THE INTERNATIONAL PHOTO CONTESTS DIRECTORY 2026

• National Geographic

• Rotterdam Photo • Deadline: November 4th, 2026 • Theme: Vibrance, The Pulse of a Living World • Prize: Exhibition at the Rotterdam Photo Festival • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE Rotterdam Photo presents Vibrance, a theme that invites photographers to challenge conventional representations of the contemporary world and move beyond the dominant narratives of crisis, uncertainty, and instability. Rather than overlooking the difficulties that define our time, the p

• Memorial Maria Luisa • Deadline: December 1st, 2026 • Category: Nature / Adventure Photo & Video • Prize: €4,000 + Exhibition + Accommodation • Entry Fees: Yes (Free under 19yo) • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE There are places that make us stop and look. Places whose beauty speaks for itself. There are others that only reveal their true character when we take the time to experience them, understand them, and see them through a different perspective. And then there are moments th

• Annual Photography Awards • Deadline: December 14th, 2026 • Category: Several Categories • Prize: $5,000 Prize Pool + Medals + Certificates • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE Now in its eighth edition, the Annual Photography Awards continues to recognize and celebrate outstanding photographic talent from across the globe. The competition is open to photographers of all experience levels, including professionals, hobbyists, students, and emerging artists, creating

• Kuala Lumpur Portrait Award • Deadline: November 25th, 2027 • Category: Autoportrait • Prize: €1,000 + Exhibitions in Malaysia and UK • Entry Fees: Yes (Free for Students) • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE The third interim edition of KLPA's AUTOPORTRAIT 2026 Open Call invites photographers to reconsider self-portraiture through the expansive and imaginative concept of PLAY. Developed in collaboration with the FORMAT International Photography Festival, this edition connects the op

• G.V.P.

• Getxophoto International Image Festival • Deadline: November 3rd, 2027 • Category: Contemporary Photography • Prize: €500 + Exhibition in Spain + 2-Night Stay • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE The sea's tides offer a powerful image of constant change: a recurring movement in which water advances, withdraws, and reshapes the coastline over time. This natural phenomenon can also serve as a metaphor for the many forces that influence our surroundings and transform t

• The Black & White Gallery • Deadline: November 10th, 2026 • Category: Black & White Photography • Prize: Exhibition in Miami (USA) + Sales • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE Artists working in contemporary photography and sculpture are invited to submit their portfolios to The Black & White Gallery's international juried artist search for Red Dot Miami 2026, taking place December 2–6, 2026, during Miami Art Week and alongside Art Basel. This prestigious period in

• New York City for Photographic Arts • Deadline: November 22nd, 2026 • Theme: Architecture • Prize: $4,000 Prize Pool + Online Exhibition • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE The New York Center for Photographic Art (NYC4PA) welcomes submissions from photographers worldwide, inviting artists to showcase their work regardless of the photographic process or technique employed. From conventional photographic prints and black-and-white images to image transfers, emulsion

• The London Photo Show Competition • Deadline: November 19th, 2026 • Theme: Open • Prize: Exhibition in London + Gears + Workshop • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE The Salon offers photographers an accessible and exciting opportunity to take their first steps into the world of exhibitions without the commitment, expense, or complexity of organising a full solo show. Whether you are an emerging photographer looking to gain exposure or an established artist seeking

• Musa Award • Deadline: November 21st, 2026 • Theme: Reclaiming • Prize: €200 + Production & Exhibitions in Italy • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE The Musa Award celebrates women photographers and their ability to tell powerful stories through carefully developed photographic portfolios. The award is open to all female photographers, whether they are emerging amateurs or established professionals, making it an inclusive opportunity for anyone looking to share and

• All About Photo • Deadline: November 10th, 2026 • Theme: Travel Photography • Prize: $1,000 + Online Exhibition + Exposure • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE All About Photo invites photographers to submit a carefully curated and cohesive photographic portfolio for publication in AAP Magazine. The competition focuses on unified bodies of work rather than individual, unrelated photographs, and only projects demonstrating a consistent visual direction will be consid

• PhotoPlace Gallery • Deadline: November 9th, 2026 • Theme: Animalia: Our Shared World • Prize: Exhibition in Vermont (USA) + Sales • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE Animalia: Our Shared World is an open call organized by PhotoPlace Gallery, inviting photographers to celebrate the richness of animal life through a diverse collection of photographic perspectives. The exhibition explores the extraordinary variety of creatures that inhabit our planet, from beloved pe

• Decagon Gallery • Deadline: November 17th, 2026 • Theme: Self • Prize: $1,000 Prize Pool + Online Exhibition • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE SELF is an open call for self-portrait photography that explores the medium as a tool for introspection, self-examination, and personal discovery. While some photographs are made to document or interpret the world outside us, self-portraiture can offer a different kind of investigation: one in which the photographer become

• OPPO

• Vogue

• Black Box Gallery • Deadline: November 13th, 2026 • Theme: Open • Prize: Exhibition in Portland (USA) + Sales • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE Black Box Gallery is pleased to announce an open-themed, juried group photography exhibition inviting photographers to submit their favorite images and most compelling photographic work. The call welcomes a broad range of themes, concepts, artistic approaches, and photographic genres, celebrating the diversity of contempo

