Indiana State Fair Photography Competition & Exhibition
2026 Special category theme is “America's 250th Birthday"
Once again, Indianapolis Professional Photographers' Guild is proud to coordinate and help administer the 2026 Indiana State Fair Photography Competition. This will be our fifthteenth year! We encourage all Indiana photographers to participate. Each year has been a resounding success and we are looking forward to another group of very talented photographers, both amateur and professional, student and adult, to participate in displaying their photography skills.
To Register for participation in this year's competition click here: Exhibitor's Corner.
Each exhibitor is required to pay an entry fee at the time of entry. An exhibitor will not be considered entered in the Indiana State Fair until payment is made in full. Payment can only be made online with a valid credit card. Entries will not be accepted over the phone.
Number of Prints: All Professionals, Amateurs and Students are permitted to enter up to 3 prints plus one print for each theme. Professional Photographers may enter one Album in addition to the above.
Entry Deadlines and Fees – see below.
- Early entry between May 18, 2026 – July 1, 2026: entry fee $35.00
- Late entry Between July 2, 2026 – August 6, 2026: entry fee $55.00
- One-time Fee: $35.00 (or $55.00) Includes print pickup permit and 6 admission tickets
- Image Entry Fee: $1.00 per image
- NO ENTRIES WILL BE ACCEPTED AFTER July 27, 2026
Size of Prints:
- Professionals print mount sizes must be exactly 20”on the longest side with the image placed within the mount. Typical mounts sizes are, but not limited to 16”x20”, 15”x20”, 10”x20”, etc., in either horizontal or vertical format. Image may be any size within the mount.
- Amateur and College print mount size must be exactly 16”x20”in either horizontal or vertical format with the minimum image size of 8”x10” to a maximum of 16”x20”.
- Elementary and Youth mount sizes must be exactly 8”x10”in either horizontal or vertical format with the minimum image size of 5”x7” to a maximum of 8”x10”.
- Camera Club print mount size must be 16”x20” in either horizontal or vertical format with the minimum image size of 8”x10” to a maximum of 16”x20”.
Preparing and Mounting/Matting Prints - Image Mounting Instructions
Preparing Your Images for Competition - Creating a Digital Mat
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER
- May 18 - July 1, 2026: EARLY REGISTRATION: $35 with an additional $1.00 for each print entered
- July 2 - August 6, 2026: LATE REGISTRATION: $55 with an additional $1.50 per print entered
- July 31, 2026: Friday: CHECK IN 12:00pm-6:00pm
- Aug 1, 2026: Saturday: CHECK IN 11:00am-5:00pm no entries will be accepted after Saturday August 1, 2026)
- Aug 2, 2026: Sunday: JUDGING 9:00am-5:00pm (not open to the public but live streaming is available for a fee)
- Aug 7– Aug 23, 2026: STATE FAIR OPEN (closed on Mondays)
- Aug 13, 2026: Thursday: PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS 6:30pm-8:30pm
- Aug 24, 2026: Monday: RELEASE OF PRINTS 11:00am-7:00pm
- Aug 25, 2026: Tuesday: RELEASE OF PRINTS 9:00am-3:00pm
Entries not picked up by 3:00 PM August 25th
become the property of the Indiana State Fair
page updated February 23, 2026
The Indianapolis Professional Photographer's Guild Inc. is a 501(c)6 non-profit organization founded in 1962.
Copyright (c) 2012 - 2026 Indianapolis Professional Photographers' Guild Inc. - all rights reserved.