Canvas
NYC Photography award
2026
Every Frame, A Story.
✦
Every Frame, A Story. ✦
Theme - “UNFILTERED.”
New York doesn’t pose — it lives. Every block, every face, every moment tells a story.
UNFILTERED is about capturing the city’s beauty in its truest form: the laughter, the chaos, the quiet, the connection. It’s not about perfection — it’s about presence.
The stories that make this city impossible to define, but unforgettable to feel.
The Award
$5,000 Cash Prize
Named Hotel Canvas Featured Artist 2026
Solo Exhibition at Hotel Canvas Fifth Avenue Gallary
100% of artwork sale revenue goes to the photographer
First Place
Second Place
$1,000 Cash Prize
Third Place
$500 Cash Prize
“All participants may:
• Have a guest room in Hotel Canvas Fifth Avenue named after them
• Use that room as their personal Canvas to display work
• Keep 100% of sales revenue from their art”
Submit:
• A series of 5–10 original photographs
• A short self-introduction
• A title for each photo
• A short story paragraph about the work
how to enter
01
Entry Fee : FREE
02
TIME LINE - Winter 2025 - 2026
Call for Entries Opens: November 30th 2025
Submission Deadline: Feburary 15th 2026
Judging Period: February 2026
Finalists Announced: February 28th 2026
Award Night & Exhibition Opening: March 2026 (Exact date + location TBA)
ELIGIBILITY
03
Open to students and emerging photographers living or studying in New York City.
Individual and team submissions welcome.
IT ALL BEGINS WITH AN IDEA
✦
IT ALL BEGINS WITH AN IDEA ✦
