Photography Contest & Showcase

Capture the Culture. Tell the Story

See the McKinney Asian Art & Food Festival through your lens! We invite photographers of all levels to submit original photographs that capture the culture, food, art, people, and energy of our festival.

Whether you’re a professional photographer, amateur, student, or simply love photography, we want to see your perspective.

What We’re Looking For

We welcome photographs featuring:

1. 🌏 Asian Culture — traditions, costumes, performances, crafts
2. 🍜 Food & Culinary Arts — dishes, cooking, vendors, food culture
3. ❤️ Community — families, friends, volunteers, performers
4. 🎨 Art & Creativity — calligraphy, dance, music, visual arts
5. 🎉 Festival Moments — anything that captures the spirit of MAAFF

Candid, artistic, documentary, and creative photography are all welcome.

Original Photography First

This contest celebrates original photographic work. Your photograph must be based on an original image captured by you.

Normal photo editing is welcome, including cropping, color correction, exposure adjustment, and artistic editing.

AI use should be minimal. AI may be used for technical enhancement or minor cleanup, but fully AI-generated images or images substantially created by AI are not eligible for contest awards. (Please disclose any meaningful use of AI when submitting.)

🏆 Photography Contest Winners Awards

Winners will be selected by public vote, making this a true community celebration.

1st Place — $200
2nd Place — $100
3rd Place — $50

All three winners will also receive recognition as part of the MAAFF Photography Showcase and may be featured on the festival website and social media.

No professional photography skills are required. The photo that connects with people can be the winner!.

Submission

• Up to 3 photographs per photographer
• JPEG or PNG
• Minimum 3000 px on the long edge
• Include your name, contact information, photograph title, category, and a short caption
• Original work only

The categories are listed in “What We’re Looking For” section. If you submit multiple photographs, each work needs to be listed individually.

Deadline

Oct 7th, 2026

Copyright

Photographers retain full copyright of their work. By submitting, you grant the festival a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to display and use your photograph for festival exhibitions, promotions, website, social media, and related marketing. Photographers will be credited whenever reasonably practical.