NEXAI – Memoria Competition Celebrating the Year of AI 2026

Enter this contest Explore contest Rules & terms

ContestsNEXAI – Memoria Competition Celebrating the Year of AI 2026

Submissions open1 November 2026 at 12:00 am

Submissions close30 November 2026 at 12:00 am

Overview

From a photo we capture…to a future we imagine

Saudi Arabia is going through a rapid transformation in artificial intelligence, crowned by the declaration of 2026 as the “Year of AI”. The declaration affirms the role of technology and innovation in shaping the future and in achieving the goals of Saudi Vision 2030.

To celebrate the occasion, Memoria Initiatives launches NEXAI. It invites photographers and visual creators from across the Arab world to share their creative visions in an experience that combines photography and imagination through AI.

NEXAI is a space where photography meets imagination, where the photographer’s lens and vision align with the national vision to explore new horizons for the image.

Why NEXAI?

The name comes from “Next”, meaning what comes next, merged with “AI”, short for artificial intelligence. It captures the idea of the competition: imagining what’s coming and creating its image with AI tools.

Objectives

What this contest sets out to do

The ideas this contest celebrates, and what it invites photographers to explore.

Artificial Intelligence
Celebrate the Year of AI 2026 and explore its potential in image-making.
Visual Innovation
Encourage innovation in the visual arts.
Identity & Heritage
Present Saudi heritage through a contemporary lens.
Vision of the Future
Visually imagine the Kingdom’s future through creative and responsible use of AI.

Categories in this contest

This contest accepts submissions across the following categories. Technical requirements apply per entry.

Awards

Recognition for bold vision

Three prizes in each category, celebrating imagination, originality and visual excellence.

Total prize pool

SAR20,000

SAR 10,000 per category

01 · First distinction

First place

5,000SAR

02 · Second distinction

Second place

3,000SAR

03 · Third distinction

Third place

2,000SAR

Prize amounts are awarded separately in each category.

Roots & HorizonsSaudi Arabia Beyond 2030

Judging criteria

How each work is judged

The jury scores every entry against these criteria.

Strength of idea and creativity.
Relevance to the category.
Artistic value and visual impact.
Originality, innovation and quality of execution.
How well AI is used to serve the idea.

Jury

The panel for this contest

Only the essentials appear here. Select any juror to open a profile with experience and biography.

Rules & terms

Contest rules

These rules supplement our general terms of service. General terms · FAQ

The competition is open to photographers and visual creators from across the Arab world, provided they follow the competition categories and the content of the work relates to Saudi Arabia.
Each participant may submit only one work, in one of the two categories.
The work must be the participant’s own creation, and they must hold the intellectual and legal rights to all its elements.
In “Roots & Horizons”, the source photo must be taken by the participant and submitted alongside the work in its unedited form. The committee may request the original file.
In “Saudi Arabia Beyond 2030”, the work must be created entirely with generative AI tools.
The AI tools used to create or develop the work must be disclosed.
Copied works, or works that violate intellectual property rights, regulations or public morals, will not be accepted.
Works must be submitted as high-quality JPG files at 50 × 70 cm.
The organizer may use accepted works in the competition’s and exhibition’s media and promotional materials, with the creators’ intellectual property rights preserved.
The participant must hold the intellectual and legal rights to all submitted works and elements, and is responsible for any claims relating to intellectual property or privacy.
The organizing committee may request original files or any supporting material to verify how the work was produced and that it matches the entry type set for its category.

Contests