Chromatic Photography Awards

What you will actually pay

Entry costs, explained.

US$27 professional or US$22 amateur per single entry at the 25 October 2026 final deadline.

There is no free route stated. Three entries cost US$81 professional or US$66 amateur at the final rate. Multiple-category submission is permitted, but we would budget each paid entry separately and inspect the checkout total. [1][2]

Colour is the unifying idea

Twenty categories cover subjects from architecture and street photography to portraits, nature and photomanipulation. This breadth makes the competition accessible to different practices, while asking each image to stand on its own. Black-and-white work, including toned monochrome, is excluded. [1][2]

Our advice is to ask what colour contributes before entering. A relationship between hues, a restrained palette or a revealing environmental detail can be more persuasive than saturation alone. Choose the category in which the picture's central idea reads most clearly; a loose resemblance to several categories is not by itself a reason to multiply the bill. [1]

Actual gallery coverage, with modest conclusions

A June 2026 Community Panda feature carried by AOL reproduced 54 Nature winners and honourable mentions from the 2025 edition. It included Liam Man's overall-winning Ring of Fire and Ice alongside work by Lyubomir Momchilov, Enrico Curti and others. This provides a concrete example of photographs being distributed beyond the awards website. [3]

That feature is an illustrated results roundup, not an independent audit of judging, a museum exhibition or proof of future commissions. Its inclusion of many honourable mentions also shows why the precise level of a distinction matters. We would name an award accurately on a CV and avoid describing every featured photographer as the overall winner. [3]

The two overall titles carry the cash

The professional overall winner receives US$2,000 and the amateur overall winner US$1,000. Category gold, silver and bronze places are promoted through the winners gallery and annual book, with digital badges and certificates. Do not multiply the cash awards by twenty categories. [1]

Payment is through PayPal in US dollars, with currency-transfer fees deducted. Book publication requires a requested high-resolution file delivered to specification and on time; the rules explicitly say an image is not included if no high-resolution file was requested. [2]

We would value a book appearance as publication rather than assume it creates sales or representation. If a printed copy matters to you, confirm whether it is supplied or purchased before adding its retail value to your expected benefit. [1]

Older work is welcome, but authorship must be clear

Film and digital photographs are accepted, with no capture-date restriction; prior contest winners may enter. Entrants must own the work and have required subject permissions. The nominated judges assess visual artistry, originality, subject and style. [2]

The public pages do not supply an income-based test for amateur status. We would ask for clarification if your practice falls between the two labels. Similarly, a photomanipulation category should not be read as blanket permission to submit material you do not own or as an unstated AI policy. [2][1]

Copyright stays with the photographer

The licence is non-exclusive and irrevocable, worldwide and across media, but the rules confine use to the awards and their promotion. Credit is promised; resale is excluded and unrelated third-party requests are referred to the photographer. Awarded images carry additional high-resolution promotional use without payment. [2]

That is a more bounded permission than unrestricted commercial exploitation, but irrevocability still matters. Consider whether a later exclusive agreement would conflict with this continuing contest use. Keep a copy of the terms accepted with your submission. [2]

Final submissions close in October

The stated final deadline is 25 October 2026, with winners due on 20 December. No deadline timezone is published on the reviewed information page. Use the online panel and allow time before the last day for payment and checking. [1]

Prepare maximum-quality JPEGs at 1,200 pixels on the longest side, in 8-bit sRGB or Adobe98, without watermarks, signatures or added borders. Review all fields before paying because paid submissions cannot be edited. Keep a larger original available for verification and potential publication. [1][2]