Lucie Foundation Photo Book Prize 2026

The Lucie Foundation Photo Book Prize is the foundation's annual award for photography in book form. Three categories carry cash prizes: Book of the Year ($3,000, awarded to the publisher), First Book ($2,000, awarded to the photographer), and Self-Published ($2,000, awarded to the photographer). The prize structure reflects how photo books actually get made — recognizing publishers for their craft, debut authors for theirs, and independents for going it alone.

Eligible work spans the full range of contemporary photo publishing: traditionally published books and zines, hand-made and limited editions, exhibition catalogues, photography combined with other media, multi-artist anthologies, and single-artist publications. Books must be published between September 2024 and September 2026 to qualify for the 2026 cycle. There is no submission limit per applicant.

Entry fees are $75 for publishers and $50 for photographers on the first submission, with 20% off subsequent category entries of the same book. Submissions require a completed form and a PDF of the book up to 60MB; individual JPG files used for evaluation must be 72 DPI and under 4MB each. Final deadline is September 15, 2026 (midnight ET); winners are announced in fall 2026.

The eleven-juror panel for 2026 includes photographers Martin Schoeller, Jamel Shabazz, Lele Saveri, and Paul Baldonado; editors Merve Arkunlar (212 Magazine) and Elizabeth Krist; and curators Eleni Mouzakiti, Yumi Goto, Emmanuel Iduma (Tender Photos), and Monica Aguilar Villamarin.