The Flagship Members-Only Competition Returns
The ASMP “Best Of” competition sets the standard for a way to see the breadth and depth of the work created by the most talented photographers in the world. And since the last contest in 2024, so much has changed. Today, ASMP is proud to announce “Best Of… 2026” with new prizes, new categories, new judges, and so much more. All images created since January 1, 2021 are eligible for entry. If you are an ASMP or NANPA member in good standing, you are eligible to enter.
Read on to get all the information on this year’s competition, learn about our fabulous Presenting Sponsors Blurb and Sony, and check back on this page regularly as new judges will be added to the panel, updates will be announced, and more!
Best Of… 2024 | Judges Choice – Corporate / Industrial © Leah Nash
Best Of… 2024 | 1st Place – Portrait
© Michael Schmitt
Best Of… 2024 | 1st Place – Food / Still Life
© John Grande
Best Of… 2024 | Judges Choice – Architecture / Interiors © Wayne Chasan
Best Of… 2024 | Judges Choice – Lifestyle
© Himanshu Pandya
Best Of… 2026
An ASMP & NANPA Members-Only Competition
Important Dates:
- Mar 19 – Mar 29 – Early Entry Period (20% Discount on Entry Fees / RECENTLY EXTENDED!)
- Mar 30 – Apr 18 – General Entry Period
- Apr 19 – Apr 26 – Extended Entry Period (Fees Increase!)
- Apr 27 – May 25 – Judging Period
- On or About May 31 – Winners Announced
Entry Fees:
- Single Image Entry – $25.00 (20% Off Entry Fees During Early Entry Period)
- Series Entry – $55.00 (20% Off Entry Fees During Early Entry Period)
- Volume Discount! Enter 5+ Images or Series in ANY Category, You’ll Receive 15% Off All Additional Entries!
2026 Categories
- Single Image Categories:
Architecture / Interiors | Beauty / Fashion | Conceptual / Altered | Corporate / Industrial | Fine Art | Food / Still Life | Personal Projects | Portraits | Lifestyle | Sports / Adventure | Wildlife | Nature / Landscape
- Series Categories:
Commercial | Editorial | Personal Projects
About This Event:
The flagship members-only competition offered by ASMP, the 2026 edition of “Best Of…” is anchored by two incredible lead judges: Darius Himes, International Head of Photographs at Christie’s, and Mary Virginia Swanson, Author, Educator, and Advisor to Photographers & Artists.
Highlights of “Best Of… 2026” Include:
- Winners featured in a printed & digital Sourcebook, sent to all the major editors and agencies in the industry.
- The winning images will be added to the ASMP Archives (Digital and Print Optional) taking their place in the historic collection next to the luminaries of the profession.
- A “Best In Show” prize package valued at more than $5,000 including a Sony a7RV body and 28-105 FE lens! (over $6500 value)
- Cash prizes for the Best in Show ($500) and all Category Winners ($150)
- New “Series Only” Categories.
- A Three-Day ASMP Instagram Takeover for Each Category Winner in 2026-27.
- … So Much More!
2026 Lead Judges
Darius Himes
Darius Himes oversees a global team in three locations producing auctions, exhibitions and catalogues as International Head of Photographs at Christie’s. Prior to joining Christie’s in Fall 2014, Himes was director of Fraenkel Gallery, San Francisco from 2011–2014.
In 2007 he co-founded Radius Books, a non-profit publisher of books on photography and the visual arts. While working with artists such as John McCracken and Lee Friedlander, he is most proud of publishing first monographs for over a dozen emerging artists. He was the founding editor of photo-eye Booklist, a quarterly journal devoted to photography books, which ran from 2002–2007.
A lecturer and writer, he has contributed to Aperture, Blind Spot, Bookforum, and BOMB. His most recent book, Publish Your Photography Book, co-authored with Mary Virginia Swanson, was released by Princeton Architectural Press in the Spring of 2011, with an updated 2nd edition published in the Spring of 2014. Himes completed his Master of Arts in Liberal Arts at St. John’s College in 2000, and received a BFA in Photography from Arizona State University.
