THE INTERNATIONAL
PHOTO CONTESTS DIRECTORY 2026

• Black Box Gallery • Deadline: April 10th, 2026 • Category: Black and White 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 entirely to black and white imagery. This special exhibition invites photographers to explore the expressive power of monochrome photography, a medium that has long been associated with a timeless sen

• Natural Landscape Photography Awards • Deadline: May 31st, 2026 • Category: Landscape / Natural Photography • Prize: $5,000 + Exposure + Publication • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE Welcome to the Natural Landscape Photography Awards (NLPA), an international photography competition dedicated to discovering and celebrating some of the finest landscape and nature photography from around the world. The competition was created with the goal of highlighting photograp

• Appennino Foto Festival • Deadline: April 26th, 2026 • Category: Several Categories • Prize: €3,900 Total Prizes + Exhibition in Italy • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE The Impressum Photo Award 2026 is an international photography competition open to photographers from all over the world, welcoming participants regardless of nationality, experience level, or photographic style. The contest aims to provide a global platform where photographers can present their w

• Photometria International Photo Festival • Deadline: March 31st, 2026 • Theme: Open • Prize: Exhibition at Photometria Festival in Greece • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE With a continued focus on nurturing young creative talent, the Photometria International Photography Festival announces the launch of “Youth Collective 2026,” a competition dedicated to empowering the next generation of photographers. This initiative reflects the festival’s ongoing mission to

• Milano Photo Awards 2026 + Nikon • Deadline: August 15th, 2026 • Category: C ontemporary Photography • Prize: €30,000 in Prizes + Nikon Z50II Camera + Exhibition • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE The Milano Photo Awards distinguish themselves from many other photography competitions thanks to a guiding principle that lies at the heart of the initiative: recognition is not reserved solely for the winners. While the final prizes celebrate excellence, the event is

• Decode Gallery • Deadline: March 28th, 2026 • Category: Color Photography • Prize: Exhibition in Tucson + Sales + Exposure • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE Our next theme invites you to explore the world of COLOR . From striking, high-contrast hues that demand attention to delicate, understated tones that gently set a mood, color can transform an ordinary scene into something unforgettable. It is more than just a visual element — it is a language of emotion, at

• Narwhal Rainbow Alliance • Deadline: May 31st, 2026 • Theme: Queer Nature (non-human) • Prize: €1000 + Exhibitions + Publication • Entry Fees: Free • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE Welcome to the Queer Nature Photography Awards, a space dedicated to celebrating the rich and vibrant meeting point between queerness and biodiversity. Across the natural world, life expresses itself in countless forms, relationships, and adaptations that challenge rigid categories and remind us that d

• Pulitzer Prize • Deadline: March 30th, 2026 • Category: Documentary Photography • Prize: A grant between $5,000 and $20,000 • Entry Fees: Free • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE The Pulitzer Center is currently offering a series of grants aimed at supporting journalists who wish to report on the consequences of unprecedented reductions in U.S. health aid across the Global South . These funding cuts have the potential to significantly affect health systems, medical programs, and c

• Profoto • Deadline: March 15th, 2026 • Category: Best use of Light • Prize: $2,000 in Profoto Gear + Exposure • Entry Fees: Free • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE This is an open invitation to explore your relationship with light. There are no thematic frameworks to respond to and no boundaries to restrict your creativity. The brief is intentionally simple: create an image that demonstrates what you can achieve with your Profoto light. Think carefully about how light behaves in y

• All About Photo • Deadline: March 31st, 2026 • Theme: Shadows • Prize: $1,000 + Online Exhibition + Exposure • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE At All About Photo , we are dedicated to celebrating photography that goes beyond technical excellence—images that inspire, challenge perspectives, and create meaningful emotional connections. We believe that powerful photography has the ability to transform the way we see the world, spark conversation, and bring people t

• PhotoPlace Gallery • Deadline: April 6th, 2026 • Theme: Portals: New Perspectives • Prize: Exhibition in Vermont (USA) + Sales • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE A portal is more than just an opening; it suggests the possibility of passage, discovery, and transformation. It invites us to pause and look through, to step beyond the visible threshold, or to imagine what might exist just out of view. A portal can separate spaces while also connecting them, marking th

• BJC Museum • Deadline: March 15th, 2026 • Category: Documentary Photography • Prize: 30,000€ + Exhibition in France • Entry Fees: Free • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE Since its launch in 2008 , the musée du quai Branly - Jacques Chirac Photography Award has been dedicated to supporting the development of contemporary photography and encouraging innovative artistic practices . By providing both financial assistance and institutional recognition, the award offers photographers t

• Form Photography • Deadline: March 15th, 2026 • Theme: Open • Prize: Exhibition during Art Basel + Feature • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE With the support of photo basel , Picter , and Form. , we are excited to introduce the Form Photo Award 2026 , an annual photography prize dedicated to contemporary image-making and new artistic perspectives. The award is designed to spotlight photographers who bring fresh ideas, strong visual identities, and thoughtful app

• Dusk Photo Gallery • Deadline: March 26th, 2026 • Theme: Botanical • Prize: Exhibition in Santa Fe (USA) + Sales • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE This call centers on the theme of Botanical , inviting artists to explore the natural world with curiosity, imagination, and creative depth. We are not simply seeking images that document plants as they appear, but rather photographs that transform botanical subjects into compelling visual experiences. We encourage yo

• FOTO Bali Festival • Deadline: March 13th, 2026 • Theme: Afterimage • Prize: Exhibition in Bali (Indonesia) • Entry Fees: Free • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE This edition proposes a shift in temporal perspective. Instead of concentrating on the decisive event or the immediacy of representation, it examines what follows—what remains once an occurrence has concluded and its effects begin to sediment into reality. After transformation has taken place, after urgency has dissipated

• Siena Awards • Deadline: April 1st, 2026 • Category: Several Categories • Prize: €500 + Exhibition + 2-night Stay in Italy • Entry Fees: Free • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE The Creative Photo Awards serves as a global platform that brings together professional and emerging photographers, offering them the opportunity to share their vision with an international audience. The competition is open to photographers of all backgrounds and styles, united by a passion for creativity

• Leica • Deadline: March 15th, 2026 • Open: Open • Prize: €10,000 + Leica Camera • Entry Fees: Free • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE Through the LOBA Women Grant, female photographers will be given a unique chance to create and complete a new photographic series, which will then be featured as part of the LOBA exhibition and platform. The initiative builds on the experience gained from the Leica Women Foto Project Award, launched by Leica Camera USA in 2019, and expands its missi

• VIEPA • Deadline: May 31st, 2026 • Category: Several Categories • Prize: €10,000 in Prizes + Exhibition in Austria • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE Photography serves as a universal language, a medium capable of connecting people across the globe. Its quiet strength fosters understanding, bridging the gaps between nations, communities, and continents. The peaceful power inherent in photographic expression brings individuals together, encouraging dialogue, empath

• Kuala Lumpur Portrait Awards • Deadline: March 31st, 2026 • Category: A Stranger's Face • Prize: €2,000 + Exhibition in Malaysia • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE Travel photography continues to captivate photographers and audiences alike, offering the promise of new places, unfamiliar cultures, and unforgettable experiences. While dramatic landscapes, vibrant cities, and local cuisine often dominate the visual narrative of travel, it is the people encountered a

• Profoto • Deadline: March 15th, 2026 • Category: Best use of Light • Prize: $2,000 in Profoto Gear + Exposure • Entry Fees: Free • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE Here is your moment to reveal how you work with light at its fullest potential. There are no imposed concepts, no narrative requirements, and no creative limitations—except one: your image must show what you can achieve with your Profoto light. Approach it in the way that feels most authentic to you. Perhaps you sculpt

• Photojournalism Prize (PJP) • Deadline: April 30th, 2026 • Category: Photojournalism and Documentary • Prize: €5,000 + Online Exhibition • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE The introduction of the Photo Journalism Prize (PJP) marks the debut of a competition dedicated to acknowledging the ability of photography to document reality with depth, emotion, and nuance. Designed to be inclusive of all skill levels, the PJP invites both seasoned photojournalists and emergi

• National Geographic • Deadline: March 22nd, 2026 • Category: Several Categories • Prize: 11-Day Holiday for 2 + Mentorship • Entry Fees: Free • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE All photographic submissions must be provided in .jpg format and must not exceed 10MB in file size . Entries that do not meet these technical requirements may not be considered for the competition. Each photograph submitted must be entirely the original work of the entrant , and the participant must hold f

• Boomer Gallery London • Deadline: March 12th, 2026 • Theme: Vogued • Prize: Exhibition in London • Entry Fees: Free Submission (Pay if Selected) • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE At a time when the art world is evolving faster than ever, understanding how to approach contemporary art has become an increasingly important question. New technologies have transformed the creative process, allowing artists to generate highly complex works in mere seconds, while traditional artistic pr

• Decagon Gallery • Deadline: March 31st, 2026 • Theme: Night Works • Prize: $1,000 Total Cash + Online Solo Exhibition • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE NIGHT WORKS calls on photographers to explore the visual and emotional possibilities of the hours after dark. In this exhibition, night is more than a setting—it is a creative force that shapes light, alters perception, and redefines space. Submitted images may be bold or restrained, urban or rural, crowded or d