To enter into any of the below categories, visit the entries page to register and upload your digital images for first round of judging.Â
Category Definitions
NATURAL WORLD
This section is dedicated to photographing Birds, Animals, Flora, Insects, Fish and Wildlife taken within their natural surroundings.
Guidance:  In keeping with the section, images of flowers and living creatures should be taken in their natural environments, and living creatures should be those which are ‘essentially free to roam and feed themselves, rather than being wholly reliant on being fed by people’.
Pet animals should be entered in the Pet section. Images of captive animals should be entered in the Open section (captive animals include those in zoos and commercial ‘safari’ type wildlife parks but not parks where the animals are still essentially free to roam and feed themselves, rather than being reliant on being fed by people (such as large deer parks, national safari parks or conservation reserves).
Images taken from outdoor hides (paid or unpaid) are permitted subject to the General Rules of Entry that state images should not be submitted if taken under guidance or in an environment where key aspects of image creation, such as the lighting set-up, are controlled by others rather than yourself. Likewise, images taken where live baiting practices are utilised cannot be entered.
Composites are not permitted, nor can backdrops or textures be added. Vignettes may be applied, and the editing of pixels within the image is permitted, but there are to be NO PIXELS added from auto-generating software to be added..
PETS
This section is about the animals we care for and love as family members—from Cats and Dogs to Horses.
Guidance:  People can only be included in this section when clearly not a main subject within the image (if they are they would go in the People section). These can be captured as indoor portraits or outdoor shoots but images from events or sports based activities (eg horse jumping) should go in the ‘open’ section.
LANDSCAPES, PICTORIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL
This section is for Landscapes, Seascapes, Astroscapes (including deep space), Urbanscapes, Street Scenes, architectural captures, etc. Basically, any image that is a pictorial capture of the environment we live in.
Guidance: Entries can be ICM (where the subject is recognisable as fitting in this section), multiple exposures, image stacking, and any other editing methods permitted in the general rules can be utilised.
OPEN
Guidance: This section includes but is not limited to –
Captive animals (as defined in the Natural World section)
Animals taken in a natural environment that have been edited in a way excluding them from the Natural World section,
Flower cuttings and other still-life captures that do not fit into the Shots from experience days – the author must have been in control of all elements, lighting, posing etc if appropriate. Images taken under the supervision or guidance of an instructor or mentor cannot be used.
Images taken at sports and events.
Literally, if it doesn’t fit elsewhere, it goes here
MATERNITY / NEWBORN / BABY
This people-based section covers maternity shoots and babies up to 4 months old. The baby or bump must be the main subject.
Guidance:  There may be an adult, older child or pet present with a baby as long as the baby is the clear focus of the shoot as stated above. Family groups should be entered in the People section.
PEOPLE
Entries in this section should be shots where capturing an image or story of a particular person or particular people is the clear purpose of the shot!
Guidance: This section includes, but is not limited to, boudoir, portraits, and lifestyle images…. The subject must be recognisable and not hidden by costumes and/or masks—such images can be entered in the ‘Open’ section.
‘Newborn, Baby & Maternity’ images are not permitted, as these are a separate category. That said, shots of a family group containing people of varied ages with a baby or pregnant lady included are acceptable if the family group ‘as a whole’ is the subject (and not an individual). Similarly, pets are also permitted if with family members. Stand-alone images of pets should go in the Pet section.
Images of models in wedding attire and ‘trash the dress’ type shots are permitted, but ‘Live’ Wedding shots are not permitted as there is a separate section for those too. Wedding shots taken NOT on the day the register was signed are allowed in this section.
Landscape—or environment-driven images, as well as those captured at live events, that contain people, are also excluded if the purpose behind the shot is the capture of the landscape, environment, or event rather than the person or people within it.
WEDDING
Entries into this section must have been taken at a ‘live’ wedding or civil partnership (i.e. on the day of the register or equivalent document signing).
Guidance: Images can be ‘documentary’ or ‘classical’ in style and will be judged accordingly, but any images involving a model or ‘trash the dress’ type shoots, pre and post wedding day images are excluded and should be entered in the People Section.
STUDENT OR APPRENTICE
Guidance: Any photographic image which would fit into the other 7 categories but must have been taken by a full or part-time student in school, further or higher education or is employed as a full-time photography apprentice. Evidence of status may be required.
COMPETITION RULES
- Entrants must have exclusive ownership of any submitted images.
- No image must violate copyright, trademarks, intellectual property or any other applicable law.
- Where required, appropriate permissions such as, but not limited to, model releases and any relating to the photographing of or within buildings, property or land must have been sought and will have been deemed to have been obtained before submission.
- Any images taken via a drone must be taken in accordance with the relevant countries Drone and Commercial legislation.
- All parts of an image including editing must be created and undertaken by the author and not a third party.
- The use of digital backdrops, fabric overlays, background scenes and other significant elements not created or photographed by the entrant, and/or addition of stock images (including those provided within editing software) are not permitted.
- The addition of textures is not considered a significant element so may be used in any section except Natural World.
- No Generative forms of AI can be used.
- Any image which is deemed to be obscene, racist, discriminatory, sexually explicit or in other ways displays content which is otherwise deemed Inappropriate will be disqualified.
- Entered images can be of any age.
- There are no limits to the number of images an entrant may submit, and entrants may enter the same image to more than one category should they feel it appropriate to do so, subject to a separate entry fee for each category entered.
- UK Photography Print Awards reserve the right to move any image into a different category if deemed more suitable.
- Images taken on training workshops or portfolio days are excluded even if taken during free time.
- No borders of any kind, author’s names or logos should be present on the image.
- Entrants must not do anything to injure, distress, or put at risk any subjects to secure an image. This includes live-baiting techniques. No images can be entered which are taken at locations that utilise live-baiting methods.
- Judges reserve the right to request the RAW camera file or equivalent relating to an entered image to ensure authenticity and the maintenance of ethical standards.
- If it is found that an image is in breach of any of the above, the image will be disqualified and no refund given. The Organisers accept no responsibility for any breaches and accept no liabilities for any such failures by the entrant.
- The organisers reserve the right to change or modify the rules at any time.
Print Submissions for Finalists:Â
Here’s what you need to consider about your print –
The EXTERNAL size of the mount must be 20 x 16 INCHES, and the print must have a minimum length of 10 inches along the longest side and a minimum overall size of 80 square inches (eg 10 x 8 inches), within the mount.
Creative mounting is welcomed, as long as the overall size of the mount is 20 x 16 inches. The maximum thickness of any mount, including the print, is ¼ of an inch.
The mounted prints will then be judged live by 5 Judges at the UK Photography Print Awards Judging Room at the PhotoHubs Event in Staffordshire on Friday the 6th of February 2026.Â
ready to share your vision in print?
Entries for the 2026 UK Photography Print Awards are now open. Submit your work before 21st December 2025 to be in with a chance of winning.
Print Judging Location
Staffordshire, UK. 6 February 2026