• Entry is free.
• Submissions for the photography competition are accepted exclusively via the Picter platform only, where artists must register an account and upload their images. Picter is a platform built by photo professionals and trusted by the world’s leading photo organisations. Picter connects photographers and people who work with images in one beautiful and secure space that is specifically designed to work with photography.
• Register here for your Picter account.
• Each artist may upload up to three images, along with a biography outlining their background and artistic practice to date and an artist statement for each image. You can view or download the exact application sections and guiding word count here if you would like to review and prepare offline before your final submission. 
• All works must have been created after 1 January 2023.
• Images must be in JPG or JPEG format, up to 3MB in size.
• Images must be titled as follows: Image Title, Artist Name, Year of Creation, Image Description
• The submission deadline is 11:59 pm (Irish time), 11 January 2026.
• Entrants may amend or withdraw their submissions before the deadline through their Picter account.
• Shortlisted artists will receive notification via email in February 2026, while those not selected will also be informed by the same timeline.

You can apply for the Artist Bursary Award without having to apply for the open call competition. They are separate applications and will be considered distinct during the due diligence and jury selection process.

Submit your application for the Artist Bursary.  

You must provide information on your background, artistic practice to date, supporting images of your work and explain what you would use the bursary for. Applicants may identify with multiple categories; intersectional experiences are valid and welcome. Further guidance on the Bursary application will be available during our free informational webiinar.

We are committed to ensuring equitable access to the Prize for all artists. All photography competition submissions must be made through Picter and bursary submissions through Awardforce. However, if you experience accessibility barriers when using Picter these platforms— for example, due to a disability, assistive technology incompatibility, or digital access issues — please contact us at access@photomuseumireland.ie 

We can provide assistance, including: 

• Step-by-step guidance or screen-sharing support.

• Staff submission on your behalf with consent

• Alternative formats of this information (large print, audio, easy read.

• Deadline flexibility, where necessary 

1.1 The Prize is free to enter and accessible to all photographers and lens-based artists who are based in Ireland (Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland) or who are Irish citizens living abroad.   

1.1.1 Artists at all career stages are encouraged to apply; no prior exhibition experience is necessary. 

1.1.2 Submissions are actively encouraged from those who identify as being from an underrepresented community, including artists from diverse cultural, social, and geographic backgrounds. 

1.2 Entrants must be 18 years or older on 1 January 2025. 

1.3 Immediate family members or employees of Photo Museum Ireland, Taylor Wessing, or Business to Arts are not eligible to enter. 

1.5 For the Photo Competition, each entrant may submit one entry comprising up to three individual photographs relating to the 2026 theme of Community’. Only one image per entrant will be eligible for final selection. 

1.5 For the Bursary, each applicant may submit one entry comprising up to three individual photographs relating to your practice.  

1.6 Submitted works must be original, lens-based artworks created by the entrant after 1 January 2023. 

1.7 Generative AI or AI-assisted imagery is not eligible. All submissions must reflect the entrant’s own creative authorship and technical production. 

1.8 Entrants must hold all necessary rights and permissions for the images submitted, including consent from any identifiable persons depicted. Proof of consent may be requested from shortlisted artists. 

1.9 We recognise that contemporary photographic practice often engages with social, cultural and political issues through a reflective, observational or interpretive lens. Submissions that address these areas are welcome, provided the work is grounded in artistic inquiry. Works that perpetuate negative stereotypes or discriminatory perceptions will not be accepted. 

1.1 The Museum and any future partner venue(s) for the Taylor Wessing Irish Photo Prize 2026 are solely responsible for the curation and hang of the exhibition at their respective venues and reserve the right to change displays as they see fit. 

1.2 Shortlisted artists will be asked to provide a short description of their exhibited work and a brief biography at time of application. These texts will be used for wall labels, the exhibition catalogue, and related promotional materials. The organisers reserve the right to edit these texts for clarity, length, and house style. If substantial edits are required, the revised text will be returned to the artist for approval within five working days. If no response is received within that period, the edited version will be deemed approved. 

1.3 While every care will be taken, Photo Museum Ireland, Taylor Wessing, and Business to Arts are not liable for any loss or damage to digital files or prints. 

1.4 Personal data processed through the application platforms will be processed in accordance with GDPR and only for purposes related to the administration and promotion of the Prize. 

1.5 Contact information may be shared with Taylor Wessing and Business to Arts solely for Prize administration and communications related to exhibition or acquisition opportunities. 

1.6 By submitting to the Taylor Wessing Irish Photo Prize 2026, entrants agree to these rules and to the decisions of the organisers and jury as final and binding. 

Copyright & Reproduction Rights 

• Artists retain full copyright and ownership of their images

• By submitting, artists grant Photo Museum Ireland, Taylor Wessing, and Business to Arts, limited, non-exclusive, royalty-free rights to use selected images for exhibition-related uses, including promotional and marketing purposes, Archival documentation of the Prize and exhibition, and inclusion in printed or digital materials such as postcards, posters, social media posts and educational purposes related to the Prize

• Photographers agree visitors may photograph exhibited works (without flash) for personal use.  
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• Any reproduction will include a full credit line wherever practicable.