02 Jun April 2026 NAPCP International Image Competition Winners Are Announced!
The NAPCP International Image Competition is one of the premier photography competitions for professional portrait, child, newborn, maternity, and family photographers. Each year, photographers from around the world submit their strongest work to be evaluated on creativity, technical excellence, storytelling, impact, and artistic vision.
The 2026 competition attracted an inspiring collection of images that showcased the extraordinary talent within the professional photography community. We are honored to recognize this year’s photography competition winners and celebrate the artists whose work exemplifies excellence in portrait and family photography.
We are delighted to officially unveil the winners of the 2026 NAPCP International Image Competition – an annual showcase of exceptional photography from talented artists around the world. This year’s competition featured an inspiring collection of images that demonstrated remarkable creativity, technical excellence, and powerful storytelling. We are honored to celebrate the photographers whose work rose to the top in an incredibly talented field of entries.
A sincere thank you to our esteemed panel of judges — Jennifer Kapala, Lena Antaramian, and Kim Belverud — for their dedication throughout the judging process. Their expertise, thoughtful evaluations, and commitment to photographic excellence were invaluable as they carefully reviewed and scored each submission, helping identify the images that best exemplified artistic achievement.
VIEW THE APRIL 2026 WINNERS GALLERY
We also extend our appreciation to every photographer who participated. Your passion, creativity, and willingness to share your work are what make this competition such a meaningful celebration of the photographic arts. Every submission contributed to the strength and diversity of this year’s showcase, and we are grateful to have your talent represented.
For those who entered, keep an eye on your inbox. Scores and judge critiques will be sent in the coming days, providing valuable insights and feedback to support your continued growth and artistic development.
It is now our pleasure to recognize the category winners whose images earned First Place distinctions and captured the attention of our judges. Please join us in celebrating these outstanding achievements:
1ST PLACE, BABY + TODDLER CATEGORY
Kasha Gage, “You Coming?”
1ST PLACE, CHILD CATEGORY
Kristin Merck, “Baller”
1ST PLACE, FAMILY CATEGORY
Deanna O’Connor, “Holding On”
1ST PLACE, FAMILY CATEGORY
Lauren Poss, “Growing”
1ST PLACE, NEWBORN CATEGORY
Jodi Schaffan, “The Color of Love”
1ST PLACE, SENIOR CATEGORY
Elizabeth Simmons, “Limitless”
1ST PLACE, SIBLINGS CATEGORY
Ashley Cochran, “Hide and Seek”
1ST PLACE, STUDIO PORTRAITURE CATEGORY
Heather Bienz, “The Phoenix”
Congratulations to all of our April 2026 International Image Competition winners and artists of merit.
About the NAPCP International Image Competition
The NAPCP International Image Competition is an annual photography competition created to recognize excellence in portrait, child, family, newborn, maternity, and studio photography. Professional photographers submit their work to be reviewed by respected industry judges who evaluate each image for creativity, technical merit, storytelling, composition, and overall impact.
In addition to receiving awards and recognition, participants gain valuable feedback, exposure, and opportunities to advance their professional photography careers.
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