The Rights & AI-Policy Ledger
What each contest takes when you enter. Every row is decoded from the competition's own published rules and carries the date we last verified it against the official source. When a contest changes its terms, the change lands in the log below — dated, with the receipt.
| Competition | Rights grade | AI rule | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maghreb Photography Awards 2026 Maghreb Photography Awards | Clean Standard terms — you keep copyright and full control; the licence is limited to promoting the contest. | No AI rendering | Jul 03, 2026 ↗ |
| Photolucida Critical Mass 2026 Photolucida | Clean Standard terms — you keep copyright and full control; the licence is limited to promoting the contest. | No AI, at all | Jul 03, 2026 ↗ |
| Close-up Photographer of the Year 8 (CUPOTY) 2026 Close-up Photographer of the Year | Clean Standard terms — you keep copyright and full control; the licence is limited to promoting the contest. | No AI, at all | Jun 17, 2026 ↗ |
| The Epson International Pano Awards 2026 The Epson International Pano Awards | Clean Standard terms — you keep copyright and full control; the licence is limited to promoting the contest. | No AI, at all | Jul 03, 2026 ↗ |
| All About Photo Awards 2026 — Mind's Eye All About Photo | Clean Standard terms — you keep copyright and full control; the licence is limited to promoting the contest. | Edits OK, no generative | Apr 23, 2026 ↗ |
| PX3 Prix de la Photographie Paris 2026 Farmani Group / Px3 | Clean Standard terms — you keep copyright and full control; the licence is limited to promoting the contest. | AI category exists | May 23, 2026 ↗ |
| BJP 1854 Award 2026 British Journal of Photography (1854 Media) | Clean Standard terms — you keep copyright and full control; the licence is limited to promoting the contest. | No AI rendering | Apr 23, 2026 ↗ |
| Global Wildlife Fair International Photo Awards 2026 Global Wildlife Fair | Clean Standard terms — you keep copyright and full control; the licence is limited to promoting the contest. | No AI rendering | Jun 17, 2026 ↗ |
| Tokyo International Foto Awards 2026 Farmani Group | Clean Standard terms — you keep copyright and full control; the licence is limited to promoting the contest. | AI category exists | May 23, 2026 ↗ |
| PhotoVogue Global Open Call 2026 — Brave New Visions PhotoVogue / Condé Nast | Clean Standard terms — you keep copyright and full control; the licence is limited to promoting the contest. | Edits OK, no generative | Jul 03, 2026 ↗ |
| 1839 Awards — Photographer of the Year 2026 1839 Awards | Clean Standard terms — you keep copyright and full control; the licence is limited to promoting the contest. | No AI, at all | Jun 17, 2026 ↗ |
| ND Awards 2026 (Neutral Density Photography Awards) ND Awards / ND Magazine | Clean Standard terms — you keep copyright and full control; the licence is limited to promoting the contest. | Not stated in the rules | Jul 03, 2026 ↗ |
| Xposure International Photography Awards 2026/27 Sharjah Government Media Bureau (Xposure International Photography Festival) | Clean Standard terms — you keep copyright and full control; the licence is limited to promoting the contest. | Edits OK, no generative | Jul 03, 2026 ↗ |
| World Street Photo Awards 2026 World Street Photo | Clean Standard terms — you keep copyright and full control; the licence is limited to promoting the contest. | Edits OK, no generative | Jun 17, 2026 ↗ |
| W. Eugene Smith Grant in Humanistic Photography 2026 W. Eugene Smith Memorial Fund | Clean Standard terms — you keep copyright and full control; the licence is limited to promoting the contest. | No AI, at all | Jun 17, 2026 ↗ |
| Travel Photographer of the Year 2026 Travel Photographer of the Year Ltd | Clean Standard terms — you keep copyright and full control; the licence is limited to promoting the contest. | No AI, at all | May 23, 2026 ↗ |
| The Nature Photography Contest 2026 The Nature Photography Contest | Clean Standard terms — you keep copyright and full control; the licence is limited to promoting the contest. | No AI rendering | Jun 17, 2026 ↗ |
| Sony World Photography Awards 2027 World Photography Organisation (in partnership with Sony) | Clean Standard terms — you keep copyright and full control; the licence is limited to promoting the contest. | Edits OK, no generative | Jun 06, 2026 ↗ |
| Tasweer Awards 2026 — Qatar Museums Authority Qatar Museums Authority · closed | Clean Standard terms — you keep copyright and full control; the licence is limited to promoting the contest. | No AI, at all | Apr 23, 2026 ↗ |
