The Global Peace Photo Award 2026 is an international photography competition that invites images reflecting human efforts toward a peaceful world and the search for beauty and goodness in everyday life. Awarded by Edition Lammerhuber with a broad network of partners including UNESCO, the Austrian Parliament, World Press Photo Foundation and UNICEF Austria, the competition positions photography as a way to examine coexistence, dignity, hope and the many forms peace can take.
For 2026, the award accepts both single images and photographic stories, giving photographers room to respond through either a standalone picture or a more developed visual narrative. Stories must include at least 5 and up to 12 photographs, while single images are judged individually, and there is no overall limit on how many entries a photographer may submit. A separate Children’s Peace Image of the Year track is reserved for entrants under 15, while older participants should enter the main award.
What makes the competition especially appealing is its combination of broad access and clearly defined recognition. Entry is free, mobile phone photographs are allowed if they meet the file requirements, and previous award-winning or previously entered photographs may still be submitted. At the same time, the award keeps a strong curatorial framework: images in the main categories must generally be no older than three years when the call opens, AI-generated images may be excluded, and edited or montage-based work must be transparently explained in the caption where relevant.
Entry fee: Free to enter for all submissions.
Eligibility
Open to photographers worldwide; entrants under 15 must enter the Children’s Peace Image of the Year, while main-category entries must be original photographs generally no older than three years at the opening of the call, and AI-generated images may be excluded.
Prize
The 2026 award offers a total of €11,000 in cash prizes: €6,000 for the Peace Image of the Year, €1,000 each for 3 winners in the Stories category, €1,000 for 1 winner in the Single Image category, and €1,000 for the Children’s Peace Image of the Year. All winning works receive the Alfred Fried Peace Medal, the photographers are invited to the award ceremony in Vienna on September 24, 2026 with travel expenses and accommodation covered, and all submitted images have the chance to be included in international exhibitions.