Mary Virginia Swanson
MARY VIRGINIA SWANSON is an educator, author and entrepreneur in the field of photography, and a respected advisor to artists and arts organizations. Unique in our field, her broad background includes exhibiting, collecting, licensing and marketing photographs and affords her a range of perspectives on making and marketing art. Ms. Swanson counts among her consulting clients a range of internationally respected artists and institutions.
Swanson received her MFA in Photography from Arizona State University (1979). Throughout graduate school she served as a research assistant for the Curator of Photography at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, her hometown Museum. She began her career at The Friends of Photography in Carmel, California, managing the education offerings including Ansel Adams Workshop. From there she moved to NYC to head Special Projects at Magnum Photos, bringing the work of their photographers to broader audiences through exhibition and publication projects. She relocated to Tucson, Arizona in 1990 to launch Swanstock, a unique agency managing licensing rights for fine art photographers. She currently works independently, offering consulting services to artists and arts organizations, and offering her own classes and giving back to our field through educational seminars, serving as an advisor for multiple not-for-profit industry organizations, and other community-minded activities.
Additional 2026 Judges
Anna Alexander
Independent Photo Director
Anna Goldwater Alexander is an independent photo director with over two decades of experience producing photo shoots and commissioning photographers. Most recently, she served as Director of Photography at WIRED, where she led the magazine’s photographic direction.
Her work has been recognized with numerous industry honors, including National Magazine Awards for General Excellence, Design, and Photography from the American Society of Magazine Editors. She has also been nominated as Photo Editor of the Year by the Lucie Foundation and received accolades from the Society of Publication Designers, American Photography, the Art Directors Club, and Communication Arts.
Anna is passionate about all photography genres and platforms and brings deep expertise in visual storytelling, editing, and creative collaboration. She offers professional guidance on special projects, portfolio development, and photo editing, drawing on her extensive experience commissioning and mentoring photographers.
She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Photography from the University of Arizona.
Kat Dalager
Creative Wrangler
Kat‘s diverse professional journey has spanned several decades and has encompassed numerous advertising agencies and in-house agencies, including Carmichael Lynch, McCann, The Martin Agency, Target Corporation, Best Buy and Life Time Fitness. She’s held leadership roles in art, video and print production, including creative services buying, project management, process improvement and creative operations.
An American Advertising Federation past president and a recent board member of ASMP-MSP, Kat is passionate about giving back to both students and professionals in the marketing community and strives to provide insights and opportunities to those trying to navigate this facinating, but ever-changing, industry.
Jennifer Perlmutter
Jennifer “JP” Perlmutter is currently a senior photo and motion rep at Apostrophe, with nearly two decades of experience representing and producing for photographers and directors across commercial and editorial realms. A 2006 graduate of Emerson College, where she studied advertising and visual arts, JP fell in love with photography early on and built a career at the intersection of creativity and commerce.
She’s known for her collaborative approach, sharp production insight, and deep commitment to artist development, especially when it comes to mentoring emerging talent. Possessing a robust skill set that includes artist representation, marketing strategy, sales, social media and more, JP has built meaningful connections between artists, agencies, and brands, helping creatives collaborate authentically and thrive. She’s passionate about championing visual storytellers and creating space for new voices in an ever-evolving industry.
Karen Williams
Visual Creative Director / Author of "The Photo Hustle"
I’m passionate about mentoring and coaching the next generation of aspiring photographers in the brand and editorial industry. With over 10 years of experience as an industry insider, I believe in providing equal access to information and am dedicated to being a resource for others.
As a visual creative director, keynote speaker, and founder of Black Visual Queen, I’ve had the privilege of working with iconic brands and publications. In my free time, I love training for marathons and diving head-first into all things pop culture.
