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Paris Photo–Aperture PhotoBook Awards

Aperture   /   Deadline: 09/04/26

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The Paris Photo–Aperture PhotoBook Awards are an annual celebration of the photobook's enduring role within the narrative of photography. The awards, established in 2012, recognize excellence in three major categories of photobook publishing: First PhotoBook, PhotoBook of the Year, and Photography Catalog of the Year. Each year, winners are selected from among nearly one thousand books submitted by artists and publishers from around the world.

The Paris Photo–Aperture PhotoBook Awards are juried for both the shortlist and final selection. The shortlist jury will convene in New York for three concentrated days of review and deliberation to select thirty-five distinguished books in the three prize categories. The 2026 shortlist is juried by leading figures in the field of photography:

-Alejandro Cartagena, artist
-Alexandra Cunningham Cameron, director of design, Judd Foundation
-Michael Famighetti, editor in chief, Aperture
-Anna Planas, artistic director, Paris Photo
-Anshika Varma, curator and founder, Offset Projects

The final jury, composed of five members, will meet at the Grand Palais, Paris, in November to award a winner for each prize category. The winners will be announced at Paris Photo and online on Friday, November 13. The final jury for the 2026 Paris Photo–Aperture PhotoBook Awards will be announced soon.

Entry Fees:
First PhotoBook: $30 per project
PhotoBook of the Year: $60 for first project from a given publisher, $30 for each subsequent project from the same publisher
Photography Catalog of the Year: $60 for first project from a given publisher, $30 for each subsequent project from the same publisher

Fees

See description for details.

Eligibility

All books must be produced and published between September 6, 2025, and September 4, 2026. Books printed before September 4, 2026, but listed with an official publication date through December 31, 2026, are also eligible.

Entries for the First PhotoBook and PhotoBook of the Year awards may be submitted only by the photographer or artist, the publisher, or a third party acting with the consent of the photographer or artist. Virtual or electronic books that exist only in digital form are not eligible for entry.

First PhotoBook:
A book in which the main content is photography, featuring the work of one or more photographers or artists and available for purchase, or distributed free of charge, whether via trade distribution, print on demand, a gallery or online outlet, or otherwise.
A book that is the first by the given photographer(s) or artist(s) is eligible for entry, whether a first self-published book, a first limited-edition book, a first gallery-published collection, a first book made available by print on demand, or a first book published by a publisher for release in the book trade. A first book published by an established publisher is eligible for entry even if the photographer or artist previously released a self-published book or a limited-edition book for distribution outside the trade. However, once a photographer or artist has had a book published by a mainstream publisher in the book trade, a subsequent book (whether self-published or not) is not eligible for entry.
PhotoBook of the Year:
A book in which the main content is photography, whether authored by one or more photographers or artists or authored by an editor, and published in an edition of no fewer than one hundred copies.
Photography Catalog of the Year:
An exhibition catalog or museum publication in which the main content is photography. Catalogs can feature the work of one or more photographers or artists and should be available for purchase, or distributed free of charge, whether via trade distribution, print on demand, a gallery or online outlet, or otherwise.
Text-only publications are not eligible. But catalogs whose main content is photography may include extensive research, writing, and analysis—whether dedicated to the oeuvre of a single photographer or an exploration of a collection based in photographic history and practice.

Requirements

How to Enter:
1. Generate your submission form via the contest page: https://site.picter.com/2026-paris-photo-aperture-photobook-awards
2. Complete payment
3. Print out the submission form on Picter. For detailed instructions, see here: https://support.picter.com/en/articles/3010998-how-to-print-the-submission-submission-form
4. Send one copy of each submitted photobook with your submission form(s) to Aperture for arrival by 5 p.m. EDT on Friday, September 4, 2026

Shipping your book(s):
All books (with a printed copy of the submission form) must be received by 5 p.m. EDT on Friday, September 4, 2026. Please note: This year, all books should be mailed to Aperture's Upper West Side address in New York City. This date does not include postmark. All entries must be physically received by this date, and there will be no refunds if the books are not delivered on time. Books should be sent to the following address:

Aperture
ATTN: PhotoBook Awards
380 Columbus Avenue
New York, NY 10024
Print out the submission form on Picter. For detailed instructions, see here
Send one copy of each submitted photobook with your submission form(s) to Aperture for arrival by 5 p.m. EDT on Friday, September 4, 2026

Awards

First PhotoBook Prize
A $10,000 prize is awarded to the photographer(s) or artist(s) whose first finished, publicly available photobook is judged to be the best of the year. Twenty books will be shortlisted in this category, presented to the award jury for final selection, and exhibited during Paris Photo.


PhotoBook of the Year Prize
This prize is awarded to the photographer(s) or artist(s) and the publisher of the photobook judged to be the best of the year. Ten books will be shortlisted in this category, presented to the award jury for final selection, and exhibited during Paris Photo.


Photography Catalog of the Year Prize
This prize is awarded to the publication, publisher, and/or organizing institution responsible for the exhibition catalog or museum publication judged to be the best of the year. Five books will be shortlisted in this category, presented to the award jury for final selection, and exhibited during Paris Photo.

Exhibition
All thirty-five shortlisted books, accompanied by the jury's statements, will be on view at Paris Photo. In addition, winners and shortlisted books in each category will be exhibited around the world, ensuring maximum exposure for all the titles.

Evaluation Criteria

You will need to provide the following information for each book submitted:
Book title, year of publication, and publisher information
A short description, or summary, of the book that includes a few words about which prize category best fits the book
Full names of the photographer or artist, designer, and editor
Book dimensions, number of pages, and edition number or print run
A short description of where your book can be purchased or acquired
An image or render of the book cover (JPG file)

Contact Information

Alex Schlechter
380 Columbus Ave
New York, NY 10024

P: 212.505.5555
W: https://aperture.org/calls-for-entry/photobook-awards/
E: bookawards@aperture.org