Skip to content

UPOTY 2026

Fees & Deadlines

Enter early, pay less, and plan your entries around the dates that matter. All fees are in US dollars.

Entry fees

Your dashboard shows the total before you pay. Creating an unpaid draft does not reserve an earlier entry price.

Entry fees in USD by submission period
Submission periodSingle imageSeries up to 10 imagesExtra category single imageExtra category series
Early Bird10 Oct 2026 – 20 Nov 2026Current period $18$25$10$15
Regular21 Nov 2026 – 20 Dec 2026 $20$30$12$15
Final / Extended21 Dec 2026 – 20 Jan 2027 $30$37$15$20

What counts as an entry?

Single image: one photograph, entered in one category and judged on its own.

Series: up to 10 connected images, judged together as one body of work.

Extra category: the same image or series entered in another relevant category, at a reduced fee.

There is no limit on how many entries you can submit.

Your dates to remember

Entry deadlines close at 23:59:59 UTC — 03:59:59 the following morning in Dubai.

  1. Entries open
  2. Early Bird deadline
  3. Regular deadline
  4. Final submission deadline
  5. Results announced
  6. Awards dispatched & annual awards book published

More credit. More possibilities.

Planning several entries? Buy wallet credit in advance and use it for single images, series or extra categories.

Explorer

$79USD

$100 wallet credit

Save $21 against the credit value

For a considered selection of your strongest work.

View Explorer

Professional

$129USD

$175 wallet credit

Save $46 against the credit value

Room for a series and a broader choice of categories.

View Professional

Patron

Best value

$249USD

$400 wallet credit

Save $151 against the credit value

For a substantial body of work across the competition.

View Patron
View credit bundles
How wallet credit works
  • No expiry. Unused credit stays in your wallet.
  • Your account only. Credit cannot be transferred.
  • Buying credit does not submit an entry. Upload your work and complete each entry in your dashboard.
  • Refunds: credit purchases are non-refundable, except for duplicate charges, verified payment errors or where the law requires.
Payment & refunds
  • Your dashboard shows the full total before you pay.
  • Payments are processed securely by Stripe. Entries are locked once payment is complete.
  • An entry counts only when it is uploaded and paid. An unpaid draft does not hold an earlier price.
  • Entry fees are non-refundable, except for duplicate charges, verified payment errors, cancellation by UPOTY before judging, or where the law requires.

Read the full competition rules

Where your entry fee goes

Every fee helps deliver the competition and give recognised work a life beyond judging day:

  • Jury honorariums
  • The annual UPOTY awards book
  • The virtual exhibition
  • Media and press outreach for winners and finalists
  • The platform that brings every entry together

Show us how you see the city.

Early Bird ends 20 November 2026 at 23:59:59 UTC.

Enter UPOTY 2026

Questions about fees or payment? contact@upoty.com