THE 2026

Ninedots annual Awards

Next Awards submission deadline

  

CELEBRATING AMAZING WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY

The NineDots Awards are our annual celebration of the very best wedding photography from within the NineDots community and further afield.

Once a year, photographers and creatives are invited to submit the work they’re most proud of so we can celebrate photographs filled with moments, creativity, personality, craft and, above all, great storytelling.

An annual awards event celebrating brilliant photographs and the photographers who made them. There are 2 sections to the awards: Photographer awards and individual Image categories.

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PHOTOGRAPHER AWARDS:

Photographer of the Year

20 photographs. Multiple weddings. Your year in pictures.

Individual photographs can win awards. But being a great wedding photographer is about much more than producing one incredible frame.

Photographer of the Year celebrates the photographer who can do it again and again.

Submit 20 photographs from across multiple weddings that represent you, your photography and the work you’re most proud of from the past year.

We’re looking for consistency, creativity, storytelling, personality and craft – but also a body of work that feels unmistakably yours.

Show us what you see.
Show us how you see it.
Show us your year.

Emerging Photographer of the Year

New talent. New voices. Brilliant photography.

Everyone starts somewhere.

This award celebrates photographers relatively early in their wedding photography journey who are already creating exciting, distinctive work.

Submit 20 photographs from across multiple weddings that represent you, your photography and the work you’re most proud of from the past year.

We’re looking for photographers who’ve been shooting less than 3 years who make us excited about what comes next.

NineDots Community Honours Award

Great photography matters. Great people do too.

Here at NineDots it’s always been about more than photographs.

It’s about sharing ideas, helping each other out, making friends, giving advice, opening doors and being part of a community that wants everyone in it to get better.

The NineDots Community Honours are our chance to recognise the people who make that happen.

Each year, you can nominate someone from the community who they think deserves a bit of recognition – and tell us why.

Maybe they’ve helped you personally. Maybe they generously share what they know. Perhaps they’re doing something brilliant for the wider industry, championing others, creating opportunities or quietly contributing without making a song and dance about it.

This recognition isn’t about awards won, how many followers they might have or how epic someone’s portfolio is. There doesn’t have to be one winner.

It’s simply about recognising some of the people who make NineDots, and our industry, a better place to be!

INDIVIDUAL CATEGORIES

‘Best Wedding’ Photo Collection

15 photographs. One wedding. One story.

This is what wedding photography is all about.
Great wedding photography isn’t about creating one incredible photograph. It’s about consistently seeing, anticipating and documenting a wedding from beginning to end.

This category celebrates exactly that.

Submit a collection of 15 photographs from a single wedding that shows us how you see a wedding day – the people, the moments, the atmosphere, the portraits, the details and everything in between.

We want to see a collection that transports us into that wedding. One that makes us feel like we were there, even though we weren’t.

The individual photographs matter.
But the story they tell together matters even more.

Best Individual Portrait

One person. One frame. Make it count.

A great portrait doesn’t need a couple.

This category celebrates photographs of individuals on the wedding day – brides, grooms, guests, family members or anyone else who finds themselves in front of your camera.

It might be beautifully simple, full of character, creatively lit, quietly observed or completely unexpected.

We’re looking for portraits that tell us something about the person in the photograph – and about the photographer behind the camera.

Best Ceremony Photograph

The bit where they actually get married.

Churches, registry offices, woodland clearings, city halls, back gardens and everything in between.

This category celebrates great photography from the ceremony itself – the nerves, the emotion, the reactions, the rituals, the chaos and those tiny moments happening around the edges.

Documentary or creative, quiet or spectacular, we’re looking for photographs that capture something of what it felt like to be there.

Best Analogue/Film Photograph

Slow it down. Make it count.

This category celebrates wedding photography captured on analogue film.|

35mm, medium format, black & white, colour – it’s all welcome.

We’re looking for photographs that embrace everything we love about film: its imperfections, unpredictability, beautiful tones and the intention that comes with having a limited number of frames.

Best Flash / Artificial Light Photograph

Don’t find the light? Make it!

This category celebrates photographs where flash or artificial light transforms the scene.

From beautifully subtle portraits to dramatic lighting, direct flash, colourful dance-floors and wildly creative setups, we’re looking for photographs where the photographer has taken control of the light and made something brilliant with it.

Any technique. Any subject. Any part of the wedding day.

