Icelandair offers free 10-day trip for the world’s worst photographer
Icelandair is offering a 10-day Iceland trip and US$50,000 to find a “really bad photographer” for a global campaign, with applications open until April 30.
Icelandair has launched a playful new global campaign to find what it calls a “really bad photographer”, offering the winner a free 10-day trip to Iceland along with US$50,000 in exchange for taking part in the project and allowing the airline to use the resulting photos and content in its marketing.
The idea behind the campaign is simple: Icelandair wants to show that Iceland’s landscapes are so spectacular that even someone with little or no photography skill can still come away with beautiful images. The airline is effectively betting that the country’s geysers, black-sand beaches, glaciers and dramatic scenery are impossible to make look bad.
According to the official campaign page, the selected participant will receive an approximately 10-day trip in Iceland, with travel expenses covered, as well as US$50,000 for their photographs, content and participation. Icelandair says the winner’s images may appear in a global campaign and could also be featured in other publications and exhibitions.
The campaign also leans heavily into humour, presenting the search almost as a badge of honour for people whose holiday snaps regularly disappoint them. But behind the joke is a clear tourism message: Icelandair wants to market the country through a more natural, less polished lens, using ordinary travellers rather than professional photographers to showcase its scenery. That framing is also reflected in media coverage of the campaign.
The eligibility rules are fairly specific. Applicants must not be professional photographers and should not have a particular passion for photography. They must be at least 21 years old, hold a valid passport, be physically able to take part in outdoor activities and hiking, and be eligible to travel to Iceland, the UK and the US. The official terms also state that applicants must have a clean criminal record and be able to travel for up to 10 days in June 2026.
To apply, candidates must submit an application through Icelandair’s official form. The airline says applicants can also upload one video audition explaining why they are the right person for the role. The campaign is open until April 30, 2026.
In short, it is a tongue-in-cheek campaign with a very real reward: if your photos are consistently blurry, awkwardly framed or just plain disappointing, Icelandair may see that not as a problem, but as the perfect qualification.
