International photography festival dedicated to snow and ice
Unique in Europe, the Images & Neige Festival is the only photographic event entirely devoted to snow and ice. Since 2010, every winter, the town of Cluses transforms into an open-air gallery where professional and amateur photographers, mountain enthusiasts, and curious people from all walks of life meet. For three days at the end of January-beginning of February, monumental outdoor exhibitions, nature film screenings, conferences with internationally renowned photographers, creative workshops, and a photo marathon punctuate this unmissable event in the French photography scene. The event, free and open to all, welcomes between 3,000 and 4,000 visitors each year, including nearly 900 schoolchildren.
Created in 2010 on the initiative of the town of Cluses and mountain photography enthusiasts, the Images & Neige Festival quickly established itself as a unique event in the Alpine cultural landscape. Its unique positioning—the only photo festival in Europe entirely dedicated to snow and ice—gives it a strong identity and international reach.
The festival was born from a simple observation: snow and ice, omnipresent in the Alps, constitute an inexhaustible source of photographic richness. From polar landscapes to winter sports, from Arctic wildlife to crystalline abstractions, cold becomes artistic material under the lens of invited photographers.
One of the strengths of Images & Neige lies in its total freeness. Exhibitions, outdoor and indoor installations, film screenings, and conferences are accessible to everyone, without exception. This open policy fosters a mix of audiences: families, schoolchildren, experienced photographers, and novices mingle in a warm and welcoming atmosphere.
Each edition features around twenty exhibitions by professional and amateur photographers, documentary film screenings on nature and mountains, conferences and meetings with invited photographers, a photo marathon open to all participants, as well as workshops and activities for young audiences. The festival highlights one or more exceptional photographers each year.
The festival also organizes an international photo contest, open to photographers from around the world aged 16 and over. The theme, centered on snow, ice, and winter in all their forms, invites exploration of sport, landscape, portrait, urbanism, and abstraction. The best images are exhibited during the festival and awarded by a jury of professionals.
Located in Cluses, in the heart of the Arve valley, the festival takes advantage of its mountain environment to offer a setting consistent with its theme. The proximity of Mont-Blanc and the Haute-Savoie ski resorts reinforces the relevance of this winter event, which contributes to the cultural attractiveness of the town outside the summer tourist season.
The 16th edition of the Images & Neige Festival will be held from January 30 to February 1, 2026, in Cluses. This edition will feature Dorota and Bruno Sénéchal, international wildlife photographers specializing in polar environments, with over twenty exhibitions and an international competition.
The Images & Neige Festival returns from January 30 to February 1, 2026 for its 16th edition. This year, the festival highlights Dorota and Bruno Sénéchal, internationally renowned wildlife photographers accustomed to extreme environments, who share a sensitive and committed view of polar fauna and territories.
The 2026 edition offers over twenty exhibitions by professional and amateur photographers, films and screenings on nature and mountains, conferences and meetings with photographers, a photo marathon open to all, as well as activities and workshops for young and old.
The 2026 international photo contest is open to photographers worldwide. The theme covers snow, ice, and winter in all their forms: sports, urban landscape, abstraction, portrait, and nature.
By car: Cluses is accessible via the A40 motorway (Autoroute Blanche), exit n°18 Cluses. Exhibitions are spread throughout the town center and in exhibition halls.
By train: Cluses SNCF station, served by TER trains from Annecy, Geneva, and the Arve valley.
The festival is entirely free. Access to all exhibitions, screenings, conferences, and workshops is free.
Participation in the international contest: 20 EUR per submission (up to 15 images). Registration via the Picter platform.
Ville de Cluses — Culture Department
Official website: cluses.fr
Email: [email protected]
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