Hyères Photography Competition

What you will actually pay

Entry costs, explained.

€15 administrative fee; printing, postage and return arrangements are additional.

No free application route is published. A small administrative fee should not obscure the expense of making a good printed edit or the time required if selected. Decide whether those later obligations are feasible before treating the entry as inexpensive. [1][4]

Personal work, followed by professional commitments

There is no prescribed theme or technique, but applicants must be willing to undertake fashion commissions. Ten finalists exhibit, make fashion photographs and speak to the jury, professionals and public. They must accept implementation of prizes in 2027. The programme therefore assesses both an existing artistic position and readiness to work within a professional production environment. [2]

The strongest application is likely to make the personal project intelligible on its own terms while showing that its author can communicate clearly. It need not imitate an advertising campaign: indeed, brand-commissioned advertising work is excluded from the submitted collection. [2]

Photography receives substantive editorial attention

Vogue France interviewed the 2025 photography laureates rather than simply repeating the prize list. Its account discusses Noémie Ninot’s work on learned femininity, Gabriel Mrabi’s cinematic and surrealist influences, Yama Ndiaye’s exploration of identity and memory, and Julie Joubert’s portraits within the Foreign Legion. This is useful evidence that the festival’s photographic strand attracts attention to bodies of work and artistic ideas. [7]

That breadth also shows why the fashion connection should not be mistaken for a demand that every entry resemble a conventional fashion spread. Our assessment values the chance for sustained work to enter an editorial conversation. It does not promise representation or commercial success to every finalist. [7]

Several distinct awards, with different financial meanings

The 7L Grand Jury Prize includes a co-published book, an exhibition at 7L during Paris Photo and PhotoSaintGermain, a €20,000 CHANEL grant and one year of 8 Represent support. American Vintage’s €15,000 award is a shoot commission containing €5,000 for the photographer. It is not €15,000 unrestricted personal cash. [6]

The new Pull&Bear prize advertises a €20,000 cash grant, commissioned campaign work, store/social presentation, then a fanzine, solo show and T-shirt project. Its description includes multi-platform image rights. These awards should not be added into a hypothetical total for one entrant; the jury allocates different opportunities. [6]

A commissioned project brings production duties as well as a fee. Before accepting a detailed partner brief, clarify what the budget must pay for, the deliverables, approval process and usage. Those practical terms determine how much of the headline support advances the photographer’s own work. [6]

A personal project with specific exclusions

Entrants must be adults and apply individually, without gallery representation for the competition. Work already awarded in another French competition is excluded at application. Supported residencies or school projects may qualify with the funder’s permission. No general image-capture window is stated. [2]

Camille Vivier chairs the 2026 jury, joined by figures including 7L’s Lili Doillon, Palais Galliera photography curator Sylvie Lécallier and 2025 winner Noémie Ninot. The current page names all ten finalists; this is a closed application round, not an invitation to submit now. [6]

An identified promotional image, plus later commission terms

The first-stage instructions require one image supplied royalty-free, with full credit, for promotion if the applicant becomes a finalist. They do not give a duration. The public partner descriptions also signal campaign and product uses, but do not publish a complete licence for every later commissioned project. [3][6]

Treat these as different decisions: permission for the nominated promotional picture is part of the application; production and commercial use belong to the later prize work. Keep a record of the image supplied and obtain the applicable written partner terms before delivering commissioned material. [3][6]

Digital first, prints only after invitation

The online application required a practice PDF of up to ten pages, a two-minute video, up to twenty series images and an English description of up to 2,500 characters. Fifty preselected candidates advance to the print stage. Unselected applicants should not send unsolicited prints. [3]

Stage two requests twenty prints up to 30×40 cm, a practice presentation and a statement. Its specific page gives a 2 March 2026 deadline, while the overview says February; invited applicants should follow their direct instructions. Entrants cover shipping and return costs, and customs/postage-due parcels are refused. [4][2]

Finalists must join preparation and be in Hyères for activities from 13–18 October, around the 15–18 October festival. Our review does not presume paid travel or accommodation because the participation page does not promise them. Plan the full commitment, not just the upload. [5]