Internationalsnow, ice and cold photo contest2nd edition
Part of the Images & Neige festival exhibitions, 17th edition (22–24 January 2027)
An international photo contest, part of the programme of Images & Neige, the only photography festival in Europe entirely devoted to snow, ice and cold. The 4 series exhibition winners and the 3 single image exhibition winners are exhibited at the festival, in the Alps, in the heart of winter.
Amateurs, semi-professionals and professionals · all nationalities · 18 and over
Opens on 1 November, 00:00Closing30 November, 11:59 pmApplications are closed
An ethical contest with free entries: 4 series exhibition winners, 3 single image exhibition winners, a single-image prize and a series prize in each of the 11 categories.
What you win
The 4 winners are chosen from the series entries: for each one, the jury selects 3 photographs from the series. 1st, 2nd and 3rd prizes for a single image, printed by us in 30 × 45 and exhibited at the festival, then published in the exhibition catalogue with the jury’s analysis.
The detail
4series exhibition winners
The 4 winners are chosen from the series entries: for each one, the jury selects 3 photographs from the series. We take care of everything: fine art printing with 12 pigment inks on Hahnemühle paper, mounting and framing in a wooden American box frame, 40×60 format, and the exhibition at the Images & Neige festival, in the Alps. You have nothing to print or frame, and no stand to staff.
3single image exhibition winners
1st, 2nd and 3rd prizes for a single image, printed by us in 30 × 45 and exhibited at the festival, then published in the exhibition catalogue with the jury’s analysis.
11 categories, 1 single-image prize and 1 series prize in each
In each of the 11 categories, one single-image prize and one series prize.
“This contest was the first to give me constructive feedback on the selected images without my having to ask for it. This approach stands apart from most other contests.”
From €25 in fees (25 paid photos, spread freely across the 11 categories), your entry receives a one-page written review. The photos of the series exhibition winners, single image exhibition winners and category winners are published in the exhibition catalogue, each with the jury’s written analysis set out on a full page; a winning series appears with 3 of its photos.
The detail
Portfolio review included
From €25 in fees (25 paid photos, spread freely across the 11 categories), your entry receives a one-page written review. You receive this review on Monday 11 January 2027. It includes:
an overall assessment;
the jury’s top 5 favourite photos from your submission, and why;
a detailed review of the favourite photo among this top 5;
what to improve for your next contests (single images, series).
Catalogueof the exhibition
The photos of the series exhibition winners, single image exhibition winners and category winners are published in the exhibition catalogue, each with the jury’s written analysis set out on a full page; a winning series appears with 3 of its photos. The PDF version is sent to you.
2 free photos · anonymous judging · winners’ prints produced and framed by us · physical exhibition at a recognised festival. In Sport and in Urban alike, 1 single image and 2 series photos are free (a series has at least 3 photos).
The detail
Ethical contest
2 free photos1 single image in Sport and 1 single image in Urban.Anonymous judgingYour photos are judged without your name.
Prints taken care ofThe winners’ prints are produced, framed and exhibited by us.
Physical exhibition at a recognised festivalThe 7 winners are exhibited at the Images & Neige festival, in Cluses, in the Alps, 22–24 January 2027.
6free photos
In Sport and in Urban alike, 1 single image and 2 series photos are free (a series has at least 3 photos). The 2 free series photographs apply to series with a single genre: Sport only or Urban only.
€25the best offer
31 photographs+portfolio reviewone page, received on Monday 11 January 2027
Profile · Photo upload · Finalisation. No resizing needed: upload your JPEG photos as they are (2,000 pixels minimum on the long side), the IMAGORA platform resizes them automatically.
Each category rewards a single image and a series (at least 3 images). Click a category to see what it covers and what the jury looks at.
