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NPRB Photography Awards 2026 focuses on Alaska’s marine ecosystems and the people, wildlife, science, and landscapes connected with them. Organized by the North Pacific Research Board (NPRB), the competition accepts photographs from the Gulf of Alaska, Prince William Sound, the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands, Bering Strait, and the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas. Entry is free, the submission deadline is December 1, 2026, and cash prizes total $3,500.
Photographers may submit up to five individual images across the main categories, plus one Photo Story containing up to five photographs and 1,000 words. International photographers and federal employees may enter, although cash awards are reserved for eligible U.S. residents. With no participation fee, NPRB remains relevant to photographers following Deartline’s free photography contests, particularly where nature, science, and visual storytelling overlap.
The awards concentrate specifically on Alaska’s marine waters and the ecosystems and communities connected with them. Entries may range from expansive seascapes and encounters with marine wildlife to research, fishing, subsistence, recreation, and other forms of human interaction with the sea. NPRB has run its photography program since 2008, and photographs from the current award year are also featured in its annual calendar. The NPRB Photography Awards therefore occupy a distinctive place among Deartline’s best photography competitions to join for photographers working with marine and environmental subjects.
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Prizes
The NPRB Photography Awards 2026 distributes $3,500 in cash prizes across the three main photography categories, the Photo Story award, and the dedicated youth competition.
- Best Photo Story: $1,000 for the strongest combination of up to five images and a written story of up to 1,000 words.
- Seascapes Winner: $700 for the winning photograph.
- Marine Life Winner: $700 for the winning photograph.
- Human Connections Winner: $700 for the winning photograph.
- Youth First Place: $300.
- Youth Second Place: $100.
Photographs from the current award year may also be selected for NPRB’s annual calendar, which is distributed within its scientific and outreach network and at events including the Alaska Marine Science Symposium.
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Categories or Themes
The NPRB Photography Awards 2026 is centered on Alaska’s marine waters and organizes individual photographs into three principal categories, alongside separate Photo Story and Youth opportunities.
- Seascapes: Coastal and offshore imagery depicting Alaska’s marine environments, from broad ocean views to coastlines, islands, ice, weather, and other elements that define the region’s seascapes.
- Marine Life: Photographs of marine species found in Alaska’s waters, both above and below the surface. The category covers a wide variety of subjects and is particularly relevant to photographers following nature photo contests.
- Human Connections: Images exploring how people interact with Alaska’s marine environment through scientific research, subsistence, commercial fishing, recreation, and other activities. Photographs may naturally overlap with themes of culture and people.
- Photo Story: A sequence of up to five photographs accompanied by a story of up to 1,000 words. Entries may focus on a person, place, event, research expedition, community, fishing activity, subsistence practice, or another subject connected with Alaska’s marine waters. The format gives photographers room to develop approaches associated with photojournalism and documentary storytelling.
- Youth Entries: Photographers aged 18 or younger may submit up to five images representing any of the principal categories through the dedicated youth competition and may also submit a Photo Story.
Dates and Entry Fees
NPRB Photography Awards 2026 accepts submissions through the beginning of December.
Submission deadline: December 1, 2026.
Entry fee:
- Free to enter.
Entrants may submit a maximum of five individual photographs across the principal categories, plus one Photo Story containing up to five images and 1,000 words. There is no submission charge, placing NPRB among Deartline’s free photo competitions. International photographers may participate, although cash awards are limited to eligible U.S. residents.
How to Enter
Entries are submitted through the official online form. Each photograph must be assigned to the appropriate category and accompanied by a caption that includes the location and date. Digital files must be JPEG or TIFF and have a resolution of at least five megapixels. Scans of slides or negatives are accepted, but scans of photographic prints are not.
About the Jury
NPRB uses an anonymous four-stage review process. An independent professional photographer assists NPRB staff during the initial assessment, with 10 photographs from each category shortlisted for further consideration. The entries then proceed through reviews by the NPRB Science Panel and Advisory Panel before reaching the Board, which makes the final award decisions using the cumulative results of the previous stages.
Images are evaluated on originality, technical excellence, composition, overall impact, and artistic merit. The process combines professional photographic assessment with perspectives from marine science, resource users, community representatives, and NPRB leadership.
Why Enter NPRB Photography Awards 2026?
The NPRB Photography Awards has a clearly defined subject: photography is used to document and interpret Alaska’s marine ecosystems together with the science, communities, livelihoods, and human activity surrounding them. The three principal categories provide distinct routes through landscape, marine species, and people, while Photo Story gives photographers space to build a more developed visual narrative.
The competition also extends beyond the final awards. NPRB’s annual calendar brings photographs from the current competition into its scientific and outreach network, including distribution at major Alaska environmental and marine science events. Combined with $3,500 in cash awards and an anonymous multi-stage judging process, this gives selected work several forms of visibility within a community closely connected to the subject matter.
Submissions are handled entirely online, making NPRB a photography contest online with an unusually specific geographic and environmental focus. Free participation, a dedicated youth section, and the option to submit both individual images and a Photo Story provide several ways to approach the competition.
Rules and Copyright
We reviewed the official rules of the NPRB Photography Awards 2026 to summarize the key participation requirements, copyright terms and image usage conditions. Before entering, we recommend checking the complete rules published by the organizer.
Rules
- A maximum of five individual photographs may be submitted across the main categories, plus one Photo Story containing up to five images and 1,000 words.
- Cash awards are available to eligible U.S. residents. International photographers and federal employees may submit entries but are not eligible for cash awards.
- Youth entrants must be 18 or younger at the time of submission.
- Images of captive animals photographed in zoos or aquariums, pets, and domestic animals are not accepted.
- Photographs involving deliberate harassment of wildlife or environmental damage are prohibited.
- Images made under a marine mammal research permit require the appropriate authorization and permit information.
- Minor adjustments such as cropping, spot removal, dodging, burning, RAW adjustments, sharpening, and contrast adjustments are permitted when the photograph continues to accurately represent the original scene.
- AI-generated or AI-assisted images are not permitted in any format.
- Previously published photographs may be entered when the photographer retains the necessary usage rights, but previous publication must be disclosed.
- Photographers are responsible for obtaining model releases when required.
Copyright and Image Usage
Photographers retain copyright in the images they submit. By entering, however, they grant NPRB, its affiliates, and their designees a non-exclusive, worldwide, irrevocable, royalty-free license to use each photograph and its accompanying description in current or future media.
Permitted uses include brochures, blogs, websites, public displays, presentations, exhibitions, documentary films, educational and outreach material, and promotional uses associated with NPRB. Submitted photographs may also appear on websites operated by NPRB partners. The organization states that images will not be used to promote or endorse for-profit third-party products or services.
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For more information and to participate in the contest, visit: the official website.
