Organizer Information
SPIE, the International Society for Optics and Photonics, is a not-for-profit professional society founded in 1955, originally as the Society of Photographic Instrumentation Engineers, before adopting its current name in 1981. Headquartered in Bellingham, Washington, it serves a global membership of more than 20,000 engineers, scientists, students, and industry professionals across roughly 166 countries. SPIE organizes technical conferences (including Photonics West, one of the largest photonics industry events), publishes peer-reviewed journals and reference texts, and funds scholarships, travel grants, and public policy initiatives supporting light-based science.
The International Day of Light Photo Contest grew out of SPIE's role as a founding partner of the UN's International Year of Light and Light-based Technologies in 2015, for which it ran a global photography contest. SPIE has continued that tradition annually since the UN established the permanent International Day of Light (16 May), using the contest to draw public attention to the role of light and light-based technologies in science, daily life, and culture.
Title & Description
SPIE International Day of Light Photo Contest 2026
This annual photography competition invites amateur and professional photographers to submit images capturing the impact of light — in science, everyday life, engineering, and nature — to mark the UN's International Day of Light. The organizers describe the contest as a way to raise public awareness of light-based technologies and their role in "cultural, economic, and societal" life. A new "Judges' Choice for the Best of Science" prize has been added for the 2026 edition. Suggested (non-exhaustive) subject matter includes the physical properties of light and its interaction with the atmosphere, nature, and materials; light technologies such as lasers and LEDs; images made using light-based instruments like telescopes and microscopes; people interacting with light or light technology; and the broader theme of light improving the human condition.
Theme
A World of Light — the impact of light and light-based technologies on daily life, communities, science, and the planet. No narrower sub-theme is specified for 2026 beyond the addition of a dedicated science-focused prize category.
Categories
- Photography
- Art
- Culture
- Technology
- Research
Eligibility
- Open to both amateur and professional photographers
- Entrants must be 18 years of age or older
- Employees of SPIE and optics.org, their immediate families (defined as grandparents, parents, spouses, siblings, children, grandchildren, in-laws, or anyone living in the same household as an SPIE/optics.org employee), contest judges, and SPIE consultants/contractors are not eligible
- Each entrant may submit a maximum of two photographs
Program Benefits & Awards
- First Prize: US $2,500
- Second Prize: US $1,000
- Third Prize: US $500
- Judges' Choice for Best of Science Prize: US $1,000
Application Fee
None
How to Apply?
Online Application
Key Dates
- Application Deadline: 16 September 2026
Location
United States
Additional Details
Judging is based on five criteria: appropriateness/coverage of content in relation to the theme, scientific interest and effectiveness in communicating the theme, creativity and artistry, execution of photographic technique, and overall appeal to the spirit of the International Day of Light. Entrants are responsible for obtaining any necessary model and/or property releases; SPIE is not responsible for verifying these or for confirming no copyright/trademark infringement has occurred, though entrants affirm their images are original work. Submitted images may be used by SPIE in publications, online, printed materials, and at SPIE conferences/exhibitions, as well as by cooperating organizations promoting the International Day of Light, for educational (non-commercial) purposes, with photographer credit given in all cases.
Note: Independent secondary sources reporting on this contest (Photo Contest Insider) list a different prize structure from an earlier, undated version of the rules — including a $750 "Technology and Science" prize and separate youth prizes — which does not match the two most recently dated 2026 sources used here. The prize figures above reflect the sources dated closest to the 2026 contest.