are not eligible; no duplicate entries.
hard
“Images that have previously been selected and exhibited in RPS exhibitions are not eligible”
-
Images must be the sole work of the entrant (found photographs may be incorporated) and must not infringe third-party rights; collaborators must be credited.
hard
“Images must be the sole work of the entrant but can include found photographs within the final work.”
-
JPEG, sRGB, max 10MB; anonymous submissions (no name in titles, statements or watermarks); shortlisted entrants must supply prints (work normally no larger than 50 x 60cm).
hard
“Files must be no more than 10MB in size. All images must be submitted as JPEG files, in sRGB colour space.”
Jury context
The world's longest-running photography exhibition (held almost every year since 1854). Anonymous longlisting by the RPS, then shortlisting and print selection by a changing guest panel; about 100 prints tour RPS partner venues. Open to contemporary, experimental and alternative-process work made ethically, with consent and dignity for subjects.
Priorities: contemporary relevance visual originality coherence of work print quality ethical practice
Tone: contemporary experimental project based print ready
Avoid: generative ai named or watermarked files previously rps exhibited
Past winners — text notes
Recent IPE Award winners (Marcy Palmer, IPE 167; Lydia Goldblatt, IPE 166) were coherent fine-art series exploring nature, memory and identity rather than single spectacular frames.
These are text-only curatorial observations, never images of past winners.
Prizes
IPE Award: £1,000 + 1-year RPS membership. Under 30s Award: £1,000 + membership. ~100 works selected for the RPS touring exhibition (framed at no cost); a 2-week solo exhibition; four RPS Journal features; Selector's Spotlight statements; digital IPE Journal edition for all selected.
Exhibition Publication
R Rights & licensing what you grant the organizer
- What you grant
- Copyright stays with the entrant. Rule text: "The intellectual property of all entries remains with the photographer." "Entrants licence the RPS to reproduce, without payment, any images for publicity and promotion purposes in connection with the International Photography Exhibition and the RPS’s activities, including within the RPS Journal, website, and social media, for a period up to four years from the date of the open-call launching." Photographer always credited.
- Duration
- Up to 4 years from the open-call launch
- Exclusivity
- none
- Attribution
- Required
- Copyright retained by photographer
- Yes
Before you enter — quick answers
- Is RPS International Photography Exhibition 168 (open call) free to enter?
- Yes — RPS International Photography Exhibition 168 (open call) is free to enter.
- Are AI-generated images allowed in RPS International Photography Exhibition 168 (open call)?
- AI-assisted editing is permitted at RPS International Photography Exhibition 168 (open call), 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 RPS International Photography Exhibition 168 (open call) deadline?
- RPS International Photography Exhibition 168 (open call) closes on Dec 15, 2026 (in 64 days).
- How do I know if my photo is eligible for RPS International Photography Exhibition 168 (open call)?
- Read your photograph against RPS International Photography Exhibition 168 (open call)'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.