Image Judging Competition for the Animal Image Makers™ Creative Conference

Registration & Submission Window:  May 1-May 23, 2026

Registration & Submission Deadlines:
Early deadline: 11:59pm central time Saturday, May 16, 2026
Final deadline: Saturday, May 23, 2026

Entry Fee: $20 per entry through May 16, 2026; $25 per entry through May 23, 2026
All images must be registered and paid by the deadline.

IMPORTANT - Please read the information on this page carefully.

The purpose of this competition is to allow artists of all genres to enter digital images to be judged by a jury of professional artists. This competition is open to anyone worldwide. Please see eligibility requirements below.

All images must be registered and paid by May 23, 2026. 

Round one judging will take place in June, 2026.  Round two judging of accepted pieces will take place in August, 2026.  See below for details.

Required Entrant Agreement:
By entering the competition, artists must sign a waiver stating that:

• They hold all necessary rights to every component of their artwork,

• They have obtained appropriate permissions or licenses for any third-party content,

• They accept full responsibility for copyright compliance,

• They agree to indemnify and hold harmless Animal Image Makers™, its staff, and affiliated partners from any claims, damages, or disputes arising from unauthorized use of copyrighted material.

The 2026 AIM Creative Showcase & Awards is an international, open-juried art exhibition celebrating creativity across all mediums. Artists from anywhere in the world are invited to submit original work in any visual art genre, including photography, digital art, mixed media, illustration, traditional fine art, and AI-enhanced artwork.

1. Who May Enter

• Open to all artists worldwide, age 18 and older.
• Both professional and emerging artists are welcome.

2. Eligible Artwork
Submitted work must meet all the following requirements:

• Originality & Rights

- The submitting artist must be the sole creator of the original artwork and must hold full rights to all elements included.
- Artwork that has previously earned an AIM award (any year) is not eligible for re-entry.

• Creation Timeline

- There is no time limit on when the artwork was created.
- Artworks previously accepted into an AIM Competition but did not receive an award may be re-entered only if substantially reworked.

Allowed Mediums

All visual art mediums are eligible, including but not limited to:

• Photography
• Digital art & illustration
• Mixed media
• Traditional fine art (painting, drawing, sculpture, printmaking, textile art, ceramics, etc.)
• AI-enhanced artwork (see details below)
• 3D, compositing, and experimental techniques
• Video

3. AI-Enhanced Artwork Category
A dedicated category will be provided for work that incorporates AI elements. To qualify for this category:

• The primary subject matter or foundational artwork must be originally created by the submitting artist (e.g., a photograph, an illustration, a painting, a 3D model, etc.).
• AI may be used to enhance, extend, or stylize elements of the original work.
• Fully AI-generated images with no original artist-created source material are not eligible for this competition.
• Artists must disclose AI tools used during entry.

AI-enhanced pieces will be judged on artistic merit, creativity, craftsmanship, and effective integration of AI elements, consistent with the standards applied to all other categories.

4. Round One Entry

• All submissions must be uploaded as digital files for the first round of jurying.
• Detailed file specifications will be provided in the entry portal.
• Jurors will select works for “Accepted” status based solely on digital presentation.

5. Round Two Judging of Accepted Works
Artwork selected as “Accepted” will be judged a second time in Round Two. The same files submitted to Round One will be used for Round Two.

6. Content & Ethical Guidelines
All submissions must adhere to the standards of a professional, respectful, and humane art exhibition. AIM reserves the right to decline any work that violates these guidelines or creates safety or ethical concerns.  To maintain a respectful, safe, and professional exhibition environment:

• Artwork may not depict hate speech, violent extremism, harassment, or discrimination against any individual or group.
• Mature content (nudity, graphic injury, explicit violence) must be declared during entry and may be restricted or declined at the discretion of AIM.
• Animal-related artwork must reflect ethical and humane practices. Imagery resulting from harm, distress, exploitation, luring, or unsafe handling of animals is not permitted.
• Artwork that violates applicable laws, infringes on rights, or utilizes stolen/unauthorized material will be disqualified.

AIM reserves the right to disqualify any entry that does not adhere to these standards.

