MAXIMILIAN F/3.6. is international contest of art photography, organized by OZ MLBM from Mala Lehota, Slovakia.

The contest is divided into the following sections:
• ANALOGUE PHOTOGRAPHY
• LANDSCAPE
• PORTRAIT
• PHOTOJOURNALISM
• PHOTOGRAPHED FILM NEGATIVE – PROOF
• PHOTOS AT f/0.95 – f/3.5
• OPEN MONOCHROME
• WOW – OPEN THEME ( BW, color )
• NUDE ART
• ARCHITECTURE
• TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY
• BIRDS - ANIMALS

Closing date: May 9 2027
Judging date: May 23 2027
Notification date: May 26 2027
Delivery date: May 31 2027
Gallery publish date: May 31 2027

The entry fee depends on the number of sections the participant enters. The fees are as follows:
• 1-2 sections = 0 EUR
• 3 sections = 6 EUR
• 4 sections = 8 EUR
• 5 sections = 10 EUR
• 6 sections = 12 EUR
• 7-8 sections = 16 EUR
• 9 sections = 18 EUR
• 10-12 sections = 20 EUR

The entry fee can be paid in the following ways:
• through our website: https://theiaap.com/e/maximilian
• PAYPAL ACCOUNT: [email protected]
• BANK PAYMENTS: SK3311000000002947138300

Images from participants who have not paid the entry fee will not be considered.

The contest is open to anyone (amateur and professional photographers from all over the world); however, an entry may be rejected when the sponsoring organization or its agent, in its reasonable discretion, believes the entry does not conform to the contest rules and conditions.
Entries must originate as photographs (image-captures of objects via light sensitivity) made by the entrant on photographic emulsion or acquired digitally. By virtue of submitting an entry, the entrant certifies the image as his own (aliases are not permitted). The entrant permits the sponsors to reproduce all or part of the entered material free of charge for publication and/or display in media related to the exhibition. This may include low resolution posting on a website. Note: Entrants who indicate that their images may not be reproduced or used 'will not be eligible for awards' or inclusion in audio-visuals of the exhibition 'and could be subject to disqualification' by the exhibition sponsors.
By submitting an entry, the entrant certifies legal Age, and own all rights to these images, including copyright or parents or guardians gives permission on his/her behalf if he/she is not of Legal Age. The exhibition assumes no liability of any misuse of copyright. Images may be altered, either electronically or otherwise, by the maker. All final image must be on photographic film, or on electronic file, or on photographic or electronic print material, mounting excepted.
No title or identification of the maker shall be visible anywhere on the face of an image, print mat or mount.

Photographs must be in JPEG format, with dimensions 1920x1080 pixels at 300, JPEG compression (if Photoshop used for export): 7-12, file size maximum 4 Mb. Each image must have a unique title. Titles must not include file extensions such as .jpg or .jpeg (or any other camera capture filenames). No title or identification of the maker shall be written anywhere on the face of an image.
The photographs of participants with the application are submitted in these ways:
- uploading thought our website: https://theiaap.com//contests/join/xxx
- by e-mail: [email protected]

The judging will be done by remote online judging. All judges will be using equipment capable of displaying images at 100% of the image resolution. Judges will be using color calibrated equipment. Target Range will be max 30%.

By entering this contest, you are explicitly consenting to the personal details you have supplied, including physical addresses, email addresses, being held, processed and used by the contest organizers for purposes associated with this contest. You also explicitly consent to such information being sent to organizations that have accorded official recognition, patronage or accreditation to this contest. You acknowledge, agree and accept that by entering this contest, your participation status which includes your first and last name, name of the country used during registration at the contest, number of sections entered and number of photos entered in those sections will be made public in a published status list and that the results of your entry shall be made public in exhibition gallery, exhibition catalog.

Breach of Rules
Entries that do not comply with the contest rules, image definitions, or ethical standards will be disqualified without refund.
Any form of plagiarism, AI-generated elements, excessive manipulation in restricted sections, or misrepresentation of authorship will lead to removal of all entries from judging.
Decision of the judges and the organizer is final and cannot be appealed.

