Photo Contest Rules & Submissions
Photo Contest Categories
Closeup: Closeup and macro images of any subject are eligible.
Creative Processing: This category allows any creative treatment, provided the image began as a conventional photograph. Computer-generated images, including those created with generative AI, are not permitted.
Hand of Man: Images in this category must feature human-made objects as the primary subject.
Landscape: People or human-made objects may occupy no more than 25 percent of the image and may not be a prominent focal point. For example, a foreground split-rail fence leading the eye toward distant mountains would not qualify, while a communications tower on a distant mountain peak in a sunrise photo would be acceptable.
Night: Photos must be taken outdoors between evening twilight and morning twilight.
Wildlife: This category includes all living wild creatures. Domesticated or captive animals are not eligible.
Agreement
By submitting photos, you give Smoky Mountains Photo Fest permission to print them in the contest winners’ booklet, project them during the Photo Fest event (including the Photo Contest Image Review) and display them on the Photo Fest website. Public displays will include the photographer’s name.
General Contest Rules
Submissions that do not follow the contest rules will be disqualified without notice. If a submission is unclear, we will contact the photographer for clarification.
Paid attendees of the contest may enter as many categories as desired, but you may submit only one image per category.
There are no restrictions on when or where the photos were created.
Photos that have won in previous Photo Fest contests may not be submitted.
Photos cannot display any signatures, watermarks or logos.
Each image must originate from a traditional camera capture—such as a DSLR, mirrorless camera, drone or phone—and must have been created by the entrant. Computer-generated images, including those created with generative AI, are not permitted.
Contest entries are due by September 1 (TK). Images submitted afterward will be disqualified without notice.
Processing
Except in the Creative Processing category, digital edits should be limited to adjustments that improve the overall image quality while remaining faithful to the original scene. Permitted adjustments include color correction, basic contrast enhancements, white balance, shadow/highlight adjustments, dust spotting, noise reduction, sharpening and cropping.
Compositing multiple photos to add elements to a scene is not allowed. However, images from the same session may be blended to increase dynamic range. For the Night category, photos from the same session and composition may be combined, such as when light painting the foreground in one frame and capturing the sky in another, or when stacking multiple exposures to create star trails or to reduce noise.
Preparing Photos For Submission
Photos must be submitted in JPG format. Recommended color space is sRGB. Photos should be sized to 2500 pixels on the long side. The file name must include the photographer’s name and the category. Recommended file name format is Ansel_Adams_Landscape.jpg. Anything else in the file name should come after the name and category.
Photo Contest Judging
The 2026 photo contest will be judged by speakers Tim Grey, Jennifer King, Colleen Miniuk and Tony Sweet. The judges will not know the names of the photographers.
Judges will select First, Second and Third Place winners in each category, plus one Grand Prize winner from all entries.
Photos that receive a judge’s vote but do not place will earn an Honorable Mention. The conference organizers will also select Honorable Mentions from entries that did not receive a judge’s vote.
Submission Form
You may submit photos for the contest by clicking below: