3 HOURS >>> 2 CHECKPOINTS >>> 1 THEME
UPR ONE ROTTERDAM
TWO RACES, WINTER 2026
Challenge your PERSPECTIVE
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.
Two separate races this winter, three weeks apart. 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.
Both races
1 theme, 2 checkpoints, 3 photos
Prizes per race: 3 × Best Series
Tickets €20 per race, €35 for both
Date Saturday 21 November 2026
CP1 (start) [TBA], check UPR beach flag
Check-in 10:30h to 11:00h, briefing 11:00h
Finish at checkpoint 2 between 13:30h and 14:00h
Submit same day before 23:59h
Winners Friday 4 December
Date Saturday 12 December 2026
CP1 (start) [TBA], check UPR beach flag
Check-in 17:30h to 18:00h, briefing 18:00h
Finish at checkpoint 2 between 20:30h and 21:00h
Submit next day before 13:00h
Winners Sunday 20 December
GET YOUR TICKETS
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GET YOUR TICKETS ❯❯❯
EACH RACE ENTRY: €20
COMBI TICKET, DAY 21 NOV + NIGHT 12 DEC: €35
STARTING POINTS
LOOK FOR: UPR BEACH FLAG
Checkpoint 2, the finish, is revealed at the briefing.
Public transport strongly recommended.
Location: TBA, Rotterdam
Day: arrive between 10:30h and 11:00h, briefing and theme at 11:00h.
Location: TBA, Rotterdam
Night: arrive between 17:30h and 18:00h, briefing and theme at 18:00h.
MEET YOUR JURY
One photographer reads your work for both races: Anaïs López.
She looks at how the three frames work together: one idea, holding across three photos, in an order that means something.
Anaïs Lopez
Anaïs López (NL, 1981) is a visual artist based in Amsterdam, working at the intersection of documentary, fiction, and transmedia storytelling. Her practice evolves from intimate personal narratives into universal themes such as migration, identity, grief, life and death, and the relationship between humans and nature. She consistently uses a small story to reveal broader societal or existential questions, combining photography, film, performance, sound, text, and books to create layered, immersive experiences.
HOW IT WORKS
1. Register & Pay
Buy your ticket online, Day, Night, or both. Race details sent one week before each race, final reminder two days before.
2. ARRIVE & CHECK IN
Check-in window opens 30 minutes before the briefing. Scan the code at the UPR beach flag, you are in.
3. BRIEFING
5 minutes at 11:00h (Day) or 18:00h (Night). The theme and checkpoint 2 are revealed, 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. Arrive late and the series is out.
5. SUBMIT YOUR PHOTOS
Three photos, in the order you want them seen, through the UPR web app.
Day: same day before 23:59h. Night: next day before 13:00h.
6. JURY EVALUATION
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
Day winners on Friday 4 December. Night winners on Sunday 20 December. On the UPR website and Instagram.
Winners receive:
Prize money and a UPR season pass or ticket for 2027
Spotlight feature across UPR platforms
An Anatomy of a Series feature for the winner of each race
RACE 1, UPR One Day, Saturday 21 November
10:30h to 11:00h
└─ Checkpoint 1, check-in
11:00h
└─ Briefing, theme and checkpoint 2 revealed
11:00h to 14:00h
└─ Three hours, one series
13:30h to 14:00h
└─ Checkpoint 2, finish check-in
Same day, 23:59h
└─ Submission deadline
Friday 4 December
└─ Winners announced
RACE 2, UPR One Night, Saturday 12 December
17:30h to 18:00h
└─ Checkpoint 1, check-in
18:00h
└─ Briefing, theme and checkpoint 2 revealed
18:00h to 21:00h
└─ Three hours after dark, one series
20:30h to 21:00h
└─ Checkpoint 2, finish check-in
Sunday 13 December, 13:00h
└─ Submission deadline
Sunday 20 December
└─ Winners announced
RACE PRIZES
Three prizes in each race, for the three best series.
The winner of each race takes a UPR season pass for 2027.
Best Series
#1
€150 cash
UPR season pass: every UPR race in 2027
Anatomy of a Series feature on the UPR channels
Best Series
#2
€50 cash
One UPR ticket for a 2027 UPR race of your choice
Best Series
#3
One UPR ticket for a 2027 UPR race of your choice
Prize money will be transferred to winners' bank accounts within one month of the official announcement.
All submissions are verified to ensure a fair and transparent process.
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