Melbourne, Victoria- Australia -- March 20, 2026 -- The annual competition by IAPBP celebrates the beauty of birth and the skill of birth photographers around the globe in four main categories -- birth details, labor, delivery, and postpartum.

New this year is a printed lookbook of our judges choice winners. The number one birth association worldwide, http://www.birthphotographers.com, encompasses more than 1,100 members in 55 countries. “We are incredibly proud to be showcasing our winners' images in print form this year. There is something spectacular about seeing your art printed to be viewed over and over. We are proud to present to you a breathtaking body of work that shares life’s most powerful moments from 2026.”

The association’s annual photo competition recognizes birth photographers worldwide and their best work on an international platform. The competition has grown in scope each year. Highly anticipated, the results quickly go viral  each year when the winners are announced. Images are judged on a variety of criteria and the first place winner will be featured throughout the year.

“Our association has grown by leaps and bounds and our members continually produce excellent, emotive, and educational birth photographs for the families that hire them,” said Barratt. “I want to thank each and every person who entered this year and, of course, the families who agreed to share their beautiful and sacred birth moments with the world.”

IAPBP has assembled an impressive panel of judges for this year’s competition. Birth photography is a highly specialized field and the choice to have the experience documented is an intensely personal decision. It involves the birth process, environment, the parents and those in attendance. Birth photography encompasses the tears of joy, the wonder of bringing a new life into the world and celebrates family. The photographers who specialize in the field use their art to tell the story of each unique birth.

Last year IAPBP began offering Accreditation to its members and we’re proud to see a large uptake in the offer. Birth Photographers recognise how specialised this niche is. By going the extra step of submitting your portfolio to a panel of assessors to become Accredited, it truly shows how sacred this work is. All Accredited members are identified with the postnominals APBP and Emerging Members with EPBP.

Winners of the International Association of Professional Birth Photographers sixteenth annual competition will be named on March 20, 2026 and the contest is just one of the ways the Association is highlighting the profession.

Hanover, Pennsylvania Birth Photographer, Amie Bogart Receives Judges' Recognition

Amie Bogart, Dove & Lioness Doula Services, has received recognition for the second year in a row (with her second year submitting).  In the 2026 Image Competition, after only attending 4 births due to a chaotic year in 2025 that included having her own baby, moving across the country, settling in her home state, and taking on a limited amount of clients, Amie Bogart has received an "Honorable Mention" recognition from the Judges of the IAPBP Birth Photography Competition.

Amie Bogart is an Award-Winning Certified Birth & Motherhood Photographer,  Doula, and Childbirth Educator serving the Hanover, Pennsylvania area and local surrounding counties.  Amie loves to talk all things birth and babies, had a planned home birth turn hospital induction that has become her favorite birth story to tell, and is enjoying this season of juggling a 1 Year Old and her business.