Natural Landscape Photography Awards 2026 (NLPA)
The Natural Landscape Photography Awards (NLPA) is the leading photography competition explicitly built around authentic landscape photography in an age of AI. Founded in 2021 to champion 'field craft' over post-processing artifice, the contest forbids AI imagery, compositing, and content alteration, and requires RAW files from finalists for verification. Among the strictest published authenticity standards in landscape.
- Deadline
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- Entry fee
- Per-entry fees vary by tier; specific 2026 amounts not surfaced
Authenticity policy
AI policy
The NLPA proudly forbids AI imagery, with entrants required to adhere to a strict set of rules when editing their submissions, while finalists must provide RAW files for comparison.
RAW files
Finalists must provide RAW files for comparison.
Editing rules
NLPA was founded in 2021 as a direct response to heavy digital manipulation and AI in landscape photography. The rules forbid compositing, removing significant scene elements, distorting elements, combining different focal lengths, and combining frames from different times. For the 2026 cycle, in-camera multiple exposures and intentional camera movement (ICM) are permitted under a 'carefully defined trial.'
Verified on June 12, 2026