Life in Another Light Photo Contest

What you will actually pay

Entry costs, explained.

Free; maximum fifteen entries per person.

There is no published paid upgrade. A category tied to a particular filter may still involve equipment costs; do not buy a filter solely because the competition itself has no entry charge. [2]

A brand competition with a real specialist subject

The 2026 programme has twelve still-photo categories and an infrared short-film category. Visible-light landscape and monochrome routes sit alongside infrared landscape, portrait, aerial, long exposure, abstract, cinematic and astrophotographic work. Candy Chrome, IR Chrome and ultraviolet descriptions specify the relevant Kolari filter; the film route accepts any infrared filter. [2]

The useful creative question is what the alternative spectrum contributes to the photograph. False colour can be striking immediately, but composition, light and subject still need to sustain attention after the novelty fades. Visible-light entrants should select a genuinely appropriate category instead of trying to mimic an infrared look solely for this award. [2]

Documented winners and outside specialist attention

Photolari’s Emma García covered the 2024 results, explaining the mixture of infrared, ultraviolet and ordinary-light work and publishing category-winning pictures. Her report recorded more than 3,000 submissions. This supports a modest but real specialist audience; it is not evidence of a major museum exhibition or a guaranteed professional commission. [4]

Kolari’s own 2024 archive gives a more concrete view of judging history: seven judges, including Pierre-Louis Ferrer and Yann Philippe for specialist categories, worked through three rounds. That is historical evidence, not the promised composition of the new panel. Looking through the results is useful for understanding how the competition accommodates different spectral techniques without assuming the same judges will return. [3]

Read the benefits as store value

Photo-category first, second and third receive $450/$150/$50 gift cards plus conversion/modification services worth up to $1,150. Film equivalents are $2,000/$1,000/$500 cards plus the service. Photo honorable mentions receive $50 cards; film mentions $200. The advertised $60,000-plus is an aggregate pool, not cash for one winner. [1][2]

A conversion voucher has practical value only if it fits a camera and a photographic plan you want to pursue. The maximum stated value does not mean every service selected is worth that amount. Check compatibility and shipping before treating it as money saved. Prizes must be claimed or redeemed by 11 May 2027; Leica M9 work is excluded. [1]

Check the category and the processing history

Entrants must be 18+. Quebec, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan and Syria are excluded, alongside prohibited jurisdictions and organiser connections. Only individual, original, non-commercial work qualifies; no capture-date cutoff is stated. Routine processing and same-time/place combinations are allowed. Generative cleanup is narrowly permitted, but generated or substantially expanded imagery is excluded. [1]

That narrow cleanup exception should not be read as general permission to redesign a scene. Save the original and a record of the editing, particularly where an image combines exposures. The official 2026 rules describe Kolari editors judging originality, skill and relevance equally; previous guest judges should not be presumed. [1]

Copyright remains, but the licence reaches beyond judging

Copyright and credit remain with entrants. All entries receive unpaid worldwide, non-exclusive republication permission across media; website terms extend use for the site’s lifetime and allow promotional distribution. Print sales require opt-in. The organiser will try to remove web content on request, but cannot control third-party copies. [1]

This is a meaningful exchange even without an entry fee. Consider whether the submitted image can comfortably appear in the company’s promotional environment. The separate print-sale consent is helpful, but it does not turn the underlying submission licence into a judges-only permission. [1]

Use a conservative file format and a focused edit

Submit by 30 December 2026, 23:59 Eastern time. Judging notification is due by 14 February 2027. [1]

The official form asks for a title, description, category, camera and filter information, with files capped at 2 MB. JPEG is a straightforward choice because both the form and written rules accept it. The website’s old browser title still says 2024, but the dated body and live entry page expressly identify the 2026 competition. [2][1]

Inspect colour and detail after reducing the file. Choose photographs that benefit from being seen together within this specialist context, while keeping well below the maximum if only a handful are strong. Check the category’s equipment wording before uploading, especially for filter-specific entries. [2]