MontPhoto

What you will actually pay

Entry costs, explained.

2026: €25 early / €30 regular; under-18s and community members pay no contest fee.

Free contest entry for members is a membership benefit, not a claim that all adult participation is free. For an older adult entering only once, the €40 annual membership costs more than the stated €30 regular entry. Consider its catalogue and community benefits on their own merits. [7][1]

A catalogue pre-order was optional at the listed special price of 20 plus shipping; members receive a copy. Book ownership is not a condition of judging. Prize and honourable-mention recipients receive a book under their award package. [6][2]

Work with something to say about nature

The 2026 brief includes wildlife, plants, landscape, underwater work, nature activities, ecological reporting and artistic observation. Collections contain 10–15 photographs: Portfolio emphasises coherence, while Storytelling asks for a narrative about conservation, biodiversity or people and nature. An environmental report needs a clear subject and credible explanatory context, not simply a distressing scene. [1]

The FAQ describes several evaluation rounds. Its emphasis on originality as well as technique suggests a useful editing test: what does this frame add that the judges will not see repeatedly? A collection should develop an idea; a sequence of similar strong singles may still be weaker than a varied, purposeful narrative. [3]

A documented event beyond an entry website

MontPhoto dates its beginnings to 1997 and identifies itself as a volunteer-based cultural and environmental non-profit in Lloret de Mar. OKDiario’s environmental editor Antonio Quilis covered Amy Jones’s 2025 overall-winning image of a captive tiger and illustrated other selected photographs. That is independent published coverage of winning work, not proof of a particular audience size or guaranteed attention for entrants. [3][8]

For 2026, the organiser scheduled winning and runner-up photographs at Lloret de Mar’s Culture House from 2–31 October, with a catalogue and promotion of touring exhibitions. A named local exhibition is a concrete benefit. Future touring destinations, visitor totals and sales outcomes should not be inferred from that plan. [6]

The actual award packages

The honour award is €2,000 including the category prize, not €2,500. Category first and second prizes are €500 and €300. Portfolio and Storytelling each offer €1,000; youth awards are €150. Special geographical and community awards have their own qualifying conditions. Awards also include diplomas, with books, priority festival tickets and one non-transferable night in Lloret for recipients including honourable mentions. [1][2]

If a winner cannot attend, collection may be delegated. The awards page says only cash prizes are sent outside mainland Spain. That matters more to a distant entrant than a headline list of physical benefits, so do not budget on receiving everything by post. [2]

Authenticity, welfare and image age

Amateurs and professionals worldwide can enter; organisers, volunteers, sponsors, jurors and their families cannot. The rules request recent photographs but give no fixed creation-year cutoff. Previous awards are discouraged rather than described as an automatic exclusion. Captivity, training and induced behaviour must be declared. [1]

Processing must preserve documentary integrity. Removing or cloning scene content and excessive alterations are excluded; limited adjustments are allowed. RAW verification is central. Keep honest captions and a record of how the image was obtained, especially when a photograph could otherwise imply an undisturbed wild encounter. [3][1]

Non-exclusive use for promotion and education

Authors keep their rights. Prize-winning and finalist images may be reproduced in catalogues, books, exhibitions and promotional material, distributed to the press, and used in the association’s educational activities. The licence is non-exclusive, includes re-editions and states that these uses must not be for profit; it has no express end date. Other commercial opportunities require advance permission and agreed terms. Recognisable people require consent. [4]

The closed 2026 submission process

The edition closed on 23 March 2026. The dedicated calendar specifies 23:59 GMT+1; generic FAQ text describes a different automatic-closing convention. We rely on the dated calendar for this historical account and would recheck the next edition independently. The 2026 gala was scheduled for 2 October. [5][3]

Entries went through MontPhoto’s online registration. Initial JPEGs were exactly 1,920 pixels on the long side; finalists needed RAWs and high-resolution files above 10 megapixels without enlargement. The calendar scheduled RAW collection from 25 May to 4 June. A compelling photograph without the required original was liable to disqualification. [3][5]