Epson International Pano Awards 2026

The Epson International Pano Awards 2026 is now open, bringing one of the best-known calls in panoramic photography back into focus for the year ahead. This edition highlights a prize pool worth more than $50,000, including $15,000 in cash, and it arrives with a notable update: a new Aerial category in both the Open and Amateur sections. For photographers tracking photo contest and awards opportunities, this is one of the major 2026 entries centered specifically on the panoramic format.

The competition is built around Open, Amateur, and VR/360 awards, with subcategories in Nature/Landscape, Built Environment, and, for Open and Amateur, Aerial. Early-bird entries close on June 22, 2026, and final entries close on July 13, 2026. Entry fees start at $20 per image, with a 20% discount available when five or more images are entered at once during the early entry period. Beyond cash prizes, the call also includes trophies, sponsor awards, software, gear, and a 2026 exhibition at the Garden Gallery at the Botanic Gardens of Sydney, where a curated selection of award-winning images will be shown.

For photographers researching panoramic photography contests, the Epson International Pano Awards stands out for its dedicated format, separate judging panels across sections, and a long-running international profile built around panoramic work. It is a competition with clear category structure, practical technical requirements, and an emphasis on visibility for winning and high-scoring images.

Prizes

The Epson International Pano Awards 2026 edition features a total prize pool valued at over $50,000, including $15,000 in cash, alongside equipment, software, travel experiences, and exhibition opportunities. The awards are structured across Open, Amateur, and VR/360 competitions, each with its own set of prizes.

Open Awards

• 1st Place: $3,000, trophy, Epson products valued at $5,500, PTGui Pro license, Easypano VR Tourmaker 1.6, Nodal Ninja voucher, and Triple Scoop Music voucher.
• Category Winners (2nd–3rd overall): $1,000 each, Epson products valued at $1,500, Easypano VR Tourmaker 1.6, and Triple Scoop Music voucher.
• Category Runners-up: Nodal Ninja voucher, Triple Scoop Music voucher, and Haida voucher.

Special Awards:

• Southeast Asia Open Photographer of the Year: Epson SureColor SC-P5300 printer and ink set.
• Raw Planet Award, Curator’s Award, Epson Digital Art Prize: $1,000 each.
• Additional distinctions include $200 prizes for highest scoring Gigapixel, Vertical image, and IAPP member entry.
• Gold Award winners receive one year of IAPP membership.

Amateur Awards

• 1st Place: $3,000, trophy, 10-day Japan Cherry Blossom tour (valued at $5,000), and Triple Scoop Music voucher.
• Category Winners (2nd–3rd overall): $1,000 each, Easypano VR Tourmaker 1.6, Triple Scoop Music voucher, and Nodal Ninja voucher.
• Category Runners-up: Triple Scoop Music voucher and Haida voucher.

VR / 360 Awards

• 1st Place: $1,000, trophy, Epson products valued at $1,000, PTGui Pro license, Easypano VR Tourmaker 1.6, Nodal Ninja voucher, and Triple Scoop Music voucher.
• 2nd Place: $400, Pano2VR Pro license, Easypano VR Tourmaker 1.6, and Triple Scoop Music voucher.

In addition to these prizes, a curated selection of winning and top-scoring images will be exhibited in 2026 at the Garden Gallery of the Botanic Gardens of Sydney, reinforcing the competition’s visibility within the international panoramic photography community.

Categories or Themes

The Epson International Pano Awards is structured around three main sections: Open, Amateur, and VR/360. Within the Open and Amateur Awards, entries are divided into three core categories, each reflecting a different approach to panoramic image-making.

Nature / Landscape

This category focuses on scenes where the natural environment is the dominant subject. Mountain ranges, coastlines, deserts, forests, and atmospheric conditions all fall within this scope. While human-made elements may appear, the image should be primarily defined by natural features.

Built Environment

Centered on human-made spaces, this category includes architecture, urban landscapes, interiors, and infrastructure. Natural elements can still be present, but the composition should be driven by constructed forms, geometry, or the interaction between people and built spaces.

Aerial (New for 2026)

Introduced in the 2026 edition, this category highlights images captured from an elevated perspective, including drone photography and other airborne viewpoints. The emphasis is on how height and angle transform the reading of the landscape or environment.

Alongside these, the Epson International Pano Awards 2026 also includes a dedicated VR/360 Awards section, focused on immersive panoramic experiences rather than traditional wide-format still images.

As with many panoramic photography contests, the organizers reserve the right to reassign entries to a different category if deemed more appropriate during the judging process.

Dates and Entry Fees

The calendar and fee structure are clearly defined for the Epson International Pano Awards 2026 edition, with an early-bird phase, a final deadline, and separate per-image prices depending on the section entered.

Entry fees are charged per image and paid in USD. The listed rates are:

• Amateur Awards: $20 per entry
• Open Awards: $22 per entry
• VR/360 Awards: $20 per entry

A 20% discount applies when five or more images are entered at once during the early entry period. The rules also note that multiple-entry discounts are not available during the final entry period.

How to Enter

The entry process is presented in five steps: read the rules, prepare the files, create or log into an account and verify the email address, upload the images, and then pay the entry fees to confirm submission. Image preparation requirements are specific: Open and Amateur files must be exactly 3000 pixels on the long side and no greater than 1500 pixels on the short side, while VR/360 entries must be 6144 by 3072 pixels. The preferred format is JPEG, in RGB, at 300 PPI, and files should not be watermarked.

About the Jury

The Epson International Pano Awards presents a 2026 judging panel covering Open, Amateur, and VR/360, with filters for each panel. The published 2026 panel includes Bill Bailey, Aaron Spence, Dan Zafra, Jacky Lee, Daniel Kordan, Abe Blair, Anette Mossbacher, and Jennifer Renwick.

Why Enter Epson International Pano Awards?

The strongest reason is straightforward: this is a dedicated panorama-focused call with a long-running identity and a 2026 structure that combines cash, gear, software, special awards, and exhibition visibility. It is also one of the clearer options for photographers looking beyond general calls and into best photography competitions that still maintain a specific visual language and format.

There is also a practical advantage in the way the contest is organized. Open, Amateur, and VR/360 are separated, the subcategories are defined, and the technical submission requirements are spelled out in usable terms. For artists following panoramic photo competitions, that combination of format focus, international reach, and multiple award tracks makes the competition relevant both for established panorama specialists and for photographers with a small number of strong panoramic works ready for submission.

Rules and Copyright

This section about the rules and image rights of the Epson International Pano Awards has been generated automatically. If you are interested in participating in this contest we suggest you review the complete rules provided by the contest.

Rules

The contest is open to all photographers, but Amateur eligibility is limited to photographers earning less than $20,000 per year from photography. Those above that threshold may enter only the Open or VR/360 sections. Amateur entrants may also submit the same image to both Amateur and Open, since those competitions are judged separately.

Images may come from single capture or stitched workflows, film or digital capture, including drones, but they must be entirely photographic in origin and the sole work of the entrant. Post-production is allowed, though the rules state that excessive manipulation may be marked down if it is not well executed. For the Raw Planet Award, finalists may be asked to provide RAW files, and only limited processing beyond stitching is allowed.

Copyright and Image Usage

Entrants retain copyright in each submitted image. The rules also state that sponsors, including Epson, do not assume commercial usage rights. According to the official wording, images are used only for display of winning and highest-scoring images in relation to the competition.

For more information and to participate in the contest, visit: the official website.