Paper Photo Award 2026 – photobooks
We invite you to submit your entries to the international Paper Photo Award 2026 competition dedicated entirely to photographic publications! Category “Photobook”:
- What publications can be submitted?
1.1. We accept publications in the “photobook” category that have been published in paper form and are a separate, original artistic expression in which photography plays a primary role. The basic criterion for evaluation in the competition is how the artistic expression resonates in book form. The photographs in the project are not evaluated, but rather the photobook as a specific creative expression. The book may be published by a publishing house or self-published, provided that the print run is at least 30 copies.
1.2. Publications published between January 1, 2025, and June 30, 2026, are eligible for submission. - Awards
1.1. Main prize: PLN 10,000! [approximately: 2300 EURO]
1.2. Six photobooks 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 photobooks will be presented as part of the Paper Photo 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