Instagram Art Challenge 2026: Contest rules

Version 1.0 — 21 September 2026. Free entry. One artwork per person. A creative competition judged by Bernie Torras, not a random draw.

1. Organiser and purpose

The organiser is Bernat Navacerrada Torras, artistically known as Bernie Torras, operating Painta.me. Address: C/ Manigua, 32, 3º 1ª, 08027 Barcelona, Spain. Spanish tax identification number: 45491752Y. Contest contact: [email protected].

The challenge invites artists to explore how augmented reality can expand an original artwork through movement, sound, video, 3D or other creative uses of Painta.

2. Who can enter

Entry is open internationally to individuals aged 18 or over, who have also reached the legal age of majority in their place of residence and can lawfully enter this competition and receive its benefits. The promotion is not offered where it is prohibited by applicable law. Availability of a payment method alone does not establish eligibility.

Participation is free. A free Painta account is sufficient; no purchase, paid subscription or payment card is required to enter. Buying a plan or credits does not improve the chance of winning. Creating an account alone does not count as an entry.

Each person may enter one artwork, using their own Painta and Instagram accounts. The organiser cannot compete. An entrant must own the submitted artwork or have all rights needed to use its component materials, including music, images, video and identifiable people.

3. Dates

• Entries open: 1 September 2026, 00:00, Madrid time.
• Entry deadline: 30 September 2026, 23:59, Madrid time (CEST, UTC+2).
• Winner announcement: 15 October 2026, subject to verification of the selected entry.

All entry steps must be completed by the deadline. Painta will use submission records and, where needed, dated evidence supplied by the entrant to establish timely participation.

4. How to enter

• Create and publish your own artwork in Painta with an augmented reality experience.
• Make a photo or video showing the artwork with its AR experience actually running.
• Follow @painta.me on Instagram.
• Post the photo or video on Instagram, mention @painta.me, and include #augmentedreality and #augmentedrealityart.
• Begin the caption with “En colaboración con Painta.me” or “In collaboration with Painta.me”. Use any additional disclosure required by applicable advertising rules or Instagram.
• Send the Instagram post link and the email associated with your Painta account to [email protected], or submit them through the contest participation option in your artist dashboard. You do not need to use both routes.

The work and evidence must be accessible to the organiser for verification and judging. A private Instagram account is not automatically excluded: contact [email protected] before the deadline to arrange access or provide verifiable evidence. Do not inaccurately tag people or content.

Painta will check the participation requirements. If evidence is unclear or a link cannot be accessed, the organiser may request clarification without treating that request as permission to create a new entry after the deadline. An administrative correction must establish that the original requirements were met on time.

5. How the winner is selected

Bernie Torras personally chooses one winning artwork for how its AR experience expands the original work. He will consider technical quality, the strength of the idea, its ability to hold the viewer’s attention and the emotion it communicates.

• Novelty - originality: a distinctive idea and a fresh, purposeful use of augmented reality.
• Nuance - craft and detail: technical care, subtle decisions and layers that reward closer attention.
• Narrative - meaning and emotion: what the experience communicates and the connection it creates with the viewer.

These qualities guide an overall artistic assessment. There are no fixed percentage weights, public voting, minimum follower counts or random selection. Likes, purchases and the number of posts do not determine the winner.

If entries are closely matched, Bernie will compare them again using these same criteria and record the artistic reasons for his final choice. If a selected entrant declines, does not respond within the period below, or is found ineligible after review, the next strongest eligible entry will be selected using the same criteria. The prize will not be withheld for an unannounced minimum artistic score. If there are no eligible entries, Painta will explain that outcome publicly.

6. Winner’s prize

The winner receives:

• €250 net, as described below.
• Six additional months of Studio Pro.
• 5,000 Painta AI credits for the corresponding AI features.

The six prize months are additional to the month for qualifying participation: the winner receives seven months of Studio Pro in total. Digital benefits are applied to the winner’s Painta account; they are not transferable or redeemable for cash. The normal published service conditions govern use of the plan and credits, without reducing the benefits promised here.

7. Benefit for every qualifying participant

Every person whose participation meets the requirements receives one extra month of Studio Pro, after review. This benefit is granted once per person for this contest, regardless of the number of posts or submitted links.

Qualifying free accounts receive access without a payment card. Existing Studio Pro subscribers receive a billing credit, in line with the announced participation benefit. Painta will communicate the activation or billing treatment to the participant. Granting this benefit does not itself authorise a new paid subscription or an automatic charge.

The winner keeps this participation month as well as the six prize months. All other qualifying participants receive one month. Participation benefits will be activated within 30 calendar days after verification of the information needed to apply them.

8. Notification and delivery

Painta will contact the selected winner using the email supplied with their entry. The winner has 14 calendar days from that notification to respond and accept. If the email cannot be delivered, Painta will make a reasonable attempt to contact the entrant through their submitted Instagram account before starting a replacement process. The public announcement may identify the selection as provisional until eligibility is verified.

