35AWARDS contest types and how they differ

35AWARDS runs several types of photo contests at the same time. They have different goals, timelines and voting systems, so the same photo can receive very different results in different contests.

The key is to choose the format that matches your goal: taking part in the main international photography awards, competing in a specific genre, or joining a faster contest with a more experimental evaluation system.

Main awards Themed PRIME Express How to choose

Main annual contest

35AWARDS Main Photo Awards

This is the main annual 35AWARDS contest. Photo submission continues throughout the year, followed by multi-stage voting.

Entries pass through several selection stages. Viewers, the professional community and the international jury take part in the evaluation. As the stages progress, the number of photos decreases and the competition becomes stronger.

The main awards define:

TOP 100 photos of the year
TOP 100 photographers of the year
best photographers in separate nominations
best photo series
viewers choice
country and city results
works for the annual 35AWARDS catalogue

Best for

If you want the main 35AWARDS result, to compare your photos with authors from all over the world and to compete for the final award achievements, this is the first format to enter. It is also the longest and most competitive contest format.

Genres and themes

Classic themed contests

These are separate contests dedicated to a specific subject or genre: landscape, portrait, animals, architecture, street photography and other areas.

Participation is free. The main voting principle is pairwise photo comparison. A voter sees two photos and chooses the one they prefer.

What the photo percentage means

The percentage is not an absolute quality score. At the start of voting, a photo is compared with a fairly random set of works. As data accumulates, the system compares photos with entries of a similar rating level more often, so the percentage is refined and may go up or down.

Why comparisons may stop during submission

While photo submission is still open, the number of impressions for one entry is limited. This prevents a photo uploaded on the first day from receiving many times more comparisons than a photo added near the deadline. After submission closes, main voting starts and the limitation is removed.

PRIME

PRIME contests

PRIME contests are themed contests for 35AWARDS members with upgraded accounts. Their format is close to regular themed contests, but they run within a narrower group of participants.

The main difference is not that photos receive any evaluation advantage, but the participant pool. Authors with upgraded accounts compete in these contests, so the number of entries is usually smaller than in open themed contests.

How voting works

Entries are evaluated by contest participants according to the system set for that specific contest. All photos are in equal conditions, and having an upgraded account does not increase a photo rating or give extra votes.

How PRIME differs from a regular themed contest

Regular themed contests are open to all users and usually collect many more photos. PRIME is limited to upgraded-account participants, so there are fewer entries and a different set of competitors. Directly comparing ratings between PRIME and an open themed contest is incorrect.

Best for PRIME contests

If you have an upgraded account, PRIME gives you an additional way to enter themed contests alongside the main awards and open contests. PRIME is not a more important 35AWARDS level and does not replace the main awards.

Fast format

Express contests

Express is a shorter experimental format for themed contests. It is used to test new ways of showing photos, analyzing votes and forming ratings.

The system uses an ensemble of AI models, but AI does not choose winners and does not vote instead of participants. A 10-point evaluation system is usually used.

How Express differs

In Express, photos do not necessarily receive the same number of impressions. The system analyzes existing results and may distribute the next impressions differently: some photos need more evaluations, while others already have enough data.

Protection against manipulation

Express also analyzes voting patterns. The system can detect unusual behavior: constant use of only extreme scores, strong systematic deviation from other voters, repetitive score sequences and other statistically unusual patterns.

Reports and photo checks

Participants can report possible violations: AI use, someone else photo, prohibited editing, mismatch with the theme and other issues. These reports help review specific entries.

Why one photo can receive different results

This is completely normal. The competitors, contest theme, audience, voting system, number and quality of entries, and the professional or jury composition can all change. A rating shows the photo result in a specific contest and against a specific set of works, not a universal measure of its artistic value.

How results are calculated

Which contest to enter

35AWARDS Main Awards — if the main annual results, TOP 100, nominations, international jury and catalogue matter to you.

Classic themed contests — if you want to compete regularly in specific genres and prefer the clear pairwise comparison format.

PRIME — if you have an upgraded account and want additional themed contests with a narrower participant pool.

Express — if you want a faster result, 10-point scoring and an experimental voting format.