Global Peace Photo Award

What you will actually pay

Entry costs, explained.

Free for single photographs, stories and the separate children's award.

There is no fee-based reason to exclude a strong story, but a large submission is not automatically persuasive. Give each project a clear identity and remove images that repeat the same information. [2]

Hope needs substance

Launched in 2013 as the Alfred Fried Photography Award, the programme deliberately widens the visual account of humanity beyond war and disaster. Its organisers describe peace at personal, community and international levels. That leaves room for complexity: work can acknowledge an injustice while showing resistance, support or a possible way forward. [3]

Our editorial view is that the best fit has both photographic strength and a reason to exist. Ask what the viewer learns, whose perspective is represented, and whether the apparent hopeful moment is supported by the surrounding story. A caption cannot rescue a weak frame, but it can prevent a strong one from being misunderstood. [3]

A sustained public platform

Das FotoPortal covered the 2025 winners, including Mahdi Vaghari, Ami Vitale and Diego Ibarra Sánchez, with attention to the stories behind their photographs. That specialist coverage is a useful record of actual work reaching readers. The award's own site also documents a permanent Austrian Parliament display, updated with current winners, and other exhibitions. [4][1]

This combination of an established theme and public presentation makes the opportunity more substantial than a downloadable badge. It is still a selective platform, not a distribution service for every entrant. We would regard recognition as a way to introduce a project to a relevant audience, rather than a promise of assignments or print sales. [4][1]

Separate the headline award from individual medals

For 2026 the organiser values the Peace Image of the Year award at €6,000. It also lists €1,000 Alfred Fried medal awards and a €1,000 children's winner. Silvia Alessi's The Cut received the headline award; the ceremony took place at Vienna City Hall on 24 September. [1]

Those are specific awards, not a payment available to everyone shortlisted. A photographer whose project would benefit from public discussion may find the presentation as important as the money. Use the named 2026 results as evidence of delivery, while checking the next call afresh before relying on its amounts or arrangements. [1]

Recent work with an accurately described process

Images normally must be no more than three years old when the call opens; at least two-thirds of a long project must meet that limit. Previously awarded work is allowed. Reportage cannot be manipulated to alter meaning; creative montage needs disclosure. The jury may exclude AI-generated work. [2]

Promotional use reaches beyond the winners

Copyright stays yours. All submitted images may be used non-exclusively, without payment, for non-commercial award-related promotion, with credit. The children's terms explicitly allow use without limits of time, territory or medium. Entrant likenesses and statements also receive broad permission. [2]

Think about that permission before choosing a frame, particularly where consent was negotiated for one specific publication. Keep a record of what subjects agreed to and choose a less identifying image if wider display would undermine their safety or dignity. The relevant question is not only whether you own the photograph, but whether this use is appropriate. [2]

The 2026 round is complete

Entries closed after an extension to 31 May 2026. Uploads require JPEGs over 3,000 pixels on the long side and an English submission caption of at most 2,000 characters. Judging considers artistic merit, originality and the peace theme. [2]

For a future story submission, make the sequence intelligible without a long explanation: establish its people or setting, develop the idea, and leave a purposeful final image. The 2026 results are a useful reading list for understanding the brief. No subsequent deadline has been assumed here. [1][3]