American Photographic Artists National
Tue 12th May, 2026
Awards Call for Entries Deadline: June 29, 2026 - noon pacific time Awards Entry Fees Based on APA Membership Level $20: APA members (above Contributor level) per image $25: APA Contributor level members per image $50: Non-APA member entry fee per image $50: Series/flat rate per project (2-6 images) member/non-member rate
Join APA first and save on your submissions, plus benefit from being part of the APA community!
***SPECIAL EARLY BIRD RATE: $15 per submission until May 22 at noon Pacific for APA Members only, regardless of membership level applies to all single images (does not apply to entering Series)**** Have a question or need to upgrade your membership level? membershiprep@apanational.org
Top Reasons to Enter
Awards Categories Architecture / Interiors Beauty / Fashion Celebrity / Musicians Conceptual / Altered Corporate / Industrial Documentary / Street Photography Food / Still Life Lifestyle Nature / Animals Personal Projects Portrait Sports / Adventure Travel / Landscape FRESH / New work SERIES - A dedicated project on any subject
SERIES To enter a series, you will need to create a free account on the Picter website (opens May 19) NOTE: The jurors assigned to view the projects in the Series will see all the names of the photographers. It is not judged blindly. The same jurors will not view the single image categories. The same work can be submitted in both single and series. Jurors have access to read about the photographer and the projects, Jurors can view the websites and social media of all contestants.
$50: Series/flat rate per project (2-6 images)
Awards Fundamentals
Anyone can enter the APA Awards:
APA members receive a discount based on their APA membership level Images in the 14 categories are assigned an arbitrary ID for "blind" judging Images in the SERIES do include the name and social media links of the photographers There is no limit on the number of entries you can submit in the 14 Categories In the Series, there is a limit to 5 projects The same image can be entered in more than one category, but can only win once An image that has previously won in the APA Awards is not eligible to win again An image that won previously in any other APA photo competition is eligible Only images in the "Fresh / New Work" category have a creation date requirement 2026 All other submissions do not require a creation date The decision of the judges of the competition shall be final and binding Entry fees are non-refundable Judging takes place in July and winners are notified by August Winners must supply the hi-rez files to appear in the printed APA Awards book APA does not accept responsibility for or warrant any product being delivered by a sponsor Any applicable tax due on the awarding of prizes is the sole responsibility of each winner Prizes and the APA Awards book are shipped to U.S. addresses only
Image Entry Guidelines
File size limit: 2 MB Image size no smaller than 1200 pixels Images size no longer than 1800 pixels The color profile is sRGB, image resolution: 72 ppi All files must be in JPG format Images must not contain any text that is not part of the image FILE NAME - Do not include characters (©, ®, •, $, #) as these can corrupt the file Note- the jurors do not see the file names so you can use your name on the file name
Submission Guidelines
APA members log in to apanational.org using your APA credentials. Non-APA members can enter by creating a guest account. The system will automatically charge based on APA membership level. The same image can be submitted in more than one category by paying the additional fee(s). Please keep file size smal and upload in batches of no more than ten (10) entries at a time Once your transaction is complete, your submission is final. You may submit additional images until the final deadline. To enter a series, you must create an account on the Picter website Terms
By entering The APA Awards Annual Photo Competition, Entrants:
Warrant that the whole copyright and any other form of intellectual property right in the work is vested in them. Warrant that they have not in any way assigned, licensed, disposed of, or otherwise encumbered any of their rights which allow them to deal freely with the work and the copyright therein. Warrant that they have obtained model or property releases from any persons and/or property owners requiring such, featured in their submitted photographs allowing publication in any and all media forms. Acknowledge that APA relies fully upon the warranties and licenses given by Entrants when submitting their entries for consideration to The APA Awards Annual Photo Competition. Entrants indemnify and hold APA harmless from any claims, actions, proceedings, costs and expenses arising as a result of any allegation that the relevant Entrant did not own or is not wholly entitled and authorized to allow publication and reproduction of the work by APA.
Reproduction APA reserves the right to disqualify any winner not providing the required winning photo in the requested file format and size within two weeks of APA’s request via the contact information supplied by the entrant. Replacement winners will be selected at the judge’s discretion. Entrants retain full copyright to their images and grant no usage to APA other than those granted herein. APA shall not be liable for any loss or damage or exclusion of any entry. It also acknowledges the right of APA and the APA Awards sponsors to use the photographer's likeness and information, as well as the winning images, in exhibitions and promotions, in any and all forms of print, electronic and digital media, and any promotional materials related to the APA Awards Annual Photo Competitions following the Competition winners’ announcement. Submission of an entry to the competition automatically constitutes the contestant's acceptance of all conditions set forth in the above rules.
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