THE INTERNATIONAL
PHOTO CONTESTS DIRECTORY 2026

• All About Photo • Deadline: August 21st, 2026 • Category: Nature Photography • Prize: $1,000 + Online Exhibition + Exposure • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE Nature photography is a timeless art form that captures the breathtaking beauty, diversity, and ever-changing character of the natural world. From towering mountain peaks and ancient forests to vast oceans, delicate wildflowers, and elusive wildlife, it showcases the countless wonders that exist across our p

• Decagon Gallery • Deadline: September 15th, 2026 • Theme: Something Like Joy • Prize: $1,000 Prize Pool + Online Exhibition • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE Joy rarely announces itself. More often, it appears in subtle gestures, fleeting expressions, and quiet moments that reveal the beauty of everyday life. It may be found in simple routines, unexpected encounters, changing light, or the connections shared between people, places, and the world around them. Thes

• Decode Gallery • Deadline: August 21st, 2026 • Theme: Unposed • Prize: Exhibition in Tucson + Sales + Exposure • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE This category honors the art of capturing life exactly as it is. We are looking for photographs that preserve real, unfiltered moments—images created without direction, manipulation, or staging, where every expression, gesture, and interaction is completely genuine. Whether documenting daily life, communities, celebratio

• Black Box Gallery • Deadline: September 10th, 2026 • Category: B&W Photography • Prize: Exhibition in Portland (USA) + Sales • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE Black Box Gallery is pleased to announce an upcoming juried group photography exhibition dedicated to the timeless power and expressive possibilities of black and white photography. Throughout the history of the medium, black and white imagery has carried a distinctive visual language—one that can feel clas

• Dusk Photo Gallery • Deadline: August 20th, 2026 • Theme: Creatures • Prize: Exhibition in Santa Fe (USA) + Sales • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE Submissions are now open for CREATURES, Dusk Gallery's latest photographic exhibition celebrating the incredible diversity of animal life across the globe. This exhibition welcomes images that explore the relationship between animals and their environments, highlighting moments of instinct, survival, beauty, and behav

• British Ecological Society • Deadline: August 31st, 2026 • Theme: Ecological Triumph / Challenge / Survival • Prize: £750 + 12 months BES Membership • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE The annual photography prize brings together ecologists and wildlife photographers from around the world to celebrate the remarkable beauty, diversity, and complexity of the natural world. Each edition showcases compelling visual stories that reveal surprising ecological discoveries,

• Duckling • Deadline: August 31st, 2026 • Category: Documentary Photography • Prize: €1,300 + Publication • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE Duckling is a new media platform dedicated to documentary photography, visual storytelling, and the people behind the stories that shape our understanding of the world. It offers a space where photographers and storytellers can connect with one another, develop their practice through masterclasses, access new opportunities, an

• Techo • Deadline: August 31st, 2026 • Theme: The Home I Live in • Prize: $250 + 2 Exhibitions in Guatemala City • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE The international photography competition "The House I Live In," organized by TECHO Guatemala, welcomes photographers from around the world to explore the many meanings of home through powerful visual storytelling. Open to both amateur and professional photographers, the competition encourages participants to look beyon

• Freezer Festival • Deadline: August 23rd, 2026 • Theme: The Real • Prize: Solo Exhibition in La Plata (Argentina) • Entry Fees: Free • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE Are you creating exciting work in photography or publishing? This open call invites photographers, artist collectives, independent publishers, creative businesses, and anyone developing projects connected to photography to take part in a unique event celebrating visual culture and independent production. We are looki

• PhotoED Magazine • Deadline: September 9th, 2026 • Theme: Real VS Imagined • Prize: Publication (Digital & Print) • Entry Fees: Free for Subscribers • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE What is real? What is imagined? And where do the two begin to overlap? Issue #78 invites photographers from around the world to explore these questions through unique, lens-based photographic work. We are looking for projects that transform reality, invent fictional worlds, or weave together elements

• HONOR

• Arc'Teryx

• Vogue

• Fujifilm

• Out From The Mist • Deadline: August 28th, 2026 • Theme: Exploring Experiences of Mental Illness • Prize: $1,650 AUD + Exposure + Masterclass • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE We invite photographers, audio producers, and short filmmakers from all backgrounds to submit work that explores personal experiences of mental illness. Your project may be based on your own experiences or on those of a family member, friend, or someone whose story has had a meaningful impa

• Handicrafts Photo Awards • Deadline: August 31st, 2026 • Theme: Craftsmanship Documentation • Prize: €2,000 + Exhibition + Catalog • Entry Fees: Free • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE Handicrafts Photo invites photographers from around the world to explore, document, and celebrate the beauty, creativity, and cultural importance of traditional and contemporary craftsmanship through the photographic medium. The project offers an opportunity to look beyond the finished object and dis

• PhotoPlace Gallery • Deadline: September 7th, 2026 • Theme: Quiet Landscape • Prize: Exhibition in Middlebury (USA) + Sales • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE PhotoPlace Gallery is inviting photographers from around the world to submit their work for Quiet Landscape, a juried photography exhibition dedicated to celebrating the beauty, serenity, and quiet power of the landscape. This exhibition seeks images that go beyond dramatic scenery, focusing instead on photo

• Most Traveled People • Deadline: September 30th, 2026 • Category: Travel Photography • Prize: MTP Ticket + €800 Travel Voucher • Entry Fees: Free for MTP Registered Members • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE MTP warmly invites photographers, explorers, and travel enthusiasts from around the world to participate by submitting their most inspiring travel photographs from every corner of the globe. Whether your images capture breathtaking landscapes, vibrant cities, remote wilderness,

