Candace Freeland Photography of Merit Award 2026

A free juried photography award for U.S. residents ages 8–22 submitting cell-phone photographs on the theme Food and Family. Awards are made across color and black-and-white categories and two age groups, with winners announced November 16, 2026.

Food and Family

Open to U.S. residents ages 8–22. Photographs must be made on a cell phone and address the theme Food and Family. There are color and black-and-white categories judged in age groups 8–15 and 16–22. An entrant may submit one photograph in each category only if the two images are markedly different, and may receive only one juried award. Files must be high resolution and capable of being resized to an 11-by-14-inch print. Each category-and-age-group slot offers a $500 Grand Prize, a $250 Runner-Up award, and a $250 People's Choice award. The museum's Merit Awards page reportedly lists a conflicting $750 top prize for the 16–22 group, while the official rules attached to the entry form—which entrants agree to—state $500 for all four slots.