Your Questions Answered
The Core Information
- This event is open to all ASMP and NANPA Members in good standing.
- Our panel of judges will choose a 1st Place Winner and Two (2) Judge’s Choice Winners in each of 15 categories.
- One Best-In-Show Winner will be chosen from all 1st Place Winning Entries.
- All images created on or after January 1, 2021 (i.e. in the last five years) are eligible for entry!
- Questions? Write us at office@asmp.org and we will get back to you quicky!
What Are the Categories?
We have greatly expanded the categories this year to more fully describe the work that our Members create. The choice of category is yours, but you will have a space in each Entry to describe your image and the story behind it.
01 Architecture / Interiors
02 Beauty / Fashion
03 Conceptual / Altered
04 Corporate / Industrial
05 Fine Art
06 Food / Still Life
07 Personal Projects
08 Portraits
09 Lifestyle
10 Sports / Adventure
11 Wildlife
12 Nature / Landscape
13 Series: Commercial
14 Series: Editorial
15 Series: Personal Projects
What Dates Do I Need to Know?
- Mar 19 – Mar 27 – Early Entry Period (20% Discount on Entry Fees)
- Mar 28 – Apr 18 – General Entry Period
- Apr 19 – Apr 26 – Extended Entry Period (Fees Increase!)
- Apr 27 – May 25 – Judging Period
- On or About May 31 – Winners Announced
Who Are the Judges?
Our Lead Judges for this year’s competition are:
- Darius Himes | Head of International Photography, Christies
- Mary Virginia Swanson | Author, Educator, Advisor
Additional judges will be announced throughout the competition and you can read about all the judges in their bios above!
What are the Entry Fees?
This year, Series entries are seperated into their own categories. The Entry Fees for 2026 are:
Single Image – $25.00 / Entry
Series – $55.00 / Entry
During the Early Entry Period, there is 20% off all fees, and during the Extended Entry Period, the Entry Fees increase by 50%!
And don’t forget the Volume Discount – your 6th Entry and beyond get a standing 15% discount applied automatically, and you don’t have to enter all at once!
What Is Your Policy on AI Generated Images?
ASMP wishes to ensure that the creative voice of all photographers is heard, and that the value of human authorship is preserved. To that end, images that were created in whole using “generative AI” technologies are not allowed as submissions to this competiton. Images that have used generative AI tools with respect to specific elements of an image MUST:
- Be submitted in the Conceptual / Altered category ONLY.
- Marked as “AI Generated” which will accompany the image in all future reproductions.
- Must include a detailed description of the areas of the image that utilized these tools.
All entrants must attest that work in all other categories was created without using these technologies.
What Are the Image Entry Guidelines?
- All files must be in JPEG format.
- File Size Limit: 15 MB
- Minimum Pixel Dimension: 1000px on short side.
- Winners must be ready to confirm their eligibility and submit a full-resolution print-ready image if notified. If we cannot find you, or you do not respond, your image will be disqualified, and a replacement winner will be determined.
How Do I Submit?
- All Entries must be submitted through our online portal HERE.
- You can login to see your entries, add new entries, and get all information at any time before the entry period ends.
- For any help, please send us a message at office@asmp.org.
What Are the Contest Terms & Conditions?
Since 1944, ASMP has been the world’s leader in promoting photographer’s rights, and this commitment extends to the terms of our competitions. Below, please find the ASMP Model Terms & Conditions for Photo / Video Contests, our photographer-first industry-standard set of terms and conditions that all ASMP Contests and Awards adhere to, and that we promulgate freely to all other groups seeking to host a contest where creative works are submitted.
Anything Other Important Info I Need to Know?
- There is no limit on the number of entries you can submit.
- The decision of the judges is final and binding, with no appeal process.
- Entry fees are non-refundable.
- Any taxes, duties, fees, or other levies on prizes awarded are the sole responsibility of the winner.
And most importantly, have fun! We can’t wait to see your work.