UPR One Night · Saturday 12 December · 18:00-21:00

Get tickets€20 · both €35

Photographs © Annemieke Tonnaer, Saskia van Gelderen, Harry Wijsbroek and Helder Ferreira

One theme, three hours, three photographs, the race in the evening.

UPR One is the concentrated form of the race. One theme at the start, three hours in the city, one series of three photos at the end. The three are judged as one work: one idea, one visual line, in an order that makes sense. Every frame has to earn its place.

This is the second of two separate races this winter, three weeks apart: UPR One Day on 21 November, UPR One Night on 12 December. Each has its own theme, its own jury round and its own winners. Enter one, or both.

Not far from the start stands Zadkine's figure with a hole in its chest, arms up to the sky. Rotterdam did not cover the hole. It held on and built around it. That is what a series asks of you: one idea, and you hold on to it for three frames.

Your camera, your idea, your race.

Two checkpoints, the start and the finish. The theme and the finish are revealed at the briefing.

  • 17:30-18:00CP1Look for the UPR beach flag
  • 20:30-21:00CP2 · Finish

Starting point

Rotterdam, exact location announced soon

Arrive 17:30-18:00, briefing and theme at 18:00

Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors

From ticket to winners, in seven steps.

  1. Register and pay

    Buy your ticket online: Day, Night, or both. Race details are sent one week before each race, a final reminder two days before.

  2. Arrive and check in

    Check-in opens 30 minutes before the briefing, 17:30 to 18:00. Scan the code at the UPR beach flag and you are in.

  3. Briefing

    5 minutes at 18:00. The theme and checkpoint 2 are revealed, and everyone starts together.

  4. Race the city

    Three hours, one theme, one series. Decide the idea early, shoot what adds, put the three in order. Check in at checkpoint 2 within its 30-minute window: that is your finish, and it keeps your series in the race.

  5. Submit your photos

    Three photos, in the order you want them seen, through the UPR web app, the next day, Sunday 13 December, before 13:00.

  6. Jury

    The jury reads every series as one work: visual thread, one idea from three angles, and order. The remove-one test decides.

  7. Winners

    Announced on Sunday 20 December, on the UPR website and Instagram. Prize money is transferred within one month of the announcement. All submissions are verified, for a fair and transparent result.

One photographer reads every series, by day and by night.

Anaïs López, juror · UPR One 2026 · portrait © Hans de Kort

Anaïs López

Photographer · storyteller · reads both races

Portrait © Hans de Kort

Photographer Anaïs López is, first and foremost, a storyteller. She creates long-term multimedia projects that exist at the intersection of fiction and documentary. She is considered a pioneer in her field and has received numerous awards. Her work has been exhibited worldwide in museums and at festivals.

She looks at how the three frames work together: one idea, holding across three photos, in an order that means something.

What the winners take home.

Best Series

  • 1st place€150 cash
  • 2nd place€50 cashOne UPR ticket for a 2027 race of your choice
  • 3rd placeOne UPR ticket for a 2027 race of your choice
UPR ONE

One theme · three hours · three frames

  • 21 NovUPR One · Day · 11:00-14:00Rotterdam, NetherlandsSee the race
  • 12 DecUPR One · Night · 18:00-21:00Rotterdam, NetherlandsThis race