THE INTERNATIONAL
PHOTO CONTESTS DIRECTORY 2026

• Boomer Gallery London • Deadline: November 5th, 2025 • Theme: Open • Prize: Exhibition in London + Exposure • Entry Fees: Free Submission (Pay if Selected) • REGISTRATION: CLOSED. Click HERE for more Opportunities Over the last century, humanity has lived through an age of extraordinary change and innovation. We have seen the skyline of cities transformed by towering skyscrapers, witnessed the impossible become possible with moon landings, and experienced a revolution in

• Leica • Deadline: October 15th, 2025 • Prize: Leica Q Camera + Travel • Eligibility: Latin American Countries • Entry Fees: Free • REGISTRATION: CLOSED. Click HERE for more Opportunities Across Latin America, photography has always been a powerful tool for storytelling, capturing the spirit of people and the landscapes that define their lives. With this tradition in mind, Leica introduces its First Travel Photography Award , a competition that aims to highlight the artistr

• Smithsonian Magazine • Deadline: December 1st, 2025 • Category: Several Categories • Prize: $2,500 + Publication • Entry Fees: Free • REGISTRATION: CLOSED. Click HERE for more Opportunities The Smithsonian magazine’s 23rd Annual Photo Contest officially opens for submissions on September 15, 2025 , and closes on December 1, 2025, at 5:00 PM Eastern Standard Time . All individuals who choose to participate acknowledge, through their entry, that they are 18 years of age or

• L.C. • Deadline: October 15th, 2025 • Category: Black and White Photography • Prize: $3,500 + Online Exhibition • Entry Fees: Free • REGISTRATION: CLOSED. Click HERE for more Opportunities The LensCulture Black & White Photography Awards welcome photographers from around the world who dedicate themselves to the expressive power of monochrome. Whether your practice is rooted in traditional darkroom methods, advanced digital techniques, or bold experimental approaches that

• O.P. • Deadline: October 19th, 2025 • Category: Sport Photography • Prize: €4,500 + Online Exhibition • Entry Fees: Free • REGISTRATION: CLOSED. Click HERE for more Opportunities The Watersport Photography Awards by Ocean Power® is more than just a competition—it is an international platform dedicated to showcasing the very best in water sports photography. This annual event is designed to bring together visual storytellers from every corner of the globe, offering them t

• OPPO • Deadline: November 20th, 2025 • Prize: $25,000 + Oppo Smartphone • Category: Mobile Phone Photography • Entry Fees: Free • REGISTRATION: CLOSED. Click HERE for more Opportunities 📸 Ready to turn your scroll-stopping shots into global recognition? The OPPO Photography Awards 2025 are here—and this year, it’s next level. Calling all creatives, dreamers, and visual storytellers: Whether you're snapping sunsets, capturing candid street scenes, or turning your breakf

• World Masters of Photography • Deadline: January 16th, 2026 • Category: Several Categories • Prize: Exhibitions in Austria and Spain + Trophy • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE We are delighted to extend our invitation to photographers worldwide to participate in the 2026 edition of the World Masters of Photography Open (WMPO) —a celebration dedicated to honoring the finest photographic talent across the globe. This renowned competition embraces diversity in all

• BCNDH - Mas Retina • Deadline: October 10th, 2025 • Theme: Human Rights and Global Justice • Prize: €3,000 + 3x400€ + Exhibition in Spain • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLOSED. Click HERE for more Opportunities During the festival, Barcelona will transform into a vibrant gallery where ten projects, selected by the jury, will be presented in various public spaces across the city. These chosen works will not only be accessible to the public as part of the urban exhibitio

• ILPOTY • Deadline: October 7th, 2025 • Theme: Landscape Photography • Prize: $12,500 Prize Pool + Expo + Publication • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLOSED. Click HERE for more Opportunities Every photography competition has its own rhythm—a dance between mastery and fortune. Skill gets you in the door: the control of light, the framing of a moment, the careful crafting of a scene until it speaks. But there’s also an unpredictable element. Out of thousands of stunning en

• Seeing Happy + CPPA • Deadline: October 17th, 2025 • Theme: Toronto Through our Eyes • Prize: $200 + Exposure + Membership • Entry Fees: Free • REGISTRATION: CLOSED. Click HERE for more Opportunities Toronto is a city of murals and markets, festivals and friendships, kindnesses shared on street corners, and resilience that shines through in every neighborhood. To honor these stories, Toronto Through Our Eyes invites everyone—residents, visitors, newcomers, and long-time

• The Photo Global Awards • Deadline: October 20th, 2025 • Category: Landscape Photography • Prize: €1,000 + Certificates + Exposure • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLOSED. Click HERE for more Opportunities Landscape photography is a photographic genre that concentrates on representing the natural environment in a way that highlights its beauty and scale. Unlike portraiture or street photography, which are centered on people and human activity, landscape photography direc