01Snowy or icy landscapes
02Scenes of winter life
03Urban environments shaped by cold or snow3 free: 1 single, 2 in series
04Winter sports and leisure3 free: 1 single, 2 in series
05Wildlife and plants in cold environments
06Human, social or environmental consequences of cold
07Poetry and reverie
08Minimalism, graphics and abstraction
09Macro and close-up
10Smartphone
11Drone
Smartphone, Drone and Macro are technique categories: they welcome every theme. A photo taken with a smartphone or a drone can also compete in a theme category instead. Each photo is entered in one category only, so you choose where it competes.
Giandra De Castro, founder of Snow Much to See and head of fine-arts programming at the La Gorge cultural centre; Frédéric Boiteux, founder of the Images & Neige festival; and the cultural team of the City of Cluses, which hosts the exhibition. Photos are judged anonymously.
The members of the jury
Jury president
Giandra De Castro
Founder of Snow Much to See. Exhibition curator, she heads fine-arts programming at La Gorge cultural centre in Les Contamines-Montjoie. A Franco-Brazilian photographic artist and portraitist of water, she works internationally and photographs without retouching. Since 2019 she has presented 60 exhibitions in 12 countries: in the open air (Parc floral de Paris), in art and photography galleries, at contemporary art fairs and at nature photography festivals (Montier-en-Der, Phot’Aubrac, Chamonix Photo Festival, Images & Neige)… She has also exhibited at the Shiga Kogen Roman Museum in Japan, the Forte di Bard in the Aosta Valley and the Bowers Museum (USA). Prize of the MontAvic contest, “La Montagne autrement”, at the Forte di Bard in 2019.
Northern lights · Photo: Giandra De Castro Unretouched photograph of a fir tree reflected in a half-frozen lake, under snow, turned 180°. Prize of the MontAvic contest, “La Montagne autrement”, exhibited at the Forte di Bard (Aosta Valley) in December 2019, alongside the “Mountains by Magnum Photographers” exhibition.
Frédéric Boiteux
Founder of the Images & Neige festival
A professional photographer in Cluses for more than 20 years, specialising in industrial, architectural and advertising photography, portraits and drone imagery. 16 years ago he created Images & Neige, the only photography festival in Europe entirely devoted to snow, ice and cold. 2023 Silver Medal of the French Professional Photography Federation, Commercial category.
Françoise Guillen
Deputy Mayor of Cluses for cultural life and events
Also a community councillor, she supports a festival attentive to ecology and to the people of the town, through exhibitions, talks and events open to all.
Priyam Nursimhulu
Director of Cultural Affairs, City of Cluses
She leads the town’s cultural programme, including the Images & Neige festival, and directs the EPCC Arve en Scène.
Manon Canale
Cultural project officer, City of Cluses
Within the town’s cultural department, she works on the organisation of the contest and of the Images & Neige festival.
The contest book
Series exhibition winners, single image exhibition winners and category winners are published in the exhibition catalogue, each photo with the jury’s written analysis. They all receive the PDF version. Leaf through the 2025 edition.
Every winner receives a diploma from the jury: series exhibition winners, single image exhibition winners and category winners. Category winners also receive a “Category Winner” badge to display on their website and social media.
Series exhibition winner diplomaSingle image exhibition winner diplomaCategory diploma
Diploma model, shown with 3 winners from 2025.
Single image podium 2025
2Estebane Rezkallah
1Gabriel Madie
3Fabrice Wittner
The winners’ badges 2026
Series exhibition winnerSingle image exhibition winner (podium)Category Winner (one per category, 11 categories)
The Images & Neige festival
Founded 16 years ago in Cluses, Haute-Savoie, by Frédéric Boiteux, Images & Neige is the only photography festival in Europe entirely devoted to snow, ice and cold. 17th edition: 22–24 January 2027.
“This outdoor display has become one of our distinctive features, placing the images face to face with the very element they depict.”
The 1st edition (2025) was launched on Picter, the international photo contest platform, and brought together photographers of 24 nationalities: 10 images per entry on average, and 1 entry in 4 submitted on the last day. Following its success, we decided to move to imagora for greater flexibility.
