THE INTERNATIONAL
PHOTO CONTESTS DIRECTORY 2026

• 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,

• BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) • Deadline: Rolling Deadline • Category: Nature and Wildlife Photography • Prize: Exposure + Publication • Entry Fees: Free • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE Images submitted to the Photo Club competition will be carefully reviewed and evaluated for possible inclusion in an upcoming issue of the magazine. All submissions are assessed in line with the magazine’s established editorial standards and selection criteria, ensuring consistency, qua

• 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 excited to announce a juried group photography exhibition centred on two of nature’s most evocative and essential elements: Trees and Water. Timeless yet endlessly evolving, these subjects form the foundation of a dynamic and visually rich exhibition that reflects the diversity of contempo

• Belfast Photo Festival • Deadline: March 3rd, 2026 • Category: Several Categories • Prize: £2,000 + Exhibition in Belfast (N.I) • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE We warmly welcome photographers from all corners of the world—regardless of background, experience level, or artistic style—to take part in our Open Submission. This is a rare opportunity to have your work seen and evaluated by a respected group of international experts who help shape the future of cont

• Boomer Gallery London • Deadline: February 4th, 2026 • Theme: Contemporary • Prize: Exhibition in London + Exposure • Entry Fees: Free Submission (Pay if Selected) • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE For most artists, doubt is a constant companion. It shows up as an internal dialogue—measuring one’s work against admired figures, questioning its relevance, and asking, often silently: Is this enough? Is it contemporary? Do I belong here? These questions can feel isolating and, at ti

• NYC4PA • Deadline: April 19th, 2026 • Theme: Luminosity (The Impact of Light) • Prize: $4,000 Prize Pool + Online Exhibition • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE Light meters, backlighting, shadow, and glare all point to a fundamental truth of photography: images are shaped as much by light as by what it reveals—or conceals. Photography depends on the presence of light, but also on its absence, its direction, and its intensity. An iconic photograph of Grand Central

• 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 come together, a new creative language begins. This challenge invites you to explore the art of balance—learning how to work with the light already present in a scene while deliberately shaping it with your own. The environment becomes your stage, and light is both your raw materia

• SP • Deadline: March 10th, 2026 • Category: Drone & Aerial Photography • Prize: Equipment worth $22,000 • Entry Fees: Free • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE We believe your vision is unlike any other — shaped by curiosity, intuition, and a deep sensitivity to the world around you. You uncover beauty in the familiar and turn sweeping skies and grounded terrain into moments of visual storytelling. Every image is a conversation. Every capture is an encounter with inspiration. Here,

• 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 rise as one of the world’s most revered platforms devoted entirely to street photography—an art form rooted in instinct, humanity, and truth. More than an award, PSP is a philosophy that honours the raw, unpolished moments of life as they unfold in pub

• Swiss Photo Club (SPC) • Deadline: February 10th, 2026 • Theme: Open • Prize: Exhibition in Berlin + Sales + 300CHF • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE The much-loved SPC PHOTO AWARDS are returning to Berlin, and this year they’re bigger and better than ever—now hosted in a brand-new, super central, and contemporary venue. Set in the heart of the city, the new location offers an exciting backdrop for a vibrant celebration of photography. Taking part is easy and op

• Tokyo International Foto Award (TIFA) • Deadline: August 1st, 2026 • Category: Several Categories • Prize: $3,000 + Exhibition + Trophy • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE The Tokyo International Foto Awards (TIFA) recognizes and celebrates outstanding photography created by artists from around the world. Dedicated to honoring excellence across all photographic genres, TIFA provides an international platform that highlights creative achievement and artistic vision.

• Swiss Photo Club (SPC) • Deadline: February 5th, 2026 • Theme: Open • Prize: Exhibition in Munich + Sales + 300CHF • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE The SPC PHOTO AWARDS are returning to Munich, continuing a successful journey through major European cities. Blending a curated photography exhibition with a competitive platform, the event has engaged and inspired thousands of photographers and viewers in Zurich, Berlin, and Cologne in recent years. The concept is

• 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 is an exhibition dedicated to the enduring relevance of analog and handmade photographic practices. In contrast to the speed and immateriality of digital reproduction, analog photography prioritizes physical engagement, technical knowledge, and intentional decision-making. This exh

• 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 invites photographers to submit images created after dark—images in which night is not merely a backdrop, but an active collaborator shaping the mood, rhythm, and meaning of the photograph. These works may be dramatic or quiet, expansive or intimate, situated in urban streets or remote rural spaces.

• Hasselblad • Deadline: February 26th, 2026 • Category: Several Categories • Prize: €5,000 Fund + Hasselblad Camera • Entry Fees: Free • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE Submissions are now open for Hasselblad Masters , the globally acclaimed professional photography competition that continues to set the benchmark for creative excellence in the industry. Completely free to enter, the competition invites professional photographers to share their most innovative, expressive, and exce

• 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

• All About Photo • Deadline: February 3rd, 2026 • Judge: Steve McCurry • Prize: $5,000 + Online Exhibition + Exposure • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE We are honored to announce that Steve McCurry will serve as the sole juror for the All About Photo Awards 2026. Widely regarded as one of the most influential photographers in the history of the medium, McCurry’s participation offers a truly rare opportunity for photographers worldwide to have their work evaluated

• Fondazione Le Stanze della Fotografia • Deadline: February 1st, 2026 • Theme: Horst. P. Horst. The Geometry of Grace • Prize: Exhibitions in Venice and Milan (Italy) • Entry Fees: Free • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE Are you between 18 and 30 years old and eager to express your creativity through photography? The Le Stanze della Fotografia Foundation is calling on young image-makers to participate in its open call dedicated to emerging talent. Entry is free and open to everyo

• Zone • Deadline: January 31st, 2026 • Theme: Open • Prize: Publication (Digital & Print) + Exposure • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE Once again, we open the door. ZONE’s fifth collective book is now accepting submissions. For many of you, this process will feel familiar—but for those encountering it for the first time, here is where we begin. We are interested in what happens when images meet. When photographs from different places, practices, and intentions ar

• 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 for entries invites artists and self-publishers from across the globe to submit work for consideration. The call focuses on artist books, self-published photobooks, limited-edition publications, zines, and other DIY printed matter that engage with photography as their

• Bob Books • Deadline: January 31st, 2026 • Category: Sport Photography • Prize: Bob Books Voucher + Exposure • Entry Fees: Free • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE The new year is all about movement, motivation, and fresh perspectives — and nothing captures that spirit quite like sport. That’s why ‘Sports’ is the theme for our January Photo of the Month competition . Sport is filled with powerful visual moments, from split-second action to quiet, focused preparation, all waiting t

• Eurordis • Deadline: January 30th, 2026 • Category: Documentary Photography • Prize: GoPro HERO13 Black + Certificate • Entry Fees: Free • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE The EURORDIS Photo Award invites you to tell your story through the power of imagery—to show the world what daily life with a rare disease truly looks and feels like. Through your photograph, you can give shape to experiences that are often unseen, offering insight, hope, solidarity, and understanding to both t