Rules for Competitions 2026

Article 1: Organization of the Competitions

The association Chamonix Photo Nature organizes photography competitions as part of the Chamonix Photo Festival. The festival will take place in the Chamonix Valley from October 23 to 25, 2026. The different competitions or categories are the Emerging Talent (Tremplin) and the Themed Competitions.

Photographs submitted to the Tremplin will be exhibited indoors for the three days of the festival.

Photographs submitted to the Themed Competitions will be exhibited outdoors across the communes of the Chamonix Valley, a few days before the festival and throughout the All Saints’ holiday period.

Article 2: General Conditions of Participatio

2.1 Participants

The competitions are open to all photographers, whether individuals, professionals, or amateurs.

2.2 Objectives of the Competitions

The aim is to showcase photographs of wildlife, flora, landscapes, and to raise awareness for the preservation of natural habitats and species, representing biodiversity in all its forms.

2.3 Photographer’s Commitments

By participating, photographers must:

Be the author of the work and hold all rights and authorizations necessary for its use.
Respect the environment and adopt an ethical, naturalist approach that does not harm living species or natural habitats.
Comply with all local regulations in the country and place where the photographs were taken.
Demonstrate environmental responsibility, minimizing impact on nature and living species. For animals, this excludes any actions harmful to survival, causing disturbance, dependency, or altering natural behavior.
For flora, only natural environments are allowed; no artificial staging.
Not use generative AI for any addition or modification of the content.
The jury reserves the right to disqualify any work failing to comply with rules, including after results are published or during the exhibition. Any artificial or staged images outside these guidelines may be publicly disclosed.
Not submit works previously awarded or selected in prior Chamonix Photo Festival competitions.
Winners are encouraged to attend the awards ceremony or provide a brief descriptive note.
Additional requests from the jury (e.g., RAW files, images from the same series, IPTC metadata) must be provided if deemed necessary.

2.4 Rights Granted by Participants

Selected photographers agree to:

Grant reproduction rights for festival promotion.
Authorize social media usage for promoting the Chamonix Photo Festival.

2.5 Use by Other Festivals

Competitions may be loaned or rented to partner festivals.

ny revenue generated will support Chamonix Photo Nature. Selected photographers waive claims to compensation or image rights in this context.

Article 3: Registration and Submission Deadline

Submissions open Monday, February 16, 2026, and must be received by Tuesday, March 31, 2026, 11:59 PM (UTC/GMT).

Article 4: Categories

Two types of competitions are offered:

Emerging Talent (Tremplin) – for participants under 30 (born in 1996 or later)
Two types of competitions are offered:

4.1 Emerging Talent Competition (Tremplin)

A A special exhibition of approximately 10 professional prints (80×120 cm or 50×75 cm in floating frames) will be displayed. Scenographic proposals with different formats are also accepted. Exhibition space: 10–12 linear meters.

Prints are provided by Chamonix Photo Nature.

The winner can take part of the exhibition home;

two prints are donated to the festival partner.

The series is exhibited at the Majestic during all three days of the festival.

The winning photographer must be present for the three days.

4.2 Themed Competitions

Categories 1–5 feature nature photography.

Maximum 2 photos per theme; participants may apply to all categories.

Categories 1–4 remain the same each year;

Category 5 changes annually.

15 finalist photos will be displayed outdoors.Les 15 photos finalistes seront exposées en extérieur.

Allowed edits: minor retouching, moderate HDR, focus stacking, panoramic photography, flipping, cropping, and black-and-white conversion.

– Landscapes (worldwide)
– Macro / close-up photography
– Wildlife (worldwide)
– Humans and Nature
– Camouflage in the Animal Kingdom

Duplicate submissions will only consider the first entry.

Article 5: Submissions

5.1 Photo Submission

Submit via the dedicated platform ( https://cpf.awardsplatform.com/) on: www.chamonixphotofestival.com

Files must be anonymous.

These photos will remain your property and will be used solely for the promotion of the festival and the rental of this competition.

JPEGs, resized to 2000 px on the longest side, 72 dpi, max 3MB, sRGB, no margin or watermark.

Include a text presentation, location, and shooting condition

AI-generated images are not accepted, except minor fixes for sensor dust or flare without altering reality. A tolerance will be applied to the use of AI tools to remove sensor dust or flare provided that it does not distort the photo and that the content remains consistent with the real situation.

5.1.1 Themed Competitions

Max 2 photos per category.

5.1.2 Tremplin Competition

Submit a coherent series of 10–20 photographs, which will be exhibited if selected.

5.2 Preselection

A technical committee reviews submissions for quality, ethics, and adherence to the theme.

Jury may reject non-compliant works or request additional information.

5.3 Jury

Composed of association members, photography, environmental, and/or publishing professionals, and a partner festival member.
Jury selects winners and establishes finalist lists.

5.4 Files for Printing

Selected photographers must provide high-resolution files (TIFF, min 10MP, no resampling, Adobe RGB 1998) for exhibition prints.

5.5 Awards

The following will receive prizes:

Top 3 winners for each theme

3 special mentions across 5 categories

Jury Prize best technical, artistic, or message across all categories; excluded from category awards.

Graphics Prize : most graphic photo across all themes; excluded from category awards.

“Discovering Home” Prize: photo taken in France (including overseas regions), by a resident of that region.

Awards cannot be combined.

Prizes include a trophy and monetary donation.

Jury may withhold awards depending on submissions

Article 6: Intellectual Property and Use of Photographs

6.1 Photographer’s Rights

Selected photographers grant Chamonix Photo Nature reproduction and distribution rights only for promotion and exhibition. Includes slideshow, portfolio/catalog publication, online and press promotion, exhibition representation, and rental promotion. No other use without written consent; no rights are transferred to third parties.Authors are credited for each usage.

6.2 Use of the Festival Logo

Selected photographers may use the festival logo only to announce their award, linking back to the festival website.

6.3 Financial Terms

Participation does not entitle photographers to compensation or reimbursement.

6.4 Withdrawal

Photographers wishing to withdraw must notify organizers within 30 days after submission closes. Withdrawal is not possible after print or communication materials have been produced

Article 7: Miscellaneous

Organizers are not liable for partial/total loss of digital data or cancellation due to circumstances.
Participants may request correction or removal of personal data.
By participating, photographers agree to these regulations via digital signature.

Article 8: Confidentiality

Personal information of participants is confidential.
Organizers commit to respecting applicable French confidentiality laws and not sharing information with third parties.

Article 9: Obligations

Participation implies acceptance of these rules. Participants confirm authorship and rights to all submitted photos.
If persons are recognizable in images, participants confirm they have permission for use.

Disputes regarding interpretation or application of rules will be resolved solely by organizers, in line with the festival’s mission