Preparing To Enter The Hasselblad Masters 2026
Recently, a competition I’ve been preparing a long time for finally opened its doors for entries. The Hasselblad Masters ordinarily runs bi-annually and this is the first time it has returned since 2023. It is a celebration of the greatest image-makers and creatives in the world. I’m definitely not expecting to get anywhere near winning, however seeing what level my photography needs to be at and practicing to get to that level is something I should strive for in order to improve.
With the deadline being two months away, I was keen to get started and look at what I could do in response to the briefs.
Key Points From The Terms and Conditions
Entries Close at 23:59pm on 28th February 2026.
Each Entry must consist of three (3) photos in each category that you wish to enter, and you’re allowed to enter as many categories as you like, with each entry judged on the three submitted images in that category.
Images that have been awarded in other photo competitions (e.g. Sony World Photography Awards, Nikon Photo Contest, IPA, Skypixel Photo Contest, World Press Photo Contest, Trerenberg Super Circuit) and previous Hasselblad Masters are not eligible for this competition.
Submissions of images must be made digitally, regardless of capture form. Only JPEG files smaller than ten (10) MB will be accepted, not less than 300DPI, not less than 1000pixel in long edge. All files should include full EXIF/Metadata.
Each winner earns a title of “Hasselblad Master”. They will also receive their own Hasselblad 100-megapixel mirrorless medium format camera and two XCD Series lenses, as well as a creative fund of EUR 5,000. The Hasselblad Master is required to shoot a collaborative project with Hasselblad. The project may be published in the commemorative Hasselblad Masters book as well as digitally on all Hasselblad digital and print channels.
The Hasselblad Master is entitled to freely market him or herself as a Hasselblad Master.
1. Landscape Category
“Entries in the Landscape category reflect the photographers’ unique perspectives, balancing aesthetics with narrative depth. We hope to see works that go beyond surface beauty to draw viewers into the scene, creating a sense of presence and vivid emotional resonance. Ultimately, these works should forge a shared connection between humanity and nature.”
Pictured is the work of Weimin Chu, the winner of the Landscape category in 2023. It’s clearly a winning image because of how unusual the composition is - it isn’t your traditional “Landscape” shot that we’ve become so used to. There’s something inviting and warm about the shots, they invite the audience to join him on the train and look out at the world passing by. We feel like an active part of the image which perfectly aligns with the competition’s brief of “beyond surface beauty to draw viewers into the scene” and “a shared connection between humanity and nature”. We are drawn in by looking out a window at the landscape rather than merely looking at it individually, and the presence of something else travelling through the landscape establishes our connection with the natural world.
Courtesy of Rock The Boat Activities
Idea 1: Wild Camping on Dartmoor
I’ve established a close connection to Dartmoor over the past year thanks to my Masters degree and feel there may be a story to tell here. My recent project has established me as a physical being in the landscape, but is there a creative way to show this physically rather than imply it?
A method to do this could be through wild camping. I’ve been wanting to explore night photography recently and what better place to do this than against the backdrops of the beautiful monoliths of Dartmoor? This would involve camping out at night, setting my camera up on a tripod and playing with long exposures. To establish this connection between person and landscape that Hasselblad are looking for, I could construct the image with the tent in the foreground to show an active human presence in an environment otherwise dominated by nature. This is where I could experiment with a light inside the tent to bring it out more. I’m keen to shoot in low light as an opportunity to test myself where I ordinarily wouldn’t in the hope that this can be translated into my Dystopia series.
Mirror Man, Loch Earn. Courtesy of The Scots Magazine.
Idea 2: Sculptures In The Landscape
I’m also considering the impact of photographing a human entity in a landscape rather than the inclusion of people as a physical entity. The sculptures / statues themselves serve as evidence of humanity’s intervention in the natural world so it makes sense in the context of the brief to show depictions of humanity created by humans. Location isn’t everything and I should seriously consider which entry to go for but, in this case, getting shots at these locations is integral to the theme I want to follow.
I have researched sculptures and/or statues and have drawn up a shortlist of potential candidates to photograph. Logistically, some of these are much further away from Dartmoor so I need to consider how achievable it is to reach each location before I start.
Mirror Man (Still), Loch Earn, Scotland.
Gallos Statue, Tintagel Castle, Cornwall.
Another Place, Crosby Beach, Merseyside.
Our Lady of the Sea, Isle of Barra, Scotland.
2. Architecture Category
“Architecture photography transcends mere technical proficiency, urging fresh perspectives that break conventional views of buildings. The works should carry creators’ unique interpretation, using photographic language to shift viewers’ experience of structure and built environment. We look forward to works that reveal cultural memories, social traces, and the marks of time, thereby unveiling profound humanistic meanings.”
The winner of the Architecture category in 2023 was Tiina Itkonen. Her work certainly pushes the boundaries of Architecture by displaying buildings that have been designed to withstand specific weather conditions, showing that this series does indeed “break conventional views of buildings.” She has selected a subject that she knows inside out and is confident photographing in the conditions that relate to them.
Observation Post 7, Dystopia. (2025)
My “unique interpretation” as a creator should also lie on a subject that I am passionate about, therefore I should be responding to this category by shooting on Dartmoor. I am set on capturing the Observation Points in The Okehampton Danger Zone because they are unusual in the sense that they have deliberately been created as broken architectural structures, challenging the meaning of a traditional piece of “Architecture” like the brief suggests I should do.
Responding through the Observation Points is also relational to the final three points outlined in the brief. The remnants of training posts for military preparation and their historical significance in training soldiers for combat certainly carries “cultural memories”, their mere existence as clues of what has been left behind and why they’re there is evidence of social impact on the area and the impact they’ve had on the shape of the landscape shows how the “marks of time” with the evolution of war has required their presence.
3. Art Category
“The Art category is a realm of fantasy where concept merges with technique, driven by creativity as well as human imagination and sensibility. We look forward to entries that break the norms and reveal independent thinking through a distinct visual signature. These works should reshape perceptions of photography as art, and connect with global viewers through a visual language that resonates beyond the frame.”
Jan Pypers won the Art Category in 2023. Their work DIORAMA is about our lost bond with nature and through all of the fantasy affiliated with an Imagined World where we co-exist with nature again, their photography still feels like it could co-exist in the real world. It’s not out of the realms of impossible that we could re-connect with nature but, for now, it just serves as a story in the frames presented to us.
Gabriel Isak, The Blue Journey.
My “distinct visual signature” currently lies in the portrayal of Imagined Worlds from my Masters project. Dystopia was born out of expressing internal struggles and I opted to do this through landscapes rather than my initial idea of self-portraiture. This category provides a good opportunity to tell the same story in a different style and experiment with concepts for what might’ve been for Dystopia.
Gabriel Isak has been a massive inspiration for me when it comes to this kind of work and has been for a number of years. His style is unusually different to most self-portrait attempts at portraying mental health and manages to “connect through a visual language that resonates beyond the frame.” There is a deeper meaning to his photography that requires more thought and attention than the usual reading of an image which is what makes his work appealable as an art piece. Of course, being able to do something like this would require a unique location which I am keen to undertake on a beach. There is a lot of open space, access to the sea and water should I want to step in and experiment there, and the conditions could play in my favour, especially if it becomes foggy. My favourable location would be Bovisand beach due to how open it is but the South West has an array of options for shooting at for the beach. I’ve also identified Crosby Beach in Merseyside which has been noted for the Landscape category and, if I were to use this beach, the sculptures could play a key role in my narrative.
