World Press Photo Contest 2027

AI policy

All photographs entered into the contest must be made with a camera. No synthetic or artificially generated images are allowed, and no use of artificially generative fill is allowed in post-production. Any use of these tools will automatically disqualify the entry from the contest.

RAW files

Entrants must provide file(s) as recorded by the camera for all images that proceed to the final stages of the contest. These file(s) will be requested and studied confidentially from 22 January until 12 February 2027. Failure to provide these files when requested will lead to the exclusion of the entry.

Editing rules

The 2027 entry rules open their AI section with the line that AI-generated images are not photography. Synthetic or artificially generated images and generative fill are banned and disqualify the entry automatically. Smart or AI-powered enhancement tools are tolerated only if they do not change the image as a whole, introduce new information or remove information the camera captured; AI upscalers such as Adobe Super Resolution, Topaz Photo AI and on-device upscaling are named as immediate breaches. Smartphone photos must be shot in standard mode, not HDR, portrait, creative lighting or panorama mode. Camera files for every image reaching the final stages are studied between 22 January and 12 February 2027.