THE INTERNATIONAL
PHOTO CONTESTS DIRECTORY 2026

• Sarajevo Photography Festival • Deadline: April 10th, 2026 • Category: Several Categories • Prize: €7,000 + Exhibition in Sarajevo (BiH) • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE The Sarajevo Photography Festival (SPF) is an annual, month-long international event dedicated to celebrating photography in the cultural heart of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Designed as a meeting point for both emerging and established photographers, the festival provides a vibrant platform for ar

• Hasselblad • Deadline: February 26th, 2026 • Category: Several Categories • Prize: €5,000 Fund + Hasselblad Camera • Entry Fees: Free • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE The internationally recognised professional photography competition, Hasselblad Masters , is now open and accepting submissions from photographers worldwide. Free to enter, the competition welcomes professional photographers to submit their most creative and outstanding images, regardless of the camera used. Submis

• Swiss Photo Club (SPC) • Deadline: February 26th, 2026 • Theme: Open • Prize: Exhibition in Berlin + Sales + 300CHF • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE The SPC PHOTO AWARDS are returning to Berlin—and they’re bigger, bolder, and more exciting than ever. Hosted in a brand-new, centrally located contemporary space, this year’s event promises a dynamic and inspiring setting right in the middle of the city. Getting involved couldn’t be easier. Submit your favourite ph

• Black Box Gallery • Deadline: March 11th, 2026 • Theme: Color Photography • Prize: Exhibition in Portland (USA) + Sales • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE Black Box Gallery is pleased to announce an upcoming juried group exhibition dedicated exclusively to color photography. This exhibition aims to explore the wide-ranging and evolving role of color within contemporary photographic practice. Today, color photography encompasses an extraordinary spectrum of visual

• Archivo Jalón Ángel • Deadline: May 4th, 2026 • Theme: Portrait / Travel / Migration and Borders • Prize: €1,500 + Trophy + Exhibition in Spain • Entry Fees: Free • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE Preserved and curated by San Jorge University, part of the San Valero Group, the Jalón Ángel Photographic Archive announces the 12th Jalón Ángel International Photography Prize, reaffirming its dedication to photography as both an art form and a means of understanding the human experien

• Festival of Ethical Photography • Deadline: March 3rd, 2026 • Category: Documenting Humanity • Prize: €19,000 in Cash Prizes + Exhibitions • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE The World Report Award | Documenting Humanity was created to encourage a deeper and more conscious form of social participation through photography. Open to photographers of all backgrounds and experience levels worldwide, the award focuses on visual narratives that place people at the cente

• ReA! Art Fair • Deadline: May 6th, 2026 • Theme: Open • Prize: 1,500€ + Exhibitions in Milan (Italy) • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE The ReA! Art Fair Open Call invites emerging visual artists from across the globe to submit their work for consideration in its upcoming edition. This international platform is dedicated to supporting independent artistic practices and amplifying new voices within the contemporary art landscape. Unlike traditional art fairs that r

• PhotoPlace Gallery • Deadline: March 9th, 2026 • Theme: Water: Element of Change • Prize: Exhibition in Vermont (USA) + Sales • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE Water is one of the most powerful and constant forces on Earth, an element that quietly yet persistently shapes the world around us. It carves landscapes over time, smooths stone, reflects shifting light, and moves endlessly through cycles of transformation. Beyond its physical presence, water also carrie

• Seeing Happy • Deadline: March 7th, 2026 • Theme: Imagining Well-Being • Prize: $200 + Exposure • Entry Fees: Free • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE The initiative is led and curated by SeeingHappy, a global nonprofit that harnesses the expressive power of photography to encourage reflection, foster human connection, and support individual and collective flourishing. By using visual storytelling as a shared language, SeeingHappy creates spaces where people can explore meaning, em

• Photometria International Photo Festival • Deadline: February 20th, 2026 • Category: Photobooks • Prize: Presentation in Ioannina & Athens (Greece) • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE This open call is addressed to artists and self-publishers worldwide whose practices engage with photography through the book form. The call centers on artist books, self-published photobooks, limited-edition volumes, zines, and DIY publications that use photography as a tool for nar

• BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) • Deadline: Rolling Deadline • Category: Nature and Wildlife Photography • Prize: Exposure + Publication • Entry Fees: Free • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE All images entered into the Photo Club competition will be considered for potential publication in an upcoming issue of the magazine, subject to editorial selection. This provides contributors with a valuable opportunity to have their photography featured in print. The submission proces

• P.M.O.H. • Deadline: February 19th, 2026 • Theme: Open • Prize: €10,000 Cash + 3 Solo Exhibitions • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE Participation is open to photographers who wish to submit one or more projects developed around a specific theme, story, or conceptual investigation. Applicants are encouraged to explore any visual language or photographic approach, whether rooted in traditional practices or driven by experimentation and innovation. Each project mus