The cash prize will be paid by bank transfer, PayPal or another mutually agreed method, taking the winner’s preference into account and subject to lawful availability. Painta will request only information reasonably needed to verify eligibility, fulfil payment and meet applicable tax requirements. Account passwords or a payment to claim the prize will never be requested.

Payment and activation of the winner’s digital benefits will take place within 30 calendar days after the necessary information has been verified. Painta will promptly identify any missing information. If an agreed payment route is unavailable, Painta and the winner will seek another lawful route; Painta will not silently substitute a lower-value prize.

€250 net means €250 received after payment charges and any withholding that Painta is legally required to apply at payment. Painta bears those charges and will increase the gross amount where required so that they do not reduce the €250 delivered. If another currency is agreed, the euro equivalent, conversion rate and fees will be agreed before payment.

Painta will fulfil any required tax reporting or payments on account relating to the prize, including digital benefits, without deducting them from the €250 cash delivered. This is not a promise of tax exemption: the winner remains responsible for any personal tax declaration and final tax liability in their country of residence. Painta will provide any payment or withholding documentation required by law.

9. Authorship and use of entries

Artists retain ownership of their artwork and intellectual property. Entering is not a sale or transfer of those rights. Entrants must have permission to include any third-party material and must not submit unlawful or infringing content.

By submitting, entrants permit the organiser to access and review the work and supplied evidence for administration and judging of this contest. Painta may announce the winner’s artist name or Instagram handle, artwork title and a link to the submitted public work. Private contact, identity and payment information will not be included in that announcement.

Any reproduction of the artwork in additional advertising or promotional materials requires separate permission specifying the intended use. Declining that additional permission will not affect eligibility or the prize. The rights needed to host a published artwork remain governed by Painta’s existing service terms.

10. Fair participation and existing entries

Fraud, impersonation, manipulation or material rights infringements can lead to exclusion. Painta will explain an exclusion and provide a reasonable opportunity to clarify relevant evidence. An artistic assessment does not remove the entrant’s right to raise a complaint about administration or compliance with these rules.

This document consolidates an already announced competition. It does not reduce the advertised rewards or withdraw benefits already earned under the conditions communicated when an entry was submitted. New procedural clarifications will not be applied retroactively to disadvantage an existing entrant, subject to mandatory law.

If someone submitted more than one artwork before the one-artwork limit was communicated, Painta will contact them to choose one for judging rather than automatically excluding them. The participation benefit remains one month per person. Any material clarification affecting existing entries will be communicated directly to the affected entrants before it is applied.

11. Personal data

Bernat Navacerrada Torras, identified in section 1, is the controller for contest administration. Contact [email protected] for privacy requests. Painta processes account/contact details, the submitted work and Instagram evidence to verify entries, judge the competition, communicate results and deliver benefits. Identity, residence and payment details are requested only when needed for verification and delivery.

The legal basis is administration of the entrant’s participation under these rules; legally required payment and tax records are processed to meet legal obligations. Necessary fraud prevention and handling of claims rely on the organiser’s legitimate interest, subject to the entrant’s rights. Promotional mail requires a separate applicable basis and is not a condition of entry.

Access is limited to the organiser and necessary authorised service providers, including hosting, email and payment services; authorities receive information where law requires it. Instagram and a selected payment provider also process information under their own privacy terms. Any transfer outside the EEA must use an applicable lawful transfer mechanism.

Contest data is retained through judging and delivery, then only as needed for unresolved complaints, applicable claim limitation periods or mandatory tax/accounting retention. After those purposes end it is deleted or anonymised. Ordinary Painta account data follows the platform’s Privacy Policy, available at https://www.painta.me/legal/privacy-policy.

Where applicable, you can request access, correction, erasure, restriction or portability, object to legitimate-interest processing, and withdraw consent for optional uses without affecting earlier lawful processing. You may complain to your competent supervisory authority, including the Spanish Data Protection Agency, www.aepd.es. Decisions about the winner are made by Bernie, not solely by automated processing. Required contest information is necessary to administer the entry; withholding it may prevent verification or prize delivery.

12. Instagram disclaimer

This competition is organised by Painta.me. It is not sponsored, endorsed, administered by or associated with Instagram. To the extent permitted by applicable law, participants release Instagram from responsibility arising from this promotion. This does not waive rights that cannot legally be waived or release Painta from its obligations. Contest questions must be addressed to [email protected].

13. Queries, incidents and applicable law

Contact [email protected] with questions, accessibility issues or complaints, identifying the entry concerned. Painta will review reported technical incidents and relevant evidence in good faith. If an exceptional event or mandatory legal requirement makes a change necessary, Painta will publish and communicate the reason and protect benefits already earned. It will not reduce the prize or change the judging criteria simply for convenience.

These rules are governed by Spanish law without depriving entrants of mandatory protections applicable in their place of residence. Any dispute may be brought before the courts or authorities competent under applicable law; no compulsory waiver of the entrant’s lawful forum is imposed.

Submitting an entry after these rules are made available signifies acceptance of them. Existing entries are treated as explained in section 10. Questions about interpretation can be sent to the organiser before submission.