Paper Photo Dummy Award 2026 – dummies & zines
We invite you to submit your entries to the international Paper Photo Award Dummy 2026 competition dedicated entirely to photographic publications! Category “Photobook dummy”:
- What publications can be submitted?
1.1. For the competition in the “photobook dummy” category, we accept projects prepared in paper form (so-called dummies) of photobooks that have not yet been published. Photobooks published through self-publishing & zines are also eligible for this category, provided that their total print run did not exceed 30 copies. The basic criterion for evaluation in the competition is how the artistic expression resonates in the book form. The photographs in the project are not evaluated, but rather the photobook as a specific creative expression.
1.2. Dummies created after January 1, 2025, may be submitted. - Awards
1.1. Main prize: PLN 5,000! [approximately: 1150 EURO]
1.2. Six dummies will be shortlisted, and their authors will be invited to Sosnowiec (Poland). The festival will provide them with accommodation during the opening weekend.
1.3. Each member of the jury will award their own individual honorary distinction.
1.4. Approximately 30 dummies will be presented as part of the Paper Photo Dummy Award 2026 exhibition at Paper Photo Festival. - Dates
1.1. Start of the competition: July 10, 2026.
1.2. End of book submission: August 18, 2026 (the date of delivery of the book is decisive!).
1.3. Announcement of the shortlist: by September 1, 2026.
1.4. Announcement of the winner and opening of the post-competition exhibition: September 18-20, 2026. - Submissions
To submit a book, you must:
4.1. Fill out the form available: click here
4.2. Send a properly secured copy of the book by August 18, 2026 (the date of delivery is decisive!) to the following address: Zamek Sielecki, 2 Zamkowa Street, 41-211 Sosnowiec, POLAND (with the note “PPF” on the envelope).
If you need to provide details for the courier, please provide the following: Paweł Pytel, email: pawel@paperphoto.pl, tel. (+48) 664910141 - The competition jury consists of:
– Franek Ammer (Academy of Fine Arts in Łódź / Fotofestiwal),
– Jakub Dziewit (Photography Department at JDU / unContemporary),
– Magdalena Guzik (Museum of Photography in Cracow),
– Aneta Kowalczyk (Blow Up Press),
– Katarzyna Łata (Zamek Sielecki). - Full contest rules: click here