Photo Contest on the Occasion of the 50th Anniversary of the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between Thailand – Iceland: Friendship Beyond the Horizon

The Department of European Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in collaboration with the Royal Photographic Society of Thailand and the Embassy of Iceland in Tokyo, which is also accredited to Thailand, is organizing a photo contest under the theme “The 50th Anniversary of the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between Thailand – Iceland: Friendship Beyond the Horizon.” The contest offers total cash prizes worth over 160,000 THB, along with many other exciting prizes.

This activity is organized to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Thailand and Iceland, while also reflecting the longstanding and close friendship between the two countries. Despite their geographical distance, Thailand and Iceland have maintained strong bonds and continued cooperation over the years.

The contest provides an opportunity for the general public—whether Thai nationals, Icelandic nationals, or foreigners of all nationalities—to express their perspectives and share stories about the relationship between the two countries through the art of photography.
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Submitted photographs should illustrate various dimensions of the theme, such as: 

• Tourism, economy, society, culture, and ways of life in Iceland
• Products or objects representing Icelandic culture in Thailand
• Friendship, mutual understanding, and people-to-people connections that reflect closeness and bonds transcending geographical boundaries

Eligibility: General public with no age or nationality restrictions
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Prizes :

• Grand Prize: Cash prize of 75,000 THB, together with an 800 USD Icelandair Gift Certificate for the purchase of airline tickets via the Icelandair website, and complimentary gifts from Finnair.
• 1st Runner-up: Cash prize of 40,500 THB and complimentary gifts from Finnair.
• 2nd Runner-up: Cash prize of 27,000 THB and complimentary gifts from Finnair.
• Honorable Mention Awards (10 prizes): Cash prize of 2,000 THB each and complimentary gifts from Finnair.

Note: Complimentary gifts from Finnair include commemorative items, lounge vouchers, and a 10% discount on Finnair flight tickets.
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Application and Announcement of Results

• Interested applicants may apply and submit their entries by completing the application form and creating a username and password via rpst.or.th.
• Once registration is complete, applicant can upload photographs online and may replace or edit submitted photographs at any time until the submission closes.
• Applicants must reside in Thailand, or if residing in other countries, the applicants must be able to travel to Thailand to receive the award in April 2026.
• Submission period: 26 December 2025 – 27 February 2026 (system closes at 11:59 PM)
• Remarks: Dates and times may be subject to change without prior notice.
   

Rules and Regulations

1. Submission opens to the general public of all ages and nationalities. Applicants must reside in Thailand, or if residing in other countries, the applicants must be able to travel to Thailand to receive the award in April 2026.
2. Each applicant may submit up to 10 photographs.
3. Submitted photographs must have been taken between 1 January 2011 and 27 February 2026.
4. Applicants must complete all required information accurately in the application form; otherwise, submitted photographs may not be considered.
5. Submitted photographs must be taken by the applicant and must not infringe upon the rights of others.
6. Photographs may be in color or black and white, in either horizontal or vertical orientation.
7. Photographs from DSLR, mirrorless, medium format, large format, rangefinder, or compact cameras must have: “more than 2,400 pixels on the shortest side” and “no more than 6,000 pixels on the longest side” in .jpg or .jpeg format only. Also, RAW files must be retained for verification if requested.
8. Photographs from smartphones, tablets, or action cameras should be of the highest possible quality with “no more than 6,000 pixels on the longest side” in .jpg or .jpeg format only. Also, the original or RAW files must be retained for verification.
9. Film photographs must be scanned into digital files with “more than 2,400 pixels on the shortest side” and “no more than 6,000 pixels on the longest side” in .jpg or .jpeg format only. Also, the original negatives must be retained for verification.
10. Drone photography requires legal documentation proving lawful operation under the relevant country’s laws. Any legal violations are solely the responsibility of the photographer.
11. Panorama images must have “no more than 6,000 pixels on the longest side”, and both original and edited high-resolution files must be retained for verification.
12. For finalist photographs, organizers may request the highest-resolution files and additional supporting evidence.
13. Photographs must not contain watermarks, photo credits, text, graphics, or colored borders.
14. Photo editing is permitted at the discretion of the judging committee.
15. Lifestyle photographs should reflect real-life situations and environments, not staged or arranged setups.
16. Submitted photographs must not have previously received awards from any competition, whether public or internal.
17. Photographs must not be bound by ownership agreements with any organization and must not be submitted as stock photos. Any copyright infringement remains the sole responsibility of the photographer.
18. Submitted works must be human-created only and must not be generated using AI prompting or AI generation tools outside the camera device.
19. Award-winning photographs become the property of the organizers; however, copyright remains with the photographers. The organizers, namely the Royal Photographic Society of Thailand, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Embassy of Iceland in Tokyo, which is also accredited to Thailand, reserve the right to use the photographs for publicity across all media without prior notice, with appropriate credit given whenever possible.
20. Non-awarded photographs remain the photographers' copyright. The organizers reserve the right to select non-awarded photographs for exhibitions or promotional materials within 2 years of the results announcement, without royalty fees, with appropriate credit given whenever possible.
21. Any violation of the rules results in disqualification. Decisions of the committee are final and non-appealable.
22. The organizers are not responsible for any legal violations committed in the process of creating submitted photographs.
23. Participants are responsible for thoroughly understanding all rules and conditions. The organizers reserve the right to request additional evidence, disqualify entries, or reclaim prizes if violations are found.
24. The organizers reserve the right to amend rules, conditions, and prizes without prior notice.
25. Organizers and judges are not eligible to participate in the contest.
26. The judges’ decision is final.

Contact for further inquiries: Email: rpst.info@gmail.com