Judging panel · 2026 season
The eyes
behind the PMAs
Art directors, community leads, capture artists and the people who build photo modes. Every finalist is judged by a panel that knows what a great shot takes.
- 12Judges
- 8Studios
From the studios behind
- Remedy Entertainment
- Bethesda
- NVIDIA
- 11 bit studios
- CD PROJEKT RED
- 505 Games
- Ubisoft
- Bandai Namco
2026 season
Our judging panel
How judging works
It’s about the photograph
Not how pretty the game is, or how loved it is. Our judges score the shot: what was framed, how it was lit, and what it makes you feel.
Shortlist
The PMAs team reviews every entry against the rules and picks the finalists in each category.
Blind judging
Each judge picks their top 5 in every category. They see the photo, never the photographer.
Tally
No judge can see another judge’s votes. The PMAs team adds up every judge’s picks centrally, and the combined totals reveal the winners and runners-up.
The reveal
Finalists, winners and runners-up are revealed at the Photo Mode Awards Show.
Judges see the photo.
Never the photographer.
Every finalist reaches the panel with a neutral label, like Action-14. No handles, no file names, no follower counts. A first-time entrant and a famous name start in exactly the same place.
- CompositionFraming, balance, where the eye goes.
- CreativityA fresh idea, or a familiar one seen anew.
- StorytellingA moment that says something.
- The categoryHow well it answers the brief.
Your shot, their eyes
Put your photo in front of the panel
Submissions for the next Photo Mode Awards open 1 June 2027. Every entry is judged blind.