• Evi Mono • Deadline: October 1st, 2026 • Theme: Two Generations. One Story. Women. • Prize: Online Presentation + Exposure • Entry Fees: Free • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE The EVI MONO AWARDS is an international monochrome photography competition created to celebrate women, their experiences, and the many stories that shape their lives. Open to photographers from every corner of the world, the award encourages artists to use the timeless language of black and white photography

• Arrival Gallery • Deadline: October 10th, 2026 • Category: Contemporary Photography • Prize: Exhibition in Amsterdam + Exposure • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE Arrival Gallery welcomes submissions from artists working across a wide range of creative disciplines for its exhibition programme in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Open to both emerging and established artists, the gallery invites painters, photographers, sculptors, illustrators, textile artists, mixed media p

• Decagon Gallery • Deadline: October 10th, 2026 • Theme: The Shape of a Life • Prize: $1,000 Prize Pool + Online Exhibition • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE A life is shaped by far more than its defining milestones or major achievements. It is built from the countless small moments that often go unnoticed—the familiar places we return to, the people who remain by our side, the routines that structure our days, the objects that carry personal meaning, and the flee

• Action Contre la Faim • Deadline: August 31st, 2026 • Category: Social / Documentary Photography • Prize: €5,000 Grant + Exhibitions • Entry Fees: Free • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE Action Against Hunger is launching the fourth edition of its Grant for a New Humanitarian Perspective, reaffirming its commitment to supporting visual storytelling that challenges conventions and brings forward more authentic, ethical, and inclusive narratives about humanitarian issues. This year,

• Umbra International Photography Awards • Deadline: September 30th, 2026 • Theme: Several Categories • Prize: Statues + Medals + Certificates • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE Welcome to the 4th Edition of the Umbra Awards 2026, an international photography competition dedicated to recognizing exceptional talent and celebrating the creative achievements of photographers from around the world. Regarded as one of the leading photography awards, the Umbra Internation

• Annual Photography Awards • Deadline: December 14th, 2026 • Category: Several Categories • Prize: $5,000 Prize Pool + Medals + Certificates • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE The Annual Photography Awards welcomes photographers from around the world to take part in the eighth edition of its international photography competition. Open to professionals, amateurs, students, and emerging creatives, the competition celebrates talent at every stage of a photographer’s j

• Le Stanze della Fotografia • Deadline: September 30th, 2026 • Theme: Stories related to the theme of water • Prize: Exhibition in Venice (Italy) • Entry Fees: Free • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE Launched by the Le Stanze della Fotografia Foundation in collaboration with the Association for the Heritage of the Prosecco Hills of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene, this project introduces a free international competition open to participants of all backgrounds. The initiative seeks to c

• World Street Photo Awards • Deadline: October 10th, 2026 • Category: Street Photography • Prize: €2,500 Prize Pool + Online Exhibition • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE The World Street Photo Awards invites photographers of all levels—professional, amateur, and student—to submit their work and share compelling visions of life as it unfolds in public spaces around the world. Dedicated to celebrating the power and diversity of street photography, the awards seek im

• Vincent van Gogh Photo Awards • Deadline: March 30th, 2027 • Theme: Spirit of Light • Prize: €1,000 + Exhibition in the Netherlands • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE The Vincent van Gogh Photo Award brings together photographers from every corner of the world, creating an international platform that celebrates outstanding contemporary photography and artistic excellence. Open to emerging and established photographers alike, the award encourages the exchange of id

• Castelfiorentino For the Arts • Deadline: October 15th, 2026 • Theme: Contemporary Photography • Prize: €3,000 + Exhibition in Italy + Publication • Entry Fees: Free • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE "Raccont'arti" is a free international open call for photographers and visual artists dedicated to exploring the evolving landscape of contemporary image-making. Conceived as a platform for artistic research and discovery, the initiative aims to identify and promote emerging and estab

• Form Photography • Deadline: October 31st, 2026 • Category: Contemporary Photography • Prize: Exhibition @ UNSEEN during Art Rotterdam • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE With the valued support of UNSEEN, Picter, and Form Magazine, we are delighted to announce the launch of the Form Photo Award x UNSEEN 2027, an international award dedicated to celebrating excellence and innovation in contemporary photography. Established as an annual initiative, the award is desi

• Global Lens • Deadline: September 30th, 2026 • Category: Several Categories • Prize: $1,000 + Exhibition + Publication • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE Global Lens Photography Awards 2026 welcomes photographers from around the world to submit work across an extensive range of categories that reflect the diversity of contemporary photography. Whether your practice focuses on documentary storytelling, commercial imagery, conceptual projects, or artistic experiment

• Arrival Gallery • Deadline: October 1st, 2026 • Category: Contemporary Photography • Prize: Exhibition in Osaka (Japan) + Exposure • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE Arrival Gallery is reimagining the way artists share and experience exhibitions in today’s contemporary landscape. Rather than following traditional models, the gallery is committed to creating new opportunities that prioritize both artistic integrity and meaningful visibility. Each exhibition is thou

• BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation)

• National Geographic

• AKC American Kennel Club • Deadline: October 31st, 2026 • Theme: The Great Outdoors • Prize: $1,000 Prize Pool + Online Exhibition • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE Photographers with established experience, as well as those in the early stages of developing their craft, are invited to participate in the 2026 AKC Photo Contest. This year’s theme, “The Great Outdoors,” encourages submissions that capture the beauty, diversity, and spirit of natural environments. E

• Hotusa Group • Theme: Barcelona, World Capital of Architecture • Deadline: October 20th, 2026 • Prize: €5,000 + 1-Night Stay • Entry Fee: Free • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE Hotusa Group is pleased to announce the 24th edition of the Eurostars Grand Marina Photography Award Josep Juanpere 2026, inviting both amateur and professional photographers to take part in this prestigious international competition. For this edition, participants are asked to create photographic triptychs