ABSURIA 2027

ABSURIA 2027 (International Abstract and Surrealist Photography Competition) takes photography beyond the conventional gallery setting and into multiple venues across Tours, in France’s Loire Valley. Created as part of the ABSURIA International Festival of Abstract and Surrealist Photography, the competition is dedicated entirely to two visual languages: abstraction and surrealism. The submission deadline is April 30, 2027, with separate Amateur and Professional divisions open to photographers aged 18 or over worldwide.

The central opportunity is exhibition. One hundred photographs will be selected for the ABSURIA Festival and shown in physical venues across Tours between May and September 2027. Nominees will also appear in the festival’s online galleries, including a 3D exhibition. Entries can explore abstract photography or use surrealist approaches that overlap naturally with conceptual image-making. For photographers browsing Deartline’s photo contest calendar, ABSURIA stands apart through its close connection between competition selection and a multi-month photography festival.

Fourteen photographers will receive awards across the Professional and Amateur divisions, including first, second and third prizes in Abstraction and Surrealism, as well as Young Hopefuls Awards. Partner organizations may also present special prizes. Entry fees start at €20 for Amateur photographers and €25 for Professionals, with packages available for two or six photographs.

Prizes

ABSURIA places exhibition and festival participation at the centre of its award structure. Prize winners are selected from the photographers nominated for the 2027 festival.

• Professional Abstraction: First, Second and Third Prize.
• Professional Surrealism: First, Second and Third Prize.
• Professional Young Hopefuls Award: One award.
• Amateur Abstraction: First, Second and Third Prize.
• Amateur Surrealism: First, Second and Third Prize.
• Amateur Young Hopefuls Award: One award.
• Partner Awards: Additional special prizes may be presented by festival partners.
• Nominees: 100 photographs will be selected for exhibition in Tours and presentation through ABSURIA’s digital galleries, including a 3D gallery.

All nominees receive a certificate confirming their selection for the festival. Award winners are highlighted within the exhibitions, and the awards ceremony is scheduled for early May 2027 in Tours. Winners unable to attend can receive their awards by post.

Categories or Themes

The competition is built around two photographic disciplines, each judged separately within the Professional and Amateur divisions.

• Abstraction: Photography in which form, line, colour, light, texture, movement or visual structure can take precedence over literal representation. The category accommodates approaches ranging from graphic abstraction to images that transform recognisable subjects through framing, perception or technique.
• Surrealism: Photography that moves beyond straightforward representation to create unexpected, dreamlike or imaginative relationships. It may overlap with conceptual practice while remaining grounded in photography as the primary medium.

Generative AI images created solely from prompts are excluded. ABSURIA positions itself specifically as a photography festival rather than a digital art competition.

Dates and Entry Fees

The ABSURIA 2027 competition leads directly into the ABSURIA Festival season, with the awards ceremony taking place shortly before the selected photographs begin their extended exhibition across Tours.

Entry fees:

• Amateur
  • 1 photograph: €20.
  • 2 photographs: €30.
  • 6 photographs: €40.
• Professional:
  • 1 photograph: €25.
  • 2 photographs: €40.
  • 6 photographs: €50.

Each registration can contain up to six photographs, but there is no limit on the number of registrations an artist may make. Payment is accepted by credit card, debit card or PayPal, with transactions processed in the participant’s local currency. Once an entry has been paid and accepted, the registration fee is non-refundable.

How to Enter

Photographers must create an account and submit their work through the ABSURIA website. Initial entries are uploaded as low-resolution JPEG files of no more than 6 MB, without watermarks, borders or signatures.

Any type of camera may be used, including a smartphone, and camera-less photographs made directly on photosensitive paper are also eligible. Nominees may be asked to provide a high-resolution version within ten days; it must match the colour and crop of the originally submitted image.

About the Jury

The 2027 jury brings together photographic practice, education and art collecting. Caroline Gasch is a French professional photographer and artist whose work explores contemporary architecture, colour, graphic abstraction and perceptions of the urban landscape. Marie-Pierre Cherrier is a professional photographer and photography teacher in Tours whose practice includes product photography, the human form and abstraction.

Bob Jeudy approaches the selection from the perspective of a collector and arts patron. His collection includes painting, sculpture and photography with a particular interest in abstraction and surrealism, and he is a founding member of the French urban art association Le M.U.R.

Why Enter ABSURIA 2027?

ABSURIA is unusual in treating nomination as the beginning of the public-facing part of the competition rather than simply a step toward a final prize. One hundred selected photographs become part of a festival spread across several venues in Tours for months, while the same nominees are also presented online. The combination gives a selected image both a physical audience in France and a digital presence through the festival galleries.

The narrow focus is another distinction. Abstraction and surrealism are not small subcategories within a large general photography award here; they define the entire festival. That gives photographers working consistently in either field a context built around their visual language, with a jury whose backgrounds connect directly to abstraction, photographic education and art collecting.

There is also a practical advantage for artists developing several related ideas. The six-image pricing allows photographers to enter a broader selection without requiring a formal series, while Amateur and Professional work is recognised separately. Among the best photography competitions to enter for photographers focused specifically on abstract and surrealist imagery, ABSURIA combines awards with certificates, online presentation and a substantial physical exhibition programme in Tours.

Rules and Copyright

This section about the rules and image rights of the International Abstract and Surrealist Photography Competition ABSURIA 2027 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

• Participants must be at least 18 years old. The competition is open worldwide to Amateur and Professional photographers.
• Each registration may contain up to six photographs, with no stated limit on the number of separate registrations.
• JPEG files must not exceed 6 MB and cannot contain watermarks, borders or signatures.
• Any type of photographic camera may be used, including smartphones. Camera-less photographs made on photosensitive paper are also permitted.
• Images produced solely through generative AI prompts are not eligible. Participants agree to follow ABSURIA’s ethical charter on AI and photography.
• Nominees may be required to supply high-resolution files within ten days of notification.
• Works containing material considered shocking, pornographic or in violation of copyright law may be rejected.

Copyright and Image Usage

Photographers retain full copyright in the photographs they submit. Nominees and winners grant ABSURIA a royalty-free right to reproduce selected work for 99 years, worldwide, for communications connected with the festival and its partners. This may include press releases, websites, social networks and other promotional media.

Each publication must credit the photographer and, where technically possible, include a link to the artist’s website or Instagram or Facebook account. ABSURIA cannot sell an individual exhibited photograph without the artist’s express permission. An exhibition catalogue or book may be sold to help finance the festival.

Physical exhibition prints are produced at the association’s expense and remain reproductions rather than works offered for sale by ABSURIA. Artists may collect their exhibition prints; otherwise, the prints may be destroyed after use.

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