The only rule? You made the light.

Best Creative Image

For the photographs that don’t quite fit into a box.

Reflections. Silhouettes. Layers. Light. Shadows. Movement. Multiple exposures. Strange compositions. Happy accidents. Or something we’ve never seen before.

This category celebrates experimentation and photographers who see the ordinary a little differently.

If you made something that made you think ‘that’s cool’ / ‘wtf’ / ‘wow’, it probably belongs here!

Best Documentary Photograph

Real moments. Real people. Real weddings.

This category celebrates completely unposed moments captured as they happened – the emotion, humour, chaos, connection and wonderfully unexpected things that make every wedding unique.

It’s about being in the right place, at the right time, and seeing something worth remembering.

Best Couples Portrait

Wedding portraits with creativity, personality and purpose.

From beautifully simple portraits to something bold, artistic or completely unexpected, this category celebrates photographs of couples where the photographer’s creativity and vision shine through.

We’re looking for images that go beyond simply showing us what someone looked like – we want to see how it felt.

Best Getting Ready Photograph

Before the party. Before the Reception. Before the ceremony…

The nerves. The anticipation. The chaos. The quiet moments. The people crammed into bedrooms. The finishing touches that aren’t quite finished.

This category celebrates everything that happens before the ceremony begins.

From beautifully observed documentary moments to portraits, details and something completely unexpected, we’re looking for photographs that capture the people, atmosphere and anticipation of getting ready for a wedding.

Best Party/Reception Photograph

When things get a little less sensible.

Bad dancing. Great dancing. Flying drinks.

Questionable shirts. Incredible light. Absolute chaos.

This category celebrates photographs from the point in the wedding when everyone lets go.

We’re looking for energy, atmosphere, humour, movement and moments – photographs that make us feel like we’ve somehow ended up right in the middle of the party.

Best Pre/Post-Wedding/Styled-Shoot Photograph

Outside the wedding day.

Engagement shoots, pre-wedding sessions, styles shoots, destination adventures and everything in between!

This category celebrates photographs created outside of the wedding day itself – whether that’s an incredible portrait, a genuine moment, a styled shoot detail or something completely different.

Best Wedding Film

Wedding stories that move.

This category celebrates brilliant wedding film-making – whether created by a dedicated filmmaker, a photographer shooting hybrid coverage, or something in between.

We’re looking for films with personality, emotion, atmosphere and a strong sense of story.

Highlights films, short films and creative edits are all welcome.

ONE AWARDS EVENT. ONCE A YEAR.

We want a NineDots Award to mean something.

That’s why we’re keeping things simple.

The NineDots Awards happen once a year, with the photography and filmmaking awards judged by a carefully selected panel of photographers and industry leaders whose work and opinions we respect.

Alongside the individual categories, we’ll crown our NineDots Photographer of the Year and Emerging Photographer of the Year, recognising photographers producing exceptional bodies of work.

And through our NineDots Community Honours, the community itself gets the opportunity to recognise some of the people who make this industry a better place to be.

One annual celebration of great photography, great filmmaking and great people.

Because ultimately, NineDots has always been about the same thing:

Great photographers. Great photographs. And a community that pushes each other to keep getting better.

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9DVG AWARDS

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– All images must have been taken between 1st Jan 2025 – Oct 31st 2026
– Dimensions: 2000px on the long side
– Format: Jpeg files only
– Optimise: Please run through jpeg mini or similar
– File size: Each file must not be over 1mb
– File naming IMPORTANT: ensure your name is in the file name. eg: JayneSmith-0001.jpg, JayneSmith-0002.jpeg etc
– Watermarking: Watermarked files will be rejected

