Organizer Information
The Lucie Foundation is a 501(c)3 nonprofit charitable organization whose mission is to honor master photographers, discover and cultivate emerging talent, and promote the appreciation of photography worldwide. The foundation runs a variety of programs throughout the year, including its signature program, The Lucie Awards, as well as an annual scholarship program supporting professional and emerging photographers internationally.
Title & Description
2026 Lucie Foundation Photo Book Prize
The Lucie Foundation Photo Book Prize is a juried competition dedicated to celebrating the most innovative and compelling photographic books published in a given year. The program is open to a diverse range of book submissions — from titles released by major publishing houses to an artist's first hand-made zine — and awards are presented to both photographers and publishers. Submissions are reviewed by a jury of visual directors, curators, creative directors, editors, and photography critics, who select finalists and the three cash-prize winners across the prize's categories.
Categories
- Photography
- Publication
- Fiction
- Multimedia
Eligibility
- Open to photographers, editors, curators, and publishers worldwide — no geographic restrictions stated
- Eligible books must have been created/published within a specific window before the deadline — note: the source gives two different date ranges for this window. The main eligibility statement specifies projects created "between September 2024 and September 2026," while the FAQ section states books "published between March 2024 – September 2026" are eligible. This discrepancy appears in the source as provided and should be confirmed with the organizer before publishing.
- No limit on the number of submissions per applicant
- First Book category: entry must be the first iteration of the photographer's work in book form
- Self-Published category: open only to self-published and handmade books
Program Benefits & Awards
- Book of the Year Prize: $3,000 cash prize, awarded to the publisher, for the best overall book of the year
- First Book Prize: $2,000 cash prize, awarded to a photographer, for a first book-medium work
- Self-Published Prize: $2,000 cash prize, awarded to a photographer, for a self-published or handmade book
- Shortlisted and winning entries are announced via the Lucie Foundation newsletter, website, and social media
Application Fee
- Publisher submissions: $75 for the first submission, with a 20% discount on each additional category entered for the same book
- Photographer submissions: $50 for the first submission, with a 20% discount on each additional category entered for the same book
- Early bird discount: 20% off until March 26, 2026; 10% off until April 9, 2026 (applied at checkout)
How to Apply?
Online Application
Key Dates
- Early bird discount (20%): 26 March 2026
- Early bird discount (10%): 9 April 2026
- Submission deadline (extended): 15 September 2026
- Winners announced: Fall 2026 (mid-September, per the FAQ)
Location
Los Angeles, CA, United States
Additional Details
- File specifications: images must be JPG only (no TIF, GIF, PNG, or PDF for individual images), 72 DPI, no file exceeding 4MB; the complete book must also be submitted as a single PDF (cover to cover, laid out as the book itself rather than individual pages), maximum 60MB
- Selected shortlist candidates and recipients are contacted directly via the email provided on the submission form; due to submission volume, the foundation does not notify applicants who were not selected
- Each of the three main categories (Book of the Year, First Book, Self-Published) has its own set of subcategories (e.g., Exhibition Catalogue, Photography +, Multi Artist/Multi Publisher, Single Artist/Single Publisher, Limited Edition, Zine, Other), plus general subcategories such as Culture, Landscape, Fashion/Advertising, People/Portrait, Documentary/Photojournalism, and Fine Art/Contemporary
- Finalists are chosen from a mix of categories; not all categories are guaranteed representation among the finalists