APA San Francisco - 2026 Something Personal: Call for Entries

About Something Personal

It’s our favorite time of year!

The Something Personal contest is one of the photography industry's legendary photo contests, bringing together an acclaimed panel of judges, exceptional personal work, and an exciting lineup of prizes.

This year, we're once again hosting a print exhibition and industry event celebrating the Top 100 Photographs—a chance to share the work that inspires you, pushes your creative boundaries, and reflects your unique perspective.

A celebration of personal work among peers, art lovers and art buyers.

All-Star Lineup of Judges and Incredible Prizes

Visit APA San Francisco to view the growing list!

Entry Fees

APA members save on every entry. Not a member? Join APA before submitting and save on entry fees. Annual memberships start at $50.

• $10: APA Student members
• $15: APA ProPlus, or Professional members
• $25: APA Emerging, or Supporter members
• $30: APA Contributor or Educator members
• $35: Non-members

Timeline for Exhibition

• Call for Entries Opens: October 20, 2026
• Submission Deadline: November 20, 2026
• Judging & Top 100 Notifications: December 1-5th
• Print Exhibition & Industry Event: January 2026

Important Information for Top 100 Selections

• Once notified, selected photographers will receive detailed instructions for printing and framing their work.
• Top 100 photographers who wish to participate in the exhibition must deliver their prints to the designated framers by a soon to be announced delivery deadline. Earlier delivery is strongly encouraged, especially if custom matting is required.
• Pro Tip: Your contest submission must meet the image specifications listed below. However, keep your original high-resolution files readily available while awaiting the results. If selected for the Top 100, you’ll need high-resolution files for exhibition printing and potential inclusion in the photo book.

Image Submission Guidelines

• APA members: Log in to your APA profile before submitting to receive the appropriate discounted entry fees.
• Non-members: You can enter by creating a guest account with your business name, email address, and password. You’ll also have the option to join APA before submitting and take advantage of member pricing.
• You may upload as many images as you wish, submitting no more than 10 images at a time.
• The submission system automatically calculates entry fees based on your membership level.
• Each entry fee covers one image.
• Once a transaction is complete, that submission is final and its images cannot be edited. You may return to your APA account to review your entries and submit additional images before the deadline.
• You’ll receive an email confirmation after submitting. If you don’t receive one, check your spam folder before contacting director@apasf.com.
• Click the registration button on the contest submission page to get started.

Image Requirements

• File format: .jpg
• Maximum file size: 2 MB
• At least 1800 pixels on the shortest side and no more than 2400 pixels on the longest side
• Color profile: sRGB
• Resolution: 72 ppi
• MUST INCLUDE FULL NAME AND IMAGE TITLE IN FILENAME. If the image does not have a title you can list as untitled 01, untitled 02 and onward. Do not include special characters such as ©, ®, •, $, or #, as these may cause technical issues.
• Image content: Images must not contain text that is not part of the original image.
• Blind judging: Image file names are not visible to the judges.
• Entry fees: Each entry fee covers a single image.
• You may submit as many images as you wish, in batches of 10 or fewer, before the submission deadline.

Competition Rules and Consent

By entering the APA San Francisco 2026 Something Personal photo contest, entrants agree to the following terms and conditions:

Ownership and intellectual property

1. Entrants warrant that they created and own the submitted work, including all elements contained within it, and that the work does not improperly copy or incorporate another person’s work.
2. Entrants warrant that they hold the copyright and any other intellectual property rights necessary to submit the work and grant the permissions outlined in these rules.
3. Entrants warrant that they have not assigned, licensed, transferred, or otherwise encumbered their rights in a way that prevents them from granting these permissions.
4. Entrants warrant that they have obtained all necessary model and property releases for identifiable people and property featured in their submissions, where required.

Use of submitted images

1. Entrants agree that their work may be exhibited or displayed at APA-sponsored events and featured on APA websites and in APA promotional materials. Photographers retain ownership of their work and control over its licensing and sale, subject to the permissions granted in these rules.
2. Entrants grant APA SF permission to reproduce selected and winning images in APA-approved publications and materials, including promotional materials, flyers, and photo books celebrating the submitted work. Such publications may be offered for sale, with proceeds potentially supporting APA SF’s annual funding.
3. APA SF will provide photographer credit wherever reasonably possible.
4. Entrants retain full copyright to their images and grant APA SF no usage rights beyond those expressly described in these rules.
5. Submission constitutes permission for APA SF to use the photographer’s name, likeness, and submitted or selected images in exhibitions and promotions related to the APA “Something Personal” Photo Contest, across print, electronic, and digital media.

Exhibition participation

1. Photographers selected for the Top 100 acknowledge that printing and framing costs are their responsibility if they choose to participate in the exhibition.
2. APA SF, event sponsors, and exhibition venues are not responsible for loss of or damage to submitted entries.

Judging and selection

1. Judging is conducted blindly. Photographers’ names will be disclosed to the jurors only after the judging process is complete.
2. The judges’ decisions are final and binding.
3. APA SF reserves the right to disqualify a winner who fails to provide required personal information or a winning image in the requested file format and size within two weeks of APA SF’s request, sent using the contact information provided by the entrant. Replacement winners may be selected at the judges’ discretion.

Additional Terms

1. Entry fees are non-refundable once submitted.
2. Images specifically commissioned by a paying client for publication or another designated use do not qualify as personal work and may be disqualified without prior notification or explanation.
3. AI-generated work will not be accepted.

By submitting an entry, entrants acknowledge and accept all conditions outlined in these rules. Entrants also agree to indemnify and hold APA SF harmless from claims, actions, proceedings, costs, and expenses arising from allegations that an entrant did not own the submitted work or lacked the rights or authorization necessary to grant the permissions described above.

Categories

• Something Personal