INDIVIDUAL PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS

Upload a single collection of 15 photographs from a single wedding that shows us how you see a wedding day – the people, the moments, the atmosphere, the portraits, the details and everything in between. All images should be named sequentially in the order you wish them to be viewed and must be from the same wedding. Styled shoots are not eligible.
Drop files here or
Accepted file types: jpg, Max. file size: 2 MB, Max. files: 15.
    Upload up to 5 images, taken at a real wedding. Images must depict real, unposed moments. The photographer must not have directed, posed or created the moment for the photograph. Normal post-production is permitted, but elements of the image should not be added or materially altered.
    Drop files here or
    Accepted file types: jpg, Max. file size: 2 MB, Max. files: 5.
      Upload up to 5 images. Each image must primarily feature one individual. Photographs must have been taken on the wedding day or as part of the wedding celebrations.
      Drop files here or
      Accepted file types: jpg, Max. file size: 40 MB, Max. files: 5.
        Upload up to 5 images. Photographs must have been taken on the wedding day or as part of the wedding celebrations.
        Drop files here or
        Accepted file types: jpg, Max. file size: 40 MB, Max. files: 5.
          Upload up to 5 images. Images should depict the wedding morning/pre-wedding prep. Photographs must have been taken on the wedding day or as part of the wedding celebrations.
          Drop files here or
          Accepted file types: jpg, Max. file size: 40 MB, Max. files: 5.
            Upload up to 5 images. Images should be taken during the ceremony of the wedding. Photographs must have been taken on the wedding day or as part of real wedding celebrations.
            Drop files here or
            Accepted file types: jpg, Max. file size: 40 MB, Max. files: 5.
              Upload up to 5 images. Images should be taken during the reception/party of the wedding. Photographs must have been taken on the wedding day or as part of real wedding celebrations.
              Drop files here or
              Accepted file types: jpg, Max. file size: 40 MB, Max. files: 5.
                Upload up to 5 images.The original photograph must have been captured on analogue photographic film. 35mm, medium format, large format and other photographic film formats are accepted. Colour and black & white film are accepted. Digitised scans of negatives or prints should be submitted as JPEG files. Digital photographs edited to simulate a film look are not eligible.Photographs must have been taken on the wedding day or as part of real wedding celebrations.
                Drop files here or
                Accepted file types: jpg, Max. file size: 40 MB, Max. files: 5.
                  Upload up to 5 images. Flash or another photographer-controlled artificial light source must have been used to create the photograph. On-camera flash, off-camera flash, strobes, continuous lights, LEDs and video lights are all accepted. Artificial light does not have to be the only light source, but it must make a meaningful contribution to the finished image. Photographs must have been taken on the wedding day or as part of real wedding celebrations.
                  Drop files here or
                  Accepted file types: jpg, Max. file size: 1 MB, Max. files: 5.
                    Upload up to 5 images. Photographs can depict any element of wedding/couple photography and can be taken either at a pre-wedding shoot, a post-wedding shoot or a styled shoot.
                    Drop files here or
                    Accepted file types: jpg, Max. file size: 2 MB, Max. files: 5.
                      Provide a link to a wedding highlights film. You must have been primarily responsible for creating the submitted film, including its overall filming, creative direction and edit. Additional footage captured by second shooters, assistants or other team members is permitted, provided the entrant remains the principal filmmaker and creator of the finished film. Films created as part of hybrid photo/video coverage are eligible. Please provide a publicly viewable Vimeo, YouTube or other streaming link. Make sure the link can be viewed by the judges without requesting access.
                      Upload up to 5 images. This category is intended for images where creative photographic technique, composition or visual experimentation is a significant part of the photograph. Both in-camera techniques and normal post-production are permitted. Photographs must have been taken on the wedding day or as part of real wedding celebrations.
                      Drop files here or
                      Accepted file types: jpg, Max. file size: 40 MB, Max. files: 5.

                        PHOTOGRAPHER AWARDS

                        Upload 20 photographs. Images must come from a minimum of 5 different weddings. All photographs must have been taken between 1 January 2025 and 31 October 2026. The portfolio can contain any mixture of documentary photography, portraits, details, ceremony, party, creative work and other wedding photographs. Images should be submitted in the order you want them viewed. Photographs must have been taken on wedding days as part of real wedding celebrations.
                        Drop files here or
                        Accepted file types: jpg, Max. file size: 5 MB, Max. files: 20.
                          NineDots Emerging Photographer of the Year
                          Nominate someone you believe deserves recognition for making a positive contribution to the wedding photography community. This might be through supporting others, sharing knowledge, mentoring, creating opportunities, championing photographers, contributing to NineDots or doing something positive for the wider industry. Nominees do not need to be recognised for their photography – these honours are about people and their contribution to the community, rather than awards, portfolios or achievements. Please provide a short explanation of why you are nominating them, including any relevant examples or reasons you think they deserve recognition. You can nominate more than one person. Self-nominations are not accepted. More than one person may receive a NineDots Community Honour each year.