Imagining Well-Being

An International Photography + AI Showcase

Open for Submissions January 27th-March 12th

Start with a real moment

Augment it with AI

Reflect on the process

Led and curated by SeeingHappy in collaboration with the AI and the Future of Well-Being Summit, hosted by the International Positive Psychology Association (IPPA).

Inspiration from SeeingHappy

Prompt

Imagination

Can you photograph a moment that makes you feel happy and then, using AI tools, augment it through imagination and possibility into something more?

Your AI-augmented image might:

Amplify a feeling you were already experiencing
Extend the scene beyond what was visible
Imagine how this moment could grow, continue, or shape what comes next
Reflect a future bounded by the people, places, or values you care about

Submit both the original photograph and the AI-augmented version, along with a short written reflection describing how AI supported your creative and reflective process.

Inspiration

As AI becomes increasingly integrated into everyday creative tools, it is reshaping how people imagine happiness, resilience, and personal growth. These technologies offer both promise and challenge: new ways to extend creativity alongside important questions about agency, authorship, and meaning.

This showcase invites participants to engage with AI not as a replacement for creativity, but as a continuation of a long tradition of photographic experimentation. Through photography and thoughtful augmentation, contributors are encouraged to explore how imagination can help us savor what matters, envision hopeful futures, and remain grounded in human values.

Together, these images form a collective reflection on how creativity, technology, and well-being can coexist in intentional and generative ways.

Behind the Collaboration

This initiative is led and curated by SeeingHappy, a global nonprofit that uses photography as a tool for reflection, connection, and human flourishing.

The showcase is presented in collaboration with the AI and the Future of Well-Being Summit, hosted by the International Positive Psychology Association (IPPA). IPPA is supporting the dissemination of this open call to its global community in alignment with its 2026 conference theme, Navigating the Promise and the Perils for Psychology.

Together, SeeingHappy and IPPA aim to spark international dialogue at the intersection of creativity, well-being science, and emerging technologies.

About IPPA

The International Positive Psychology Association advances the science and practice of well-being by fostering collaboration across research, education, practice, and global communities.

We extend our thanks to our promotional partner, and look forward to attending AI and the Future of Well-Being virtual conference.

Our Approach

We are wired to create, and photography is one of the most accessible forms of creation. When we take photographs, we make something new that did not exist before and bring to the surface moments, patterns, and meanings that often go unnoticed.

At its core, photography has always involved transformation. Whether adjusting shutter speed or aperture, distorting a lens, manipulating light sources, or experimenting with composition, photographers are never simply capturing reality as it is. They are actively shaping it.

At SeeingHappy, photography is understood as a creative and reflective practice. The process of making a photograph and then editing it can build a sense of efficacy and accomplishment and, when challenge and skill are well matched, invite moments of mastery or flow.

IMAGINING WELL-BEING builds on this ethos by inviting the use of contemporary AI-powered imaging tools: not to replace creativity, but to extend it. Our goal is to spark conversation about how creativity can evolve while human intention, imagination, and agency remain at the center of the process.

This international open call responds to IPPA’s 2026 conference theme, Navigating the Promise and the Perils for Psychology, by placing the global well-being community at the center of the discussion through creative practice.

Contest Details

Eligibility

Open to anyone over the age of 13 with access to a camera (cell phone or DSLR), regardless of IPPA membership or conference attendance.

Submission Requirements

Each submission must include:

One original photograph taken by the participant
One AI-augmented version of the same image
A short written reflection describing:
- How AI was used to augment or extend the image
- What the final image expresses about imagination and well-being

Selected participants must be prepared to present both the original and augmented images.

Selection Criteria

Submissions will be evaluated based on:

Creative and intentional use of AI
Imaginative impact and conceptual clarity
Effectiveness in communicating the theme of imagination
Depth and thoughtfulness of the accompanying reflection

Awards and Opportunities

The three prize winners and three honorable mentions will be invited to present, share, and discuss their work with an international audience in a virtual gallery booth as part of the AI and the Future of Well-Being Summit.

First Place: $200 USD
Two Second Place Winners: $100 USD gift cards
Three Honorable Mentions:
Selected submissions recognized for their creativity, imagination, and thoughtful use of AI to augment photographic practice.

Depending on participation levels, SeeingHappy is also exploring the possibility of a printed exhibition at the University of Pennsylvania or another partner venue.

Exhibition and Virtual Showcase

The virtual gallery experience will take place between March 23–27, 2026.

Featured creators will present their work, share their creative process, and engage in dialogue with an international audience across psychology, education, coaching, and the arts.

AI Tools and Access

Participants may use any AI tools of their choice. SeeingHappy is committed to widening access and leveling the playing field by encouraging the use of free or low-cost tools.

Examples include:

Adobe Photoshop (free or trial AI tools)
Canva (free version)
Bing Image Creator
Leonardo AI (free tier)
Runway ML (free tier)
Mobile-based AI photo-editing apps such as Snap Seed
Conversational AI tools such as ChatGPT to support reflection, ideation, and meaning-making

Participants are encouraged to disclose which tools were used as part of their reflection.

Equity and Ethical Commitment

SeeingHappy is committed to widening access to creative tools and ensuring that this initiative values imagination, intentionality, and reflection over technical sophistication.

Submissions will not be judged on access to premium software. Creative process, clarity of expression, and depth of reflection are central to evaluation.