THE INTERNATIONAL
PHOTO CONTESTS DIRECTORY 2026

• Swiss Photo Club (SPC) • Deadline: February 18h, 2026 • Theme: Open • Prize: Exhibition in Berlin + Sales + 300CHF • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE The much-loved SPC PHOTO AWARDS are back in Berlin—and this year, they’re better than ever. The awards will take place in a brand-new, modern venue right in the heart of the city, offering a fresh and inspiring setting for an unforgettable celebration of photography. Entering is simple and open to all. Just submit y

• Decode Gallery • Deadline: February 28th, 2026 • Theme: Landscape • Prize: Exhibition in Tucson + Sales + Exposure • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE The focus is on landscape photography that conveys a thoughtful and intentional relationship with the land. Subjects may include tranquil forests, expansive deserts, steady mountain forms, or coastlines defined by movement and sound. Images may explore calm, tension, or transition through weather, light, and time. B

• PhotoEd Magazine • Deadline: February 13th, 2026 • Theme: Order VS Chaos • Prize: Publication (Digital & Print) • Entry Fees: Free for Subscribers • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE Issue #76 will feature photographic work that examines the visual and conceptual tension between Order and Chaos , presented through innovative, lens-based practices . This issue seeks images that question how photographers interpret structure and disorder, precision and excess, and the boundaries bet

• P.M.O.H. • Deadline: February 19th, 2026 • Theme: Open • Prize: €10,000 Cash + 3 Solo Exhibitions • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE Photographers wishing to participate are invited to submit one or more projects built around a strong thematic focus, narrative structure, or conceptual idea. There are no restrictions on style or methodology: submissions may range from classic photographic approaches to experimental, research-driven, or cross-disciplinary work. Eac

• The Lions Club of Seregno + UN-Water • Deadline: March 1st, 2026 • Theme: Water • Prize: 1,500€ + Exhibition + Exposure • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE Open to photographers worldwide—regardless of experience, origin, or artistic style—the World Water Day Photo Contest is an event that honors creativity while promoting values of mutual respect, tolerance, and compassion toward both the environment and humankind. Created in 2017 by the Seregno AID Lions Club as

• Photometria International Photo Festival • Deadline: February 20th, 2026 • Category: Photobooks • Prize: Presentation in Ioannina & Athens (Greece) • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE The open call welcomes artists and independent publishers from around the world to participate in a collective presentation of contemporary photographic publishing. Submissions are invited for artist books, self-published photobooks, limited-edition books, zines, and other DIY public

• Rovinj Photodays • Deadline: February 24th, 2026 • Category: Several Categories • Prize: €2,000 + Exhibition in Croatia + Stay • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE The maximum number of submissions permitted per author is nine (9) , irrespective of the category or categories in which the works are entered. Submissions may take the form of either an individual photographic work or a photographic series . Each submission may include up to twenty (20) photographs . T

• Black Box Gallery • Deadline: February 11th, 2026 • Theme: Trees and Water • Prize: Exhibition in Portland (USA) + Sales • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE Black Box Gallery is proud to announce an upcoming juried group photography exhibition exploring the timeless and powerful themes of Trees and Water. This exhibition will bring together a diverse range of contemporary photographers, offering fresh and compelling interpretations of two of the most visually and

• Profoto • Deadline: February 15th, 2026 • Category: Mixing Ambient and Flash • Prize: $2,000 in Profoto Gear + Exposure • Entry Fees: Free • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE When available light meets flash, technical skill and creative intent intersect. This challenge focuses on mastering the delicate balance between ambient exposure and artificial light—using the existing light in your surroundings as a foundation, then enhancing and sculpting it with flash to achieve precise co

• Form Photography • Deadline: March 15th, 2026 • Theme: Open • Prize: Exhibition during Art Basel + Feature • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE With the generous support of photo basel , Picter , and Form. , we are delighted to announce the launch of the Form Photo Award 2026 , an international prize dedicated to contemporary photography. This annual award seeks to highlight innovative photographic practices and to recognize artists who are shaping the future of th

• Nikon • Deadline: April 30th, 2026 • Category: Micro Photography • Prize: $3,000 + Exhibition + Exposure • Entry Fees: Free • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE The Nikon Small World Photomicrography Contest (the “Contest”) is open exclusively to natural persons who are eighteen (18) years of age or older, or who have reached the legal age of majority in their jurisdiction of residence at the time their entry is submitted. All entrants must also have access to and be capable of usin

