Eligibility
All entrants must be the legal and rightful owners of the images they submit. By entering, you confirm that you hold all necessary rights and permissions for the submitted content.
Entrants under the age of 18 must have the consent of a parent or legal guardian. By submitting an entry, you confirm that this consent has been obtained.
Entry Period
Submissions must be made between 12:00 AM PST on October 1, 2026, and 11:59 PM PST on October 31, 2026.
Finalists will be notified via email by Unsplash on November 20, 2026.
International Participation:
The contest is open to participants worldwide, subject to local laws and restrictions concerning contests and the participation of minors.
Prize Claim Requirements
To claim a prize, winners must provide their full legal name, physical mailing address, email address, and phone number within the timeframe specified in the winner notification.
Prize Breakdown
Luminar: One (1) $500 USD cash prize.
Nanlite & Gutek Global: One (1) physical prize consisting of either one (1) piece of professional lighting equipment from Nanlite or one (1) professional-grade protective case from Gutek Global. Unsplash will determine the specific prize allocated to each recipient. Prizes will be shipped directly by Nanlite & Gutek Global.
WANDRD: One (1) camera bag, shipped directly by WANDRD.
Cash Prize Eligibility Restrictions
Cash prizes cannot be awarded if payment would violate U.S. sanctions, including those administered by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), or any other applicable laws or regulations.
Unsplash reserves the right to verify a winner’s eligibility, including their country of residence and applicable sanctions or other legal restrictions, before awarding any cash prize. If a cash prize cannot legally be paid, Unsplash may be unable to award the cash prize.
Sponsor Prizing: Shipping & Fulfilment
Physical prize fulfilment and shipping are subject to each sponsor’s shipping capabilities and restrictions in the countries from which prizes are shipped. Prizes may therefore not be available in all countries or territories.
For Nanlite & Gutek prizes, please contact the sponsors directly. For WANDRD prizes, please refer to their current shipping policy.
Minor Winners
If a winner is a minor under applicable local law and is restricted from receiving a prize directly, the prize will be awarded to their parent or legal guardian on their behalf, where permitted by applicable law.
Shortlist and Finalist Swag Prizing
Swag prizes will be fulfilled and shipped directly by SwagUp to eligible shortlisted entrants and finalists, subject to SwagUp’s shipping availability, applicable customs requirements, and destination-country restrictions.
Shortlisted entrants and finalists are responsible for reviewing the current SwagUp Shipping Guidelines and confirming that SwagUp is able to ship to their country of residence.
For current shipping restrictions and requirements, please refer to the SwagUp Shipping Guidelines.
Winner Trophies and Gifts: Shipping Restrictions
Unsplash may be unable to ship trophies or physical prizes to certain countries or territories due to carrier restrictions, customs requirements, sanctions, or other applicable shipping restrictions. Availability is subject to the shipping provider’s requirements and restrictions in effect at the time of fulfilment.
Publicity:
By entering, you agree that Unsplash, Luminar, Nanlite & Gutek Global, and WANDRD may publish the winner’s name on their websites and social media channels after the winner has been selected.
Standard Contest Terms:
By participating, you also agree to Unsplash’s standard Contest Terms and Conditions.
All standard Unsplash Awards rules and regulations apply.
Unsplash reserves the right to amend these terms at any time.
By submitting to The Unsplash Awards 2026, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to these terms and conditions.