Hasselblad Disqualifies AI image from Masters 2026 Competition, Replaces Finalist

Somebody submitted an AI-generated image to the Hasselblad Masters 2026, one of the most prestigious camera brand competitions. And it made the shortlist. Who’s surprised? But the jury managed to “catch” it before it won one of the main awards, and the AI “street photo” was disqualified, along with its creator.

The controversy kicked off almost immediately after Hasselblad unveiled its 70 finalists in late April. Online commenters were quick to flag one Street entry as having all the AI telltale signs, including a Coca-Cola bottle that showed typography that looks… Suspicious, to say the least. I’d also say the subjects have “dead eyes” that are staring into oblivion, but who am I to judge?

Hasselblad told PetaPixel it was taking the accusations seriously and launched a review. “Pending the completion of the verification, we will not make any premature judgment on the compliance of individual entries. Should any violation be confirmed, the shortlisted qualification of the offending work will be revoked immediately,” Hasselblad told PetaPixel when the voters first detected the AI slop. As promised, they revoked the image immediately.

Hasselblad hasn’t published an official statement, but told PetaPixel the disqualified photographer has been replaced with a new finalist, and that the company remains committed to the authenticity of photography.

It’s worth noting that the 70 finalists were selected through internal voting at Hasselblad, not by the Grand Jury. The jury of respected photographers hasn’t evaluated any entries yet, which means the replacement finalist is starting from exactly the same position as everyone else.

The Uno Reverse

We’ve seen an AI-generated image winning a fine art competition, and now one of them creeped in among the finalists of a photo contest. But there is a “uno reverse,” and it’s one of my favorite stories in recent photography history.

In 2024, photographer Miles Astray entered a real photograph into the AI category of the 1839 Awards. The image, titled “Flamingone,” shows a preening flamingo with its head tucked away. Surreal-looking, entirely natural, and apparently convincing enough to fool both the jury and the public. It won the People’s Vote and the Jury Award in the Artificial Intelligence category. A real photo. In an AI contest. Taking home both prizes. Isn’t it beautiful?

Astray told DIYP at the time that he entered deliberately, as a provocation: “After seeing recent instances of AI-generated imagery beating actual photos in competitions, I started thinking about turning the story and its implications around by submitting a real photo into an AI competition.”

He didn’t lie outright; he just left the caption a little coy. “We’ve all seen a flamingo, but have you ever seen a flamingone? Only an AI could make that up. Or did I just make that up?”

Why Would Someone Do This?

While Miles submitted a real photo to the AI contest as a tongue-in-cheek proof that “nature can still beat the machine,” I believe the motifs of the Hasselblad Masters AI “photographer” might have been different. Each category winner takes home a 5,000-euro cash prize and a Hasselblad photo kit valued at over $10,000. I think those numbers behind dollar signs are pretty self-explanatory. That’s just my assumption, though; it could be that they also wanted to prove a point of some kind. Whatever the point might be.

Anyhow, the finalist has now been replaced, and the public can still vote for their favorites at Hasselblad’s website. The registration is free, voting is open until June 1, and winners will be announced on June 30. Hopefully, there are no more AI-generated “photos” waiting for your vote and the main prizes.

[via PetaPixel]

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