Tamron, Headquartered in 'Railway Town Omiya,' Starts Accepting Entries for the 19th 'Tamron Railway Scenery Contest: My Favorite Railway Scenery Best Shot' Today

Comprehensive optical equipment manufacturer Tamron Co., Ltd. (President & CEO: Shogo Sakuraba, Headquarters: Saitama City) will begin accepting entries from today, April 23, 2026, for the 19th 'Tamron Railway Scenery Contest: My Favorite Railway Scenery Best Shot' (hereinafter 'this contest'), which has been held annually since 2008 with the aim of contributing to regional revitalization and the promotion of railway and photographic culture. At the same time, we announce that this contest will conclude with the next event, the 20th contest in 2027, which marks a 20-year milestone. As a company headquartered in 'Railway Town Omiya,' we have held this contest as part of our social contribution activities to revitalize the local community and promote railway and photographic culture. In recent years, it has grown to receive as many as 7,000 entries annually, expanding into one of Japan's leading railway photo contests with cumulative entries exceeding 117,000 and cumulative participants surpassing 31,000 (total number). From this, we have determined that we have fulfilled a certain role in our original goal of 'promoting railway and photographic culture,' and have made the decision to end the contest with the 20th edition in 2027. We would like to express our deepest gratitude to all the applicants and related parties who have supported this contest to date. All of us at the secretariat are looking forward to seeing wonderful works filled with your 'passion for railways' in the remaining two contests. ◆ 18th Tamron Railway Scenery Contest Grand Prize Winning Works (Total Entries: 7,308) General Category Grand Prix [Saitama Mayor's Award] 'Fugaku E5 Kei (Series)' by Shigeru Shimizu U-18 (Under 18) Category Grand Prix [Saitama City Board of Education Superintendent's Award] 'Waiting in Vain' by Hekiru Yada ◆ 19th Tamron Railway Scenery Contest Application Overview '19th Tamron Railway Scenery Contest' Special Page (Click here for details) https://www.tamron.com/jp/special/contest/train2026/ Please apply via the 'Application Form' on the special page above. Only image data under 10MB in JPEG format can be submitted. You can submit up to 10 single photos per person. *Starting this year, in line with changes in application conditions due to recent digitalization, we will abolish 'print applications' and unify to 'Web applications.' Acceptance ends at 23:59 on Tuesday, September 1, 2026 (Starting Thursday, April 23, 2026) ■ Photographer Naotaka Hirota Started railway photography in junior high school and deepened interactions with fellow railway fans. Active as a freelance photographer since 1960. Appealed his unique expressive world to society with his first solo exhibition 'Steam Locomotives.' Served as the first president of the Japan Railway Photographers Association, leading the railway photography world in Japan. ■ Photo Writer Naomi Yano A 'photo writer' who takes pictures and writes while traveling domestically and internationally. Also known by the nickname 'Original Tetsuko' due to her deep love for railway travel. Appears in various media while publishing photographic works and essays. Also serves as a lecturer and judge for photo contests. ■ Photographer Masaki Kanemori Started railway photography invited by a junior high school classmate. After working for an advertising photography production company, became a freelance photographer in 1996. Photographing the final sleeper limited express 'Sunrise' is his life's work. Photographs both real railways and model railways, styling himself as a two-way player in the railway photography world. ■ 'General Category' ■ 'U-18 (Under 18) Category' *Since all applicants are minors, parental consent is required. Prize money of 20,000 yen or less will be substituted with the presentation of an Amazon Gift Card (common to all categories). ■ General Category Award Name | Prize Money, Extra Prize | Number of Winners Grand Prix [Saitama Mayor's Award] | 300,000 yen, Extra Prize Tamron Lens | 1 person Runner-up Grand Prix | 50,000 yen, Extra Prize Tamron Lens | 2 persons Unique/Humor Award *1 | Amazon Gift Card 20,000 yen | 2 persons Selected | Amazon Gift Card 20,000 yen | 5 persons Honorable Mention | Amazon Gift Card 10,000 yen | 10 persons ■ U-18 (Under 18) Category Award Name | Prize Money, Extra Prize | Number of Winners Grand Prix [Saitama City Board of Education Superintendent's Award] | 100,000 yen, Extra Prize Tamron Lens | 1 person Runner-up Grand Prix | 30,000 yen, Extra Prize Tamron Lens | 2 persons Unique/Humor Award *1 | Amazon Gift Card 10,000 yen | 2 persons Selected | Amazon Gift Card 10,000 yen | 5 persons Honorable Mention | Amazon Gift Card 5,000 yen | 10 persons ■ Selected from all entries Award Name | Prize Money, Extra Prize | Number of Winners