• Vladimir Jovanovski; M NPUM; MPSA; RISF5; GPU CR3 Hermes (North Macedonia)
• Krisztian Seiner; QPSA, AFIAP, A-MAFOSZ/b , A.APS (Hungary)
• Irene Ehrenreich; MPSA 2, EFIAP/G, GPU CR3, GPU VIP4 (Austria)
• Lubomir Schmida; EFIAP, ESFIAP, MZSF (Slovakia)
• Serge Murschel; AFIAP, AFPF, GPU-CR2, R-ISF-4, ED-ISF (France)
• Michal Nega; MPSA, GPU (ZEUS, CR-4, VIP-5), EFIAP, PFIAP, GM.APS, c MoL, IIG/s4/p, E.NPS (Czech Republic)

The judges of the event will present the following awards:
22 x IAAP Gold E-Certificate, 22 x IAAP Silver E-Certificate, 22 x IAAP Bronze E-Certificate, 75 x IAAP Honorable Mention E-Certificate
33 x NATIONAL Honorable Mention E-Certificate, 11 x NATIONAL Gold E-Certificate, 11 x NATIONAL Silver E-Certificate, 11 x NATIONAL Bronze E-Certificate
11 x CLUB Gold E-Certificate, 11 x CLUB Silver E-Certificate, 11 x CLUB Bronze E-Certificate
33 x SALON Honorable Mention E-Certificate
Total 273 awards. The organizer reserves the right to adjust the number of awards based on the total number of entrants.

All entries shall conform to the stricter of these definitions for acceptances to be validated by all organizations granting recognition or patronage.

[IAAP Definition of Monochrome]
Black and white photography is an image displaying a range of shades from black to white, including all tones of gray. Any image modified by the addition of color becomes a color work and no longer qualifies as monochrome.


