The Pulchra Leonina Association seeks the best images of the Jacobean Route
Lovers of photography and the Camino de Santiago have a new opportunity to show their talent. The Association of Friends of the Camino de Santiago de León «Pulchra Leonina» has officially opened the call for the 20th edition of its traditional “El Camino de Santiago” Photography Contest, an initiative that has already become a cultural reference within the Jacobean world.
The contest aims to capture, through the eyes of photographers and pilgrims, the essence of one of the most important cultural, historical and spiritual phenomena in Europe. Landscapes, pilgrims, monuments, human encounters or everyday moments of the Camino may be part of the works presented.
A contest open to all pilgrims and photographers
The theme of this edition will once again be "The Camino de Santiago", allowing the participation of images taken on any of the official Jacobean routes. The organization seeks photographs capable of transmitting the heritage, cultural and human wealth that surrounds the Compostela pilgrimage.
The submission period will remain open from June 1 to August 28, 2026, offering the entire summer for participants to select and submit their best snapshots.
Traveling exhibition along the Camino
One of the great attractions of the contest is that the selected photographs will not be solely in the hands of the jury. The best images will be part of a traveling exhibition that will be inaugurated in León during the month of October and will later tour different locations linked to the Camino de Santiago in the province.
This exhibition will bring the personal vision of the participants closer to the public and will contribute to the dissemination of Jacobean heritage through photography.
Prizes for the best images
According to the rules published by the organizing association, the contest includes several financial prizes to recognize the quality of the selected works. Among them are a first prize of 300 euros, a second prize of 250 euros, a third prize of 200 euros and two second prizes of 100 euros each.
In addition to the financial recognition, the winning photographs will become part of the association's cultural archive and will contribute to promoting the values of the Camino de Santiago among future pilgrims.
Twenty years showing the beauty of the Camino
The 2026 edition has special meaning as it reaches its twentieth anniversary. For two decades, this contest has served to document the evolution of the modern pilgrimage and to discover some of the most emotional images captured on the different Jacobean routes.
Each photograph tells a different story.
Arrival in Santiago.
The hospitality of the hostels.
The loneliness of the trails.
The sunrises.
The blisters.
The smiles.
And those unexpected encounters that turn the Camino into a unique experience.
Now, a new generation of photographers and pilgrims has the opportunity to contribute their own perspective to this collective history.