| Hamdan International Photography Award 2026 — Family Hamdan bin Mohammed Foundation · closed | Clean Standard terms — you keep copyright and full control; the licence is limited to promoting the contest. | No AI rendering | Jul 03, 2026 ↗ |
| Mangrove Photography Awards 2026 Mangrove Action Project · closed | Clean Standard terms — you keep copyright and full control; the licence is limited to promoting the contest. | No AI rendering | Apr 23, 2026 ↗ |
| Nature Photographer of the Year 2026 Nature Talks · closed | Clean Standard terms — you keep copyright and full control; the licence is limited to promoting the contest. | No AI rendering | May 23, 2026 ↗ |
| LensCulture Critics' Choice 2026 LensCulture · closed | Clean Standard terms — you keep copyright and full control; the licence is limited to promoting the contest. | Edits OK, no generative | Jul 03, 2026 ↗ |
| The Independent Photographer Monthly Awards 2026 The Independent Photographer · closed | Clean Standard terms — you keep copyright and full control; the licence is limited to promoting the contest. | No AI, at all | Jun 17, 2026 ↗ |
| International Photography Awards 2026 Lucie Foundation · closed | Clean Standard terms — you keep copyright and full control; the licence is limited to promoting the contest. | Edits OK, no generative | Jul 03, 2026 ↗ |
| Nikon Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards 2026 Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards Ltd. · closed | Clean Standard terms — you keep copyright and full control; the licence is limited to promoting the contest. | No AI rendering | Apr 23, 2026 ↗ |
| Ocean Photographer of the Year 2026 Oceanographic Magazine · closed | Clean Standard terms — you keep copyright and full control; the licence is limited to promoting the contest. | No AI, at all | May 23, 2026 ↗ |
| World Nature Photography Awards 2026 Alternative Future Ltd · closed | Clean Standard terms — you keep copyright and full control; the licence is limited to promoting the contest. | No AI rendering | May 23, 2026 ↗ |
| Wildlife Photographer of the Year (63rd) 2027 Natural History Museum, London · closed | Clean Standard terms — you keep copyright and full control; the licence is limited to promoting the contest. | No AI, at all | Jul 03, 2026 ↗ |
| Aperture Portfolio Prize 2027 Aperture Foundation · closed | Clean Standard terms — you keep copyright and full control; the licence is limited to promoting the contest. | AI category exists | May 15, 2026 ↗ |
| World Press Photo Contest 2027 World Press Photo Foundation · closed | Clean Standard terms — you keep copyright and full control; the licence is limited to promoting the contest. | No AI, at all | May 15, 2026 ↗ |
The change log
Verified changes to tracked contests' published terms, deadlines and status. Contests edit their rules; this is where it shows.
- International Photography Awards (IPA) 2026 — Closed June 30, 2026 — our listing previously carried Aug 31; corrected against photoawards.com (final deadline Jun 30, grace edits to Jul 12).
- Maghreb Photography Awards 2026 — Final deadline is July 5, 2026 (we carried Jul 1). Entry is now paid (€12–15 single, early-bird ended Jun 7) — the earlier free-entry listing no longer applies.
- Photolucida Critical Mass 2026 — Registration closes July 7, 2026 (noon ET). July 1 was the edit-freeze for already-submitted entries, not the entry deadline.
- Hasselblad Masters — Retired from the register — the current cycle closed Feb 28, 2026; the competition runs roughly biennially and no next edition has been announced.
- National Geographic Travel Photo Contest — Removed — the contest has not run since 2019 and no 2026 cycle exists on nationalgeographic.com/contests.
- HIPA — Hamdan International Photography Award — 15th season ('Family') closed May 31, 2026. Rules page moved to hipa.ae/award/family-hipa-award-2026; the previous rules URL no longer resolves.
- LensCulture Critics' Choice 2026 — Cycle closed; winners published. LensCulture's awards hub moved — the previous rules URL no longer resolves. Photobook Awards 2026 is the LensCulture call open now (closes Aug 12).
Decoded from each competition's published rules; always verify against the official source linked in each row before entering. We have no commercial relationship with any competition listed, and paid work for organizers can never alter a row on this page.