2026 Andrei Stenin contest international jury announced

The international jury of the Andrei Stenin International Press Photo Contest has been announced in Moscow. The judging panel for the 12th edition of the contest brings together distinguished professionals from several countries.

The international jury includes Alia Al-Shamsi, photographer, writer, and illustrator; Guo Jing, curator, photographer, and art consultant for the Shangtuf Image and Art photo agency; Mexican documentary photographer Ivan Macias; award-winning photographer Gurinder Osan; and Patrick Baz, Head of the AFP photo network in the Middle East and North Africa.

Russia is represented on the jury by Grigory Dukor, Advisor to the Integrated Directorate of Photography of RIA Novosti.

In 2026, the contest will be held in six categories: Top News, Sports, My Planet, Portrait. A Hero of Our Time, Top View, and a new category, Energy of Life. The Top News, My Planet, and Portrait. A Hero of Our Time categories will each include two formats: single image and photo series. The Sports and Top View categories will accept single images only. The new Energy of Life category is open to photographers aged 34 and older, while the remaining five categories are open to photographers aged 18 to 33.

Applications can be submitted at the contest’s official website in Russian (http://stenincontest.ru) and English (https://stenincontest.com) until February 28, 2026.

In 2026, the prize fund will amount to 125,000 rubles for first place, 100,000 rubles for second place, and 75,000 rubles for third place in each category. The recipient of the competition’s highest award, the Grand Prix, will receive 700,000 rubles. The awards ceremony for the winners of the 12th Andrei Stenin International Press Photo Contest will traditionally take place in Moscow between September and November 2026.