MAXIMILIAN F/3.6. – IAAP 2027/145
International Photography Competition in Honour of Jozef Maximilián Petzval
MAXIMILIAN F/3.6. is an international photography competition dedicated to the memory of Jozef Maximilián Petzval (1807–1891), a mathematician, physicist, engineer and pioneer of photographic optics.
He was born on 6 January 1807 in Spišská Belá, in what is now Slovakia. He lived during the era of the Austrian Empire and, later, Austria-Hungary. He grew up and studied in the Kingdom of Hungary, which formed part of the monarchy, and spent most of his scientific career in Vienna.
Petzval studied in Spišská Belá, Kežmarok, Podolínec, Levoča and Košice, and later continued his studies in Pest. He worked as a mathematician and university professor in Pest and, from 1837, in Vienna. He spoke five languages: Slovak, Czech, Hungarian, German and French.
He entered the history of photography through his calculations and designs for photographic lenses. In 1840, he designed a fast portrait lens that greatly reduced the time needed to make a portrait. His lens had a maximum aperture of approximately f/3.7 and was considerably faster than the lenses previously in use. This made portrait photography, which had required people to remain still for long periods, easier and more accessible.
Petzval’s scientific work crossed national borders and outlived his era. The Petzval lens still bears his name, which holds a lasting place in the history of photography.
The competition title, MAXIMILIAN F/3.6., is a symbolic reference to his work in fast photographic optics.
THE IDEA BEHIND THE COMPETITION
The competition is organised by Malá Lehota Biele More Civic Association (OZ MLBM). Its concept was created by Ján Šranko, an IAAP member and IAAP Ambassador for Slovakia, who founded the project.
The competition was created to give photographers who remain devoted to traditional film photography a place to show their work. It also welcomes photographers who work in both analogue and digital photography. In one competition, we bring together the film negative, the fast photographic lens and contemporary digital photography.
We did not base this concept on another competition. We wanted to create an original project that honours a man whose work helped pave the way for generations of photographers.
We thank IAAP for its support and for making it possible to organise an unconventional photography project like this one.
COMPETITION SECTIONS
1. ANALOGUE PHOTOGRAPHY
This section is exclusively for photographs taken on film negative.
The negative may be black and white or colour. The final photograph made from the film negative must be scanned and uploaded to the competition.
Entrants may submit 1 to 4 photographs in this section.
2. PHOTOGRAPHED FILM NEGATIVE – PROOF
This section is used to verify the analogue origin of photographs entered in Section 1.
Photograph the film negative against a light source so that both its image and its frame number or other identifying information are clearly visible. It must be possible to verify that the photograph entered in Section 1 was made from the submitted negative.
In the title of the uploaded image, enter the frame number or identifying information on the film that corresponds to the submitted photograph. If the film has a distinctive marking, reproduce it accurately. You may also add the title of the work in parentheses.
For straightforward verification, we recommend using the same order in both sections: photograph No. 1 in Section 1 should correspond to negative No. 1 in Section 2, photograph No. 2 to negative No. 2, and so on.
Example:
- 1 – photograph in Section 1
- 1 – corresponding negative in Section 2 (Title of the work)
This identification makes it possible to verify clearly that the photograph matches its original film negative.
3. PHOTOGRAPHS AT F/0.95–F/3.5 WOW
This digital photography section pays tribute to Petzval’s work in fast photographic optics.
Photographs must be taken at an aperture of f/3.5 or wider, within the range of f/0.95 to f/3.5.
Permitted apertures include, for example, f/0.95, f/1.0, f/1.1, f/1.2, f/1.4, f/1.6, f/1.8, f/2.0, f/2.2, f/2.5, f/2.8, f/3.2 and f/3.5.
The photograph should make creative use of the characteristic effects of a wide aperture, particularly shallow depth of field and a strongly blurred background, or bokeh.
4. OPEN MONOCHROME
An open theme for black-and-white and monochrome photography.
5. WOW – OPEN BLACK AND WHITE & COLOUR
An open digital section for both black-and-white and colour photographs. Any subject or genre is permitted.
The photograph should have a strong “WOW” effect: it should catch the viewer’s attention immediately and leave a lasting impression. It may stand out through its originality, composition, atmosphere, creativity, emotional expression or overall visual impact.
6. NUDE ART
Artistic photography of the human body.
7. ARCHITECTURE
Photographs of architecture and architectural details.
8. TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY
Photographs capturing travel, landscapes, cultures, people, traditions and the atmosphere of places.
9. BIRDS & ANIMALS
Photographs of birds and animals.
10. LANDSCAPE
Photographs of landscapes and natural environments.
11. PORTRAIT
Portrait photography.
12. PHOTOJOURNALISM
Photographs depicting real events, situations and life stories, with an emphasis on documentary and journalistic value.
INTERNATIONAL JURY
We thank the jurors for accepting our invitation to judge the photographs in this competition. They see its unusual sections, particularly the opportunity it gives to analogue photography, as an interesting challenge. We appreciate the time, experience and attention they will bring to the submitted works.
Head Juror
Vladimir Jovanovski – North Macedonia
Jurors
- Ľubomír Šmida – Slovakia
- Michal Nega – Czech Republic
- Krisztian Seiner – Hungary
- Irene Ehrenreich – Austria
- Serge Murschel – France
The five jurors symbolically represent the five languages associated with Jozef Maximilián Petzval: Slovak, Czech, Hungarian, German and French. Vladimir Jovanovski of North Macedonia serves as Head Juror.
MAXIMILIAN’S LEGACY
Petzval’s calculations helped greatly reduce the long exposure times required for early photographic portraits. His work reminds us that every photograph also owes something to the knowledge, ingenuity and dedication of those who developed photographic technology before us.
MAXIMILIAN F/3.6. brings that legacy into the present. It gives traditional film photography, the creative use of fast lenses and digital photography a place within one competition.
We hope that many of you will take part in this competition honouring Jozef Maximilián Petzval. Please share it and tell your fellow photographers about it. Together, we can honour a man whose work opened new possibilities for photography.
THE COMPETITION’S FUTURE
Malá Lehota Biele More Civic Association intends to organise MAXIMILIAN F/3.6. again in future editions.
Our aim is to preserve and share Jozef Maximilián Petzval’s legacy and to create an international space where the tradition of analogue photography meets contemporary photographic creativity.

Notification cards will be sent by email.

Jan Sranko, M IAAP, EFIAP/s, MZSF, E PIPC,
Mala Lehota, Slovakia

email: [email protected]
website: https://theiaap.com//contests/join/xxx