Real Photo Wins AI Photo Contest and Is Then Disqualified

Winner of AI Photo Contest Disqualified After He Reveals He Actually Took the Photo

When the 1839 Awards contacted photographers with the results of its Color Photography Contest, they could never have guessed Miles Astray‘s response. Not only had the photographer won third place in the AI category, but he'd also won the People's Vote for an image of a flamingo whose head appeared to be missing. The only problem? Astray's photo was not AI-generated but is actually a photo he shot in Aruba.

Astray disclosed to the organizers that his photo was not actually AI and at that point, was disqualified from the competition. But as word got out about the mishap, many saw it as a win for photography. While Boris Eldagsen made headlines for his AI photo fooling judges at the Sony World Photography Awards, this is the first time we're seeing photography beating new technology in such a large public forum.

In a world where the presence of AI is increasing, and creatives are wary of what it means for their livelihoods, Astray's win can be seen as a victory for photographers.

“I entered this actual photo into the AI category of 1839 Awards to prove that human-made content has not lost its relevance, that Mother Nature and her human interpreters can still beat the machine, and that creativity and emotion are more than just a string of digits,” Astray shares.

“After seeing recent instances of AI-generated imagery outshining actual photos in competitions, it occurred to me that I could twist this story inside down and upside out the way only a human could and would, by submitting a real photo into an AI competition.”

For their part, the Creative Resources Collective, which manages the 1839 Awards, has been quite open to the debate that Astray's win sparked.

“We fully appreciate the powerful message Miles relayed with his submission, F L A M I N G O N E,” to the AI category,” Creative Resources Collective founder and co-director Lily Fierman tells My Modern Met. “We agree that it is an important, relevant, and timely statement.”

Fierman also emphasized that Astray's disqualification was decided after an internal debate out of fairness to all the entrants. “There are no hard feelings on either end, and we're excited about working together to share this wider message with photographers,” Fierman says.

For his part, Astray has been overwhelmed by the positive response, which even included a funny exchange with Eldagsen on Instagram. And he was pleasantly surprised by the positive reaction that the photo contest had to his experiment. Overall, he's just grateful that “nature still outdoes the machine.”

This surreal photo of a flamingo won Miles Astray a prize in the AI category of a photo contest.

The only problem—Astray's photo was real. This led to his disqualification.

Winner's gallery before disqualification.

Winner's gallery after disqualification.

That was ok with Astray, as he was hoping to prove that regular photography can still outshine technology.

Guys, THANK YOU!! I’m deeply humbled by all the support, from hilarious to heartfelt and thoughtful. Those are uniquely human traits that no AI can replicate, recreate, or relate to. We, collectively, are the message.
___#flamingone #1839awards #AI #milesastray pic.twitter.com/Q9RuKYQhXp

— Miles Astray (@MilesAstray) June 17, 2024