• Photo Place Gallery • Deadline: February 9th, 2026 • Theme: Analog - Made by Hand • Prize: Exhibition in Vermont (USA) + Sales • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE Analog — Made by Hand invites photographers working with film, alternative, and handmade processes to share work that reflects a thoughtful, tactile approach to image-making. This exhibition celebrates photography as a physical and intentional practice—one that values time, material engagement, and the

• P.M.O.H. • Deadline: February 19th, 2026 • Theme: Open • Prize: €10,000 Cash + 3 Solo Exhibitions • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE To take part in the program, photographers are invited to submit one or more cohesive projects developed around a clearly defined theme, narrative, or conceptual framework. Projects may follow any visual approach, ranging from traditional documentary styles to more experimental or conceptual practices. Each submitted project must co

• BBA Prizes & Gallery • Deadline: February 9th, 2026 • Theme: Open • Prize: €1,000 + Solo Show in Berlin (Germany) • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE Visual excellence, impactful storytelling, strong conceptual vision, technical mastery, subject depth, and genuine artistic intent are among the key elements that will be closely assessed by our highly regarded jury. Made up of experienced industry professionals, the jury will critically engage with each submission,

• AI-AP • Deadline: February 6th, 2026 • Theme: Open • Prize: Publication + Exposure • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE The AI-AP Call for Entries is an international competition open to photographers, illustrators, and visual storytellers worldwide, offering a unique opportunity to gain global recognition. Each year, the contest highlights the strongest and most impactful work created or published during that year, across a wide range of styles and disciplines. Se

• Photo Artfolio • Deadline: March 25th, 2026 • Theme: The Human Portrait • Prize: $1,000 + Online Exhibition + Exposure • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE In celebration of our ongoing dedication to presenting compelling contemporary photography, Photo Artfolio invites photographers from around the world to submit work for The Human Portrait , a global online exhibition devoted to portraiture in its many and evolving forms. This exhibition seeks to honor the endur

• 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

• 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 is dedicated to fostering a renewed and meaningful form of social engagement through photography. Open to both professional and amateur photographers from around the world, the award celebrates visual storytelling that places human beings and the

• New York Center for Photographic Arts • Deadline: February 8th, 2026 • Theme: Water • Prize: $4,000 Prize Pool + Online Exhibition • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE It begins simply: H₂O — two parts hydrogen, one part oxygen. The equation is familiar, taught early, easy to memorize. Yet within its simplicity lies the secret to nearly everything that lives, grows, and endures. Water is everywhere. It rushes through rivers and hides in the quiet depths of lakes;

• 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 is a nationally recognized platform that offers photographers meaningful opportunities to broaden their audiences, participate in rigorous critical dialogue, and strengthen connections within the photographic and arts community. As one of the country’s original juried portfoli

• Siena Awards • Deadline: June 15th, 2026 • Category: Drone / Aerial Photography • Prize: €400 Cash + €500 Gears + Exhibitions • Entry Fees: Free • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE The Drone Photo Awards is widely recognized as one of the leading international competitions dedicated to drone photography, welcoming professional, amateur, and student photographers from around the world. The contest celebrates technical excellence, artistic vision, and original perspectives made possib

• PhotoEd Magazine • Deadline: February 13th, 2026 • Theme: Order VS Chaos • Prize: Publication (Digital & Print) • Entry Fees: Free for Subscribers • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE Issue #76 invites photographers to submit work that explores Order versus Chaos using distinctive, lens-based photographic methods. We are seeking projects that push beyond conventional approaches, offering fresh visual interpretations of balance, structure, disruption, and excess. Our 2026 season i

• 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 remains one of the most widely practiced and celebrated genres within the medium. While the thrill of discovering distant destinations, unfamiliar landscapes, and new culinary traditions is undeniably part of the experience, it is often the people encountered along the way who leave

• Allora Gallery • Deadline: March 1st, 2026 • Category: Architectural & Street Photography • Prize: Solo Exhibition + Exposure • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE Allora Gallery invites photographers worldwide to submit work for our international photography competition, “Stone & Stories.” This call is open to architectural and street photography, and to any visual exploration of the spaces we build and the lives that move through them. Cities may rise from stone,