The Jalón Ángel Photographic Archive, guarded by the San Jorge University (San Valero Group), is organizing the 12th Jalón Ángel International Photography Prize. This award pays tribute to the memory of Jalón Ángel with two annual categories: Portrait, a genre in which he excelled at a national level, and Travel, to which he devoted much of his photographic creativity and interest. In addition, a special category dedicated to migration and borders has been added to this year’s edition.
ELIGIBILITY:
Any author (Spanish or foreign) of legal age may participate with an original photograph.
The author may present a maximum of one photograph to each category.
Entries are FREE and must belong to one of the following genres:
Portrait: An image that captures the essence, identity, or emotion of a person or group of people. It can be spontaneous or posed, but it must convey character, history, or human connection. The main subject will always be the person, occupying a central role in the composition. Individual or group portraits are accepted, in any context or setting, as long as the focus is on human expression, presence, or interaction. Images featuring animals, objects, plants, or inanimate elements are not accepted.
Travel: Photographs that reveal the natural, cultural, or traditional treasures of a country, showing its essence through unique environments, customs, and locations. This includes urban and natural landscapes, as well as cultural, architectural, or festive events. The human figure may appear as part of the context but will not be the main or exclusive element of the composition.
Migration and borders: calls for photographic works that address human movement and the boundaries that shape it—territorial, legal, and cultural—and those that shed light on the causes, journeys, and consequences of displacement (departure, transit, arrival, or return), as well as the encounters, tensions, and solidarities that emerge at visible and invisible edges: checkpoints and bureaucracies, sea and desert, languages and skins, papers and belongings. We welcome perspectives that, with rigour and respect, address the causes, trajectories, and effects of migration; its vulnerabilities and resiliences; and the encounters that arise at the edges. We value documentary or authorial proposals that avoid sensationalism and stereotypes, offer context, and place human dignity and human rights at the forefront.
The competition entries must comply with the following requirements:
Any photographic medium may be used, but Artificial Intelligence must not be used in all or part of the image.
The entry will be submitted in digital format. It is a prerequisite that the photograph submitted has the following technical conditions: .jpg format, 300 pixels per inch, and 50 cms on its longer side. The photograph must be at least 2 megabytes and no more than 9 megabytes. If this requirement is not met, the photograph will be disqualified for the prize.
Photographs may be in black and white or colour.
Both chemical and digital retouching must be minimal (brightness, contrast, colour balance, white balance, saturation) and must not distort the original shot. If this requirement is not met, the photograph will be disqualified for the prize.
The photographs will not have any element (signature, logo, initials, graphic frames, etc.) that serves to identify the author of the image. If this requirement is not met, the photograph will be disqualified for the prize.
It will not be possible to send images generated with Artificial Intelligence in whole or in part.
The following languages are accepted in the registration form and the declaration of authorship: Spanish, English and French
To participate, please go to the following link https://www.jalonangel.com/premio and fill in the form.
The dates for submitting images for the award are from 13 January to 4 May 2026 at 5.59 p.m. (Spanish time on the peninsula).
The winners of the awards will be announced on 25 June 2026 through the Jalón Ángel Archive website (https://www.jalonangel.com) and our social networks.
BENEFIT:
The following prizes will be awarded:
Award for best photograph in the portrait category. Award amount: 1500 euros, emblematic trophy, and diploma.
Award for best photograph in the travel category. Award amount: 1500 euros, an emblematic trophy, and a diploma.
Award for best photograph in the migration and borders category. Award amount: 1500 euros, emblematic trophy, and diploma.
This amount will be subject to the economic withholdings stipulated by the Ministry of Finance of Spain and by Spanish and European Union tax regulations.
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