AE · Free entry · 2026
Xposure International Photography Awards 2026/27
Sharjah Government Media Bureau (Xposure International Photography Festival) awards.xposure.net ↗
Closes Sep 05, 2026
·
D − 64
Submit-Safe · before you pay the entry fee
A few things to clear
A few things to clear before you pay — Xposure International Photography Awards 2026/27 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 retained by the photographer. Awarded pictures grant the organisers an unlimited non-exclusive license for festival and promotional use — a broad grant entrants should weigh before submitting.
- Duration: Unlimited (awarded pictures).
- 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.
- Copyright ownership Entrant must hold copyright; copyright is retained by the photographer. “Copyright holders retain copyright of their work.”
- Ai generation Restrictive manipulation line outside dedicated categories: no adding or removing content, no staging that misrepresents the scene. “Entries should not include adding or removing content or staging a scene.”
Closes Sep 5, 2026 · D−64
Free to enter
Upload spec:
Files: JPGsRGB colour profileCaption requiredNo 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
Single Image (multiple themed sections)
Single
Single-image entries across the festival's themed award sections.
Photo Story / Portfolio
Portfolio · up to 12 photos (min 5)
Story/portfolio entries judged as a sequence.
F Format requirements 1 spec
xposure_standard
- File types: jpg
- Color profile: sRGB
- No watermarks
- Caption required
E Eligibility 2 rules
-
Entrant must hold copyright; copyright is retained by the photographer.
hard
“Copyright holders retain copyright of their work.”
-
Restrictive manipulation line outside dedicated categories: no adding or removing content, no staging that misrepresents the scene.
hard
“Entries should not include adding or removing content or staging a scene.”
Jury context
Festival-scale international jury assembled by the Sharjah Government Media Bureau for one of the largest photography festivals in the Middle East. Free entry plus a USD 60k+ prize pool draws a very large, global field — distinctive vision and rigorous captioning stand out over technically clean but generic work.
Priorities: storytelling originality technical execution caption integrity
Tone: documentary depth global perspectives festival exhibition scale
Avoid: staged scenes content addition or removal generic stock aesthetics
Prizes
USD 60,000+ total prize pool across sections; winners exhibited at the Xposure International Photography Festival in Sharjah.
Exhibition
R Rights & licensing what you grant the organizer
- What you grant
- Copyright retained by the photographer. Awarded pictures grant the organisers an unlimited non-exclusive license for festival and promotional use — a broad grant entrants should weigh before submitting.
- Duration
- Unlimited (awarded pictures).
- Exclusivity
- none
- Attribution
- Required
- Copyright retained by photographer
- Yes
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Before you enter — quick answers
- Is Xposure International Photography Awards 2026/27 free to enter?
- Yes — Xposure International Photography Awards 2026/27 is free to enter.
- Are AI-generated images allowed in Xposure International Photography Awards 2026/27?
- AI-assisted editing is permitted at Xposure International Photography Awards 2026/27, 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 Xposure International Photography Awards 2026/27 deadline?
- Xposure International Photography Awards 2026/27 closes on Sep 05, 2026 (in 64 days).
- How do I know if my photo is eligible for Xposure International Photography Awards 2026/27?
- Read your photograph against Xposure International Photography Awards 2026/27'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.