• Center Santa Fe • Deadline: February 28th, 2026 • Category: Portfolio • Prize: Portfolio Review + Exhibition + Listing • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE The Review Santa Fe Photo Symposium creates a dynamic space where photographers at all stages of their careers can grow, connect, and be seen. Designed to expand audiences, spark thoughtful critique, and build lasting relationships, Review Santa Fe has long been a cornerstone of the photography community. In Oct

• Pure Street Photography (PSP) • Deadline: February 28th, 2026 • Category: Street Photography • Prize: $1,000 + Exhibition in Jaipur (India) • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE The Pure Street Photography Awards 2026 continue to define excellence in street photography, standing as one of the most respected and internationally recognised honours dedicated solely to this powerful art form. Rooted in authenticity and guided by an unwavering belief in visual truth, the

• 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 is recognized as one of the leading international competitions for both professional and amateur photographers from around the world. Open to a wide range of photographic practices and visual approaches, the awards celebrate excellence, originality, and creative vision across cont

• Phi Photo Awards • Deadline: February 24th, 2026 • Category: Several Categories • Prize: $1,000 + Virtual Exhibition + Publication • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE Phi Photo Awards is an international photography competition established by Bayt Visual, a Dubai-based visual arts organization dedicated to fostering excellence in contemporary image-making. Rooted in a deep respect for visual culture and critical practice, the awards take their name from Phi (ϕ), t

• All About Photo • Deadline: March 3rd, 2026 • Theme: Women • Prize: $1,000 + Online Exhibition + Exposure • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE Since the very beginning of photography, women have played a central role within the medium—both as subjects in front of the camera and as creators behind it. While women have long been photographed, they have also continuously used photography as a powerful tool for documentation, storytelling, and self-expression. Through

• Decagon Gallery • Deadline: February 28th, 2026 • Theme: Red (Presence, Pulse, Meaning) • Prize: $1,000 Total Cash + Solo Online Exhibition • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE Red exists beyond its surface definition. It functions as a visual rhythm—a heartbeat that carries the weight of memory, emotion, and lived experience. It can be forceful or subtle, loud or barely perceptible. At times, red demands attention; at others, it recedes, shaping meaning through te

• The Photo Book Museum • Deadline: February 15th, 2026 • Category: Photo Book • Prize: Publication + Exhibition of your Book • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE The Dummy Award is the international competition for the best unpublished photobook dummies of the year. It enables participating photographers to present their books to an international audience and establish contacts with galleries, publishers and festivals. So far, hundreds of books from the shortlist

• Center Santa Fe • Deadline: February 28th, 2026 • Category: Several Categories • Prize: $5,000 + Exhibition + Publication • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS: Membership offers meaningful advantages for artists seeking greater access and visibility. Members enjoy reduced entry fees for the 2026 Calls for Entry , as well as priority invitations to curated exhibitions, special programs, and exclusive events . Additional member benefits may become

• Dusk Photo Gallery • Deadline: February 26th, 2026 • Theme: Nostalgia • Prize: Exhibition in Santa Fe (USA) + Sales • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE The selection centers on photographs that evoke the past as a felt experience rather than a documented one. Subtle details—worn surfaces, softened light, familiar gestures, or spaces shaped by time—become carriers of meaning. The images may suggest personal memory, collective history, or an undefined nostalgia that

• Fine Art Photography Awards • Deadline: February 15th, 2026 • Theme: Fine Art Photography • Prize: $3000 + Online Exhibition + Exposure • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE Step into a realm where imagination has no limits. The Fine Art Photography Awards return once again, calling on every artist daring enough to reveal the world in ways that challenge the expected. This competition belongs to the visionaries—those who thrive on experimentation and whose creative

• Profoto • Deadline: February 15th, 2026 • Category: Mixing Ambient and Flash • Prize: $2,000 in Profoto Gear + Exposure • Entry Fees: Free • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE When natural light and flash collide, creativity expands. This challenge is about pushing beyond what either light source can do alone and discovering what’s possible when they work together. Use the light already around you as a starting point, then shape, enhance, or transform it with flash to bring your vis

• Boomer Gallery London • Deadline: March 12th, 2026 • Theme: Vogued • Prize: Exhibition in London • Entry Fees: Free Submission (Pay if Selected) • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE In an era where countless artistic developments unfold simultaneously, the question of how to approach contemporary art has become increasingly complex. Art today exists in a space of constant transformation, where rapid technological innovation intersects with deeply rooted traditional practices. With t