Architectural Photography Competition 2026

Exterior & Interior categories. Standard photographic adjustments are permitted: exposure, contrast, white balance, color grading, cropping, dodging and burning, perspective and lens correction, noise reduction, and minor cleanup of sensor dust or transient distractions.

Adding, removing, or substantially altering major elements of the scene is not permitted in these categories. Composites and heavy manipulation belong in Digital Media.

Digital Media category. Any degree of digital enhancement is welcome, provided the work begins with an original capture photograph made by the entrant.

AI-generated imagery. Wholly AI-generated images are not eligible in any category. Generative tools may not be used to create the underlying photograph; in Digital Media, they may be used only to enhance or transform the entrant’s own original capture.

Entries are reviewed by a jury of professional photographers and architects. Photographic interpretation is judged by the jury — not the architecture pictured. Each entry is considered on its own merits against the following criteria:

• Composition — framing, balance, and structure of the image
• Light — quality and use of natural or artificial light
• Technical execution — sharpness, exposure, and craft appropriate to the intent
• Interpretation — the strength and originality of the photographer’s reading of the built environment

The jury’s decisions are final and not subject to review. The jury selects one winning photograph in each juried category.

People’s Choice voting. All entries are displayed in a public online gallery during the voting window. Voting is anonymous; each participant may cast up to three votes. Photographs populate in random order.

One winner is recognized in each of the four categories — Exterior, Interior, Digital Media, and People’s Choice. Winners receive:

• Recognition at the Design Community Symposium and Exhibit, where all entries are displayed
• Publication on the chapter website with jury commentary
• Promotion across AIA Long Beach / South Bay platforms and social media

• Entrants retain full copyright of their photographs.
• By entering, entrants grant AIA Long Beach / South Bay non-exclusive reproduction rights to use submitted photographs, with credit, for marketing and promotional purposes in relation to this and future Architectural Photography Competitions.
• Entrants are responsible for obtaining any releases required for identifiable people or private property appearing in their photographs.
• The AIA LBSB Architectural Photography Committee reserves the right to eliminate photographs deemed inappropriate or whose subject matter is not in the spirit of the competition.
• Fees are non-refundable. Submission of an entry constitutes acceptance of these rules.