• The Hopper Prize • Deadline: November 17th, 2026 • Theme: Open • Prize: $4,000 X 4 Winners + Exposure • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE The Hopper Prize is an international grant-making organisation and digital archiving platform dedicated to supporting contemporary artists and increasing the visibility of their work. Twice a year, the organisation awards a series of individual artist grants, distributing a total of $26,000 USD to selected recipients. Through its

• Decagon Gallery • Deadline: December 15th, 2026 • Theme: The Room Next Door • Prize: $1,000 Prize Pool + Online Exhibition • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE There is always another room just beyond our reach: a door left slightly open, a window glowing across a courtyard, a corridor disappearing around a corner, or a voice drifting through a wall. These fragments suggest the presence of another space, another story, or another life unfolding somewhere nearby. We

• Luis Ferreira Alves Photo Award • Deadline: January 1st, 2027 • Theme: A Contemporary Look at Architecture • Prize: €10,000 + Publication + Exhibition • Entry Fees: Free • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE The Luis Ferreira Alves International Photography Competition | A Contemporary Look at Architecture is a biennial initiative dedicated to celebrating the legacy and artistic contribution of Luis Ferreira Alves, one of Portugal’s most distinguished architectural photographers. The

• Un/Produced & Un/Fund + Witty Books • Deadline: November 17th, 2026 • Category: Photo Book Projects • Prize: €10,000 + Published with Witty Books • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE This open call gives one selected photographer the opportunity to turn an existing body of work into their very first photobook, with the support and guidance of an independent publishing house. We are seeking photographers who have developed a project they believe deserves to be explor

• S.T.E.

• Decode Gallery • Deadline: November 20th, 2026 • Theme: Blue • Prize: Exhibition in Tucson + Sales + Exposure • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE Decode Gallery is pleased to announce its upcoming photography exhibition, Blue, a themed open call dedicated to exploring the artistic, emotional, and visual possibilities of one of the most versatile colours in photography. Found throughout the natural world and within our everyday surroundings, blue offers photographer

• PHotoESPAÑA

• National Geographic

• Fabula Works • Deadline: November 15th, 2026 • Category: Lines • Prize: Exhibition in Rome (Italy) + Sales • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE The open call is seeking two photographers for the first exhibition programme of 2027, inviting artists to develop their own interpretation of the theme “Lines.” Rather than prescribing a particular subject, technique or photographic style, the call leaves the concept deliberately open, allowing photographers to approach the

• Fotografia Calabria Festival • Deadline: November 15th, 2027 • Theme: Open • Prize: €2,000 + €1,000 + Publication + Exhibition • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE For the first time, the competition leaves the choice of subject entirely open. Without a predetermined theme, photographers are invited to follow their own interests, questions and creative instincts, bringing forward projects that reflect their individual ways of seeing the world. This openness is an in

• Fujifilm

• Photora Awards • Deadline: November 27th, 2026 • Category: Several Categories • Prize: €2,700 + Exposure + Certificates • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE The Photora Awards offer photographers and visual creators an international platform to showcase their work and gain recognition for their creativity. With 20 categories covering a wide range of photographic genres, including Street, Portrait, Wildlife, Minimalism, Smartphone, Architecture, and Astrophotography,

• The Billboard Creative • Deadline: November 16th, 2026 • Theme: Contemporary Art & Photo • Prize: Exhibitions all over Los Angeles (USA) • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE Imagine Seeing Your Artwork on a Billboard in Los Angeles The Billboard Creative is opening submissions for its 13th Annual Los Angeles Billboard Exhibition, inviting artists to bring their work into the heart of the city and experience the extraordinary possibilities of public-scale art. Forget

• Sony

• Exposure Photo Gallery • Deadline: March 30th, 2027 • Judge: Steve McCurry • Prize: $500 + Exhibitions in Cordoba (Argentina) • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE This open call invites photographers to explore the medium from a wide range of perspectives, encouraging diverse approaches to image-making and visual storytelling. It seeks to bring together photographs that communicate ideas, evoke emotions, and reflect the unique ways in which individuals perceive, int

• Vital Impacts • Deadline: November 30th, 2026 • Theme: Environmental Photography • Prize: $20,000 Grant + Mentorship + Exposure • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE Vital Impacts is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to using the power of journalism and visual storytelling to amplify the work of communities and individuals protecting people, wildlife, and ecosystems around the world. Through photography, reporting, mentorship, and financial support, the or

• Pispa • Deadline: November 30th, 2026 • Category: Street Photography • Prize: $3,000 + Exhibition + Publication • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE The Paris International Street Photo Awards (PISPA) 2026 is an international photography competition dedicated to recognizing and celebrating exceptional work in the field of street photography. The competition invites photographers from around the world to submit either individual photographs or cohesive photo series t

• BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation)

• Sony

• Vincent van Gogh Photo Awards • Deadline: March 30th, 2027 • Theme: Spirit of Light • Prize: €1,000 + Exhibition in the Netherlands • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLOSED, Click HERE For More Opportunities 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 awar