7. Number of Entries & Categories

• Artists may enter work in as many categories as they choose, up to a maximum of 20 entries per person.
• A single piece may be entered into only one category.
• Category descriptions are outlined below.

8. Size & Format Requirements
Round One — Digital Submission Requirements
All entries must be submitted as digital files for preliminary jurying.  Entries will be submitted May 1-May 23, 2026.  A submission link will be posted on this webpage when the submission window opens.

Digital File Specifications:

• Images must measure 4000 pixels on the long edge.  They should be JPG files in either RGB or sRGB format.
• Files should be high-quality and accurately represent the physical artwork or final intended presentation.
• 3D works should include multiple views.
• Video submissions may not exceed 2 minutes in total length.

Round Two — Accepted Artwork 
Artists whose work is accepted in Round One will automatically move to Round Two.

9. Agreement to Rules

Entry into the AIM Creative Showcase & Awards constitutes agreement that:

• The artist has read and complies with these eligibility requirements.
• AIM retains the right to reproduce accepted works in print or digital media for promotional purposes only (with artist credit) along with display on a website gallery.
• All jury decisions are final.

All entries in the 2026 AIM Creative Showcase & Awards are evaluated by a panel of professional artists using a weighted scoring system. Each juror independently scores based on the five artistic criteria below. Scores are then averaged across all jurors to determine the final score out of 100.

Scoring Categories & Weights
Each juror assigns a score from 1 to 10 in each of the following categories:

Final Score

• Each juror’s total score is calculated independently.
• The final score for the entry is the average of all jurors’ totals, producing a final result out of 100.
• Awards and recognition are based on final averaged scores.

The 2026 AIM Creative Showcase & Awards uses a multi-step jurying system designed to evaluate artwork fairly, consistently, and across all accepted mediums.

Round One

All entries begin with a digital review.

• Artists submit a high-quality digital file of their artwork, per submission guidelines
• Jurors independently score every piece using the five weighted criteria outlined in the Judging section

Scores are averaged across the full panel to determine each entry’s Round One Total Score (out of 100).

Accepted Works:

• The highest-scoring entries are invited to advance to Round Two.
• Artists are notified their works will move on to Round Two

Round Two

Artists whose work is accepted in Round One will have their work judged in Round Two for awards.

• Jurors evaluate the artwork using the digital file submitted in Round One.
• All Round Two works are eligible for category awards and jury recognition.

Artistic Vision Award
Awarded to the artwork that demonstrates exceptional originality, imagination, and conceptual innovation. This honor recognizes artists who push creative boundaries, present unexpected perspectives, or explore ideas in ways that feel fresh, bold, and uniquely their own. The Creative Award celebrates vision, storytelling, and fearless artistic expression.

Impact Award
Awarded to the piece that delivers the strongest emotional, visceral, or narrative impact. This recognition honors artworks that immediately resonate with viewers—through mood, expression, tension, storytelling, or the power of a moment. The Impact Award celebrates work that lingers in the mind long after the viewer walks away.

Craftsmanship Award
Awarded to the artwork that demonstrates the highest level of technical excellence and mastery of the artist’s chosen medium. This includes precision, attention to detail, control of tools and techniques, and overall execution. The Craftsmanship Award celebrates the skill, discipline, and dedication evident in exceptional artistic technique.

Visual Design Award
Awarded to the piece that exhibits outstanding composition, visual balance, and intentional design choices. This honors artworks where every element—placement, line, color harmony, spatial relationships, and visual flow—works cohesively to create a compelling and effective presentation. The Visual Design Award celebrates elegant, confident, and thoughtful construction of the visual space.

Lighting Excellence Award
Awarded to the artwork that demonstrates exceptional control, creativity, and intentionality in the use of light. This includes natural light, studio light, digital rendering, or any medium-specific illumination technique. The Lighting Excellence Award honors work where lighting enriches mood, reveals form, enhances storytelling, and elevates the final impact.

Jurors’ Choice Awards
Each juror may select one piece that resonated with them personally.

Audience Choice Award
Selected by attendee voting at the conference gallery exhibition.

Best in Category
Selected head-to-head by the jurors, the top honor in each category will be awarded “Best In Category”

Best in Show – Grand Award
Highest overall honor for exceptional artistry and impact. This will be selected by the jury from the top category winners.