• Bergger • Deadline: October 4th, 2025 • Category: Analog Photography • Prize: 5,500€ + Exhibition + Production in Paris • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLOSED. Click HERE for more Opportunities Black and white photography is timeless—a dialogue between shadow and light, silence and expression. The Bergger Analog Photography Prize was created to honor this tradition while encouraging new generations to explore analog photography as a form of artistic language. It is not

• Decagon Gallery • Deadline: October 31st, 2025 • Theme: Forgotten Architecture • Prize: $1,000 Total Cash Prizes+ Solo Exhibition • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLOSED. Click HERE for more Opportunities Decagon Gallery is pleased to announce a juried exhibition centered on the evocative theme of abandoned and neglected architecture. These structures, often dismissed as remnants of the past, are in fact extraordinary markers of history and culture. Their surfaces—worn w

• Boomer Gallery London • Deadline: October 3rd, 2025 • Theme: Open • Prize: Exhibition in London + Exposure • Entry Fees: Free Submission (Pay if Selected) • REGISTRATION: CLOSED. Click HERE for more Opportunities Is “contemporary art” still contemporary—or are we already stepping into something new? The balance of power in the art market is shifting. For the first time in decades, artists themselves are reclaiming center stage, using digital platforms and social networks

• All About Photo • Deadline: October 3rd, 2025 • Category: Street Photography • Prize: $1,000 + Publication + Exposure • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLOSED. Click HERE for more Opportunities The Encyclopedia Britannica defines street photography as “a genre that records everyday life in a public place.” Yet beyond this straightforward explanation lies an art form that thrives on spontaneity, curiosity, and human connection. Streets have always been the arteries of soc

• Travel Photographer of the Year • Deadline: October 13th, 2025 • Category: Several Categories • Prize: £10,000 + 7-day Trip to Sri Lanka • Entry Fees: Yes (Free for young Photographers) • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE Imagine a photography competition that unites the world through stunning images—that is exactly what the Travel Photographer of the Year Awards (TPOTY) achieves. Founded by photographers who understand the craft and the passion behind it, TPOTY is designed with p

• Black Box Gallery • Deadline: October 10th, 2025 • Category: Color Photography • Prize: Exhibition in Portland (USA) + Sales • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE Black Box Gallery is delighted to announce an upcoming juried group show dedicated to color in photography , one of the most expressive tools available to visual artists today. Color photography offers endless possibilities, encompassing genres as wide-ranging as landscapes filled with light and shadow, po

• PhotoPlace Gallery • Deadline: October 13th, 2025 • Theme: Frozen: Cold, Quiet, Pure • Prize: Exhibition in Vermont (USA) + Sales • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE Winter is a season of transformation, and with FROZEN , we are seeking photographs that embody its distilled essence—images that capture the hushed beauty of cold air and crystalline light. Think of the stillness of a snow-covered hill at sunrise, the fragile lace of frost forming overnight, a river s

• EPEX • Deadline: October 15th, 2025 • Category: Several Categories • Prize: €5,000 Prize Pool + Exhibition in Spain • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE We Show Your Photography! Your work deserves to be seen. Secure an exclusive exhibition space in Spain at Competa Photo Days 2026 and present your images to an audience that truly cares about photography. Win Big : Total prizes worth €5,000 , including the prestigious EPEX Photography Trophy . Winners will receiv

• PMOH • Deadline: October 2nd, 2025 • Eligibility: Women Photographers • Prize: €10,000 Cash + Exhibitions + Features • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE The PhMuseum Women Photographers Grant , now reaching its 9th edition, has been conceived as a platform dedicated to empowering and supporting women and non-binary professionals working in photography. Designed as an international initiative, the grant is open to individuals of all ages and cultural backgrounds, e

• Pispa • Deadline: November 2nd, 2025 • Category: Street Photography • Prize: $3,000 + Exhibition + Publication • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE The 2025 Paris International Street Photo Awards is embarking on a remarkable journey that will expand its reach and redefine its impact. We are proud to announce that the selected winners, finalists, and special mentions will be honored with a prestigious exhibition at the largest street photography festival in Latin

• BCNDH - Mas Retina • Deadline: October 10th, 2025 • Theme: Human Rights and Global Justice • Prize: €3,000 + 3x400€ + Exhibition in Spain • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE The jury will carefully select ten outstanding projects that will become part of the official program of the festival. These projects will be showcased in an open-air exhibition throughout the streets of Barcelona, allowing residents and visitors to experience them directly within the city’s u

• VSCO • Deadline: October 1st, 2025 • Category: Color Photography • Prize: Exhibition in Los Angeles (USA) • Entry Fees: Free • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE Color changes everything—it can make memories sharper, moments softer, and photos more meaningful. Whether you’re highlighting neon’s vibrance, warming a sunrise, or pushing into the abstract, VSCO Pