THE INTERNATIONAL
PHOTO CONTESTS DIRECTORY 2026

• Lost Artists • Deadline: June 10th, 2026 • Theme: Open • Prize: Residency Spot in Capri • Entry Fees: Apply for Free • REGISTRATION: CLOSED. Click HERE for more Opportunities Welcome to Lost Artists, a photography residency program located in the heart of Capri, created for artists seeking more than just time away to produce work. Launching in 2025, the residency will bring together photographers and visual artists from different backgrounds and experiences in an environmen

• Working Assumptions • Deadline: June 1st, 2026 • Category: Visual Storytelling • Prize: 6 x $10,000 Project Grants • Entry Fees: Free • REGISTRATION: CLOSED. Click HERE for more Opportunities Working Assumptions is committed to supporting visual storytelling projects that explore the complexity, diversity, and emotional realities of family life. Each year, the organization awards six unrestricted Project Grants of $10,000 to photographers and artists whose work invites audi

• All About Photo • Deadline: June 2nd, 2026 • Theme: Black and White Photography • Prize: $1,000 + Online Exhibition + Exposure • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE Black and white photography continues to captivate audiences with its ability to distill imagery down to its most fundamental elements. Without the presence of color, the viewer becomes more attuned to nuances such as contrast, tonal range, light dynamics, and structural composition. This stripped-back ap

• Travel Tales Award • Deadline: June 14th, 2026 • Category: Travel Photography • Prize: Exhibition at the SCOPE Art Fair in Miami • Entry Fees: 2 Solo Exhibitions + Publications • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE The Travel Tales Award is an internationally recognized photography competition devoted to celebrating the art of travel photography and the power of visual storytelling. Designed for both amateur and professional photographers, the award provides a platform for artists fro

• BBA Prizes & Gallery • Deadline: June 1st, 2026 • Theme: Open • Prize: €300 + Exhibition in Berlin (Germany) • Entry Fee: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE They invite submissions that distill vision into a single, compelling image—one that has the power to arrest attention and resonate beyond the moment of viewing. The 2026 Spring Edition has been developed as their most inclusive global open call, offering a streamlined pathway for photographers to engage with Berlin’s conte

• Deloitte • Deadline: June 14th, 2026 • Theme: Proximities • Prize: €25,000 + Solo Exhibition in Milan (Italy) • Entry Fees: Free • REGISTRATION: CLOSED. Click HERE for more Opportunities A total of ten reporters have been appointed for this section, each recognized for their contribution to the international cultural and photographic landscape. The selected individuals—Alberto Negrin, Stephen Bulger, Brendan McCleary, Dimitri Beck, Pancho Saula, Karin Kauffman, Davide Monte

• The Mangrove Action Project • Deadline: June 1st, 2026 • Category: Several Categories • Prize: $1,000 + Worldwide Exposure • Entry Fees: Free • REGISTRATION: CLOSED. Click HERE for more Opportunities The Mangrove Photography Awards 2026, hosted by the Mangrove Action Project, is a worldwide photography competition that shines a spotlight on one of the planet’s most remarkable yet fragile ecosystems—mangroves. Found along coastlines around the globe, these environments are t

• VIEPA • Deadline: May 31st, 2026 • Category: Several Categories • Prize: €10,000 in Prizes + Exhibition in Austria • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLOSED. Click HERE for more Opportunities Photography has the extraordinary power to connect the world. With every click of a shutter, stories are shared, cultures meet, and people from all walks of life find a common ground. The peaceful and transformative nature of photography unites nations, communities, and entire continent

• Photometria International Photo Festival • Deadline: May 31st, 2026 • Judge: Alec Soth • Prize: Nikon Z30 Kit + Exhibition in Greece • Entry Fees: Free • REGISTRATION: CLOSED. Click HERE for more Opportunities As the festival reaches its eighteenth edition, it marks an important symbolic milestone, suggesting a moment of maturity and self-awareness. This occasion provides an opportunity to explore the idea of transition in a thoughtful and nuanced way. Coming of Age (18+) f

• Narwhal Rainbow Alliance • Deadline: May 31st, 2026 • Theme: Queer Nature (non-human) • Prize: €1000 + Exhibitions + Publication • Entry Fees: Free • REGISTRATION: CLOSED. Click HERE for more Opportunities Welcome to the Queer Nature Photography Awards, an initiative that explores and celebrates the inspiring connections between queerness and the immense diversity of life on our planet. Nature is a tapestry of variation—an ever-evolving network of species, behaviors, and ec

• Australian Photographic Prize • Deadline: May 31st, 2026 • Category: Several Categories • Prize: AUD $5,000 + Trophy + Exposure • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLOSED. Click HERE for more Opportunities The Australian Photographic Prize welcomes photographers from all walks of life—whether you are a seasoned professional, a passionate amateur, or a student just beginning your creative journey. Open to entrants from Australia and around the world, the competition brings tog

• Duckling • Deadline: June 30th, 2026 • Category: Documentary Photography • Prize: €1,300 + Publication • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLOSED. Click HERE for more Opportunities Duckling is a new media platform dedicated to the art of documentary photography and the power of visual storytelling. It was created as a space where photographers, journalists, and storytellers can come together to share ideas, develop projects, and engage with a global community driven by curios

• Natural Landscape Photography Awards • Deadline: May 31st, 2026 • Category: Landscape / Natural Photography • Prize: $5,000 + Exposure + Publication • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLOSED. Click HERE for more Opportunities The Natural Landscape Photography Awards (NLPA) were established to celebrate the artistry and dedication of photographers who capture the natural world with honesty, skill, and creativity. The competition brings together photographers from across the g

• Form Photography • Deadline: July 31st, 2026 • Theme: Open • Prize: Exhibition at the SCOPE Art Fair in Miami • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLOSED. Click HERE for more Opportunities With the support of SCOPE Miami Beach, Picter, and Form Magazine, we are proud to present the Form Photo Award / SCOPE MIAMI, an annual international competition dedicated to contemporary photography and the discovery of emerging artistic voices. Created to celebrate innovation in visual sto

• PhotoPlace Gallery • Deadline: June 8th, 2026 • Category: Contemporary Photography • Prize: Exhibition in Vermont (USA) + Sales • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLOSED. Click HERE for more Opportunities Photographers across the globe are invited to take part in OPEN CALL: A Celebration of Contemporary Photography, an international juried exhibition presented by PhotoPlace Gallery. This special exhibition celebrates the ever-evolving language of photography and the countles

• Dusk Photo Gallery • Deadline: June 25th, 2026 • Theme: Red • Prize: Exhibition in Santa Fe (USA) + Sales • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLOSED. Click HERE for more Opportunities We invite photographers from around the world to submit their work for RED, a juried exhibition exploring the emotional, symbolic, and visual power of one of the most arresting colors in the spectrum. Bold, visceral, and impossible to ignore, red has long carried layered meanings across cultures

• Boomer Gallery London • Deadline: June 5th, 2026 • Theme: New Voices • Prize: Exhibition in London + Exposure • Entry Fees: Free Submission (Pay If Selected) • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE A new era in the art world is beginning to unfold. After decades in which institutions, galleries, and established systems largely dictated visibility and value, power is slowly returning to the artists themselves. Through social media and digital platforms, creators now have unprecedented fr

• All About Photo • Deadline: June 2nd, 2026 • Theme: Black and White Photography • Prize: $1,000 + Online Exhibition + Exposure • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLOSED. Click HERE for more Opportunities Monochrome photography possesses a unique and enduring charm, often described as timeless and poetic. By eliminating the distraction of color, black and white imagery allows photographers to focus on the essential visual elements that define a photograph—contrast, lighting,

• Allora Gallery • Deadline: June 27th, 2026 • Category: Black & White Photography • Prize: Solo Exhibition + Exposure • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLOSED. Click HERE for more Opportunities Colour captures attention instantly, but black and white photography invites a slower, more contemplative form of looking. When colour is removed, the image is stripped down to its essential elements — light, shadow, texture, shape, gesture, and atmosphere. What remains is often more

• SEE:ZEEN Magazine • Deadline: May 27th, 2026 • Category: Contemporary Photography • Prize: Publication + Exposure • Entry Fee: Free • REGISTRATION: CLOSED. Click HERE for more Opportunities This open call welcomes participants from all corners of the world. Regardless of where you are based, your perspective is valuable, and we invite you to contribute to this shared creative space. see-zeen is intentionally inclusive in its approach to photography. We do not define strict

• Decagon Gallery • Deadline: June 3rd, 2026 • Category: Portals • Prize: $1,000 Prize Pool + Online Exhibition • Entry Fee: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLOSED. Click HERE for more Opportunities Some photographs have a way of stopping us right at the edge of something. They place us in between—between spaces, between moments, or between emotional states. There’s a sense that we are witnessing a transition, or that something just happened or is about to happen, even if we can’t fully

• Decode Gallery • Deadline: May 23rd, 2026 • Category: Black and White • Prize: Exhibition in Tucson + Sales + Exposure • Entry Fee: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLOSED. Click HERE for more Opportunities Decode Gallery announces its upcoming theme: Black and White—a return to the foundational language of photography. Long before the introduction of color, photographers relied on the interplay of light and shadow to construct meaning, atmosphere, and narrative. In this spectrum of gra

• Duckling • Deadline: May 31st, 2026 • Category: Documentary Photography • Prize: €1,300 + Publication • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLOSED. Click HERE for more Opportunities Duckling is a new media platform built around documentary photography, visual journalism, and contemporary storytelling. Conceived as both a publishing space and a creative community, Duckling connects photographers and storytellers from around the world through shared experiences, educational resou

• The Global Peace Photo Award • Deadline: May 24th, 2026 • Theme: What Does Peace Look Like? • Prize: €11,000 in Prizes + Exhibition in Austria • Entry Fees: Free • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE Formerly known as the Alfred Fried Photography Award, the Global Peace Photo Award has grown into a major international platform celebrating photography that reflects the idea of peace. Organized by Edition Lammerhuber, the award is made possible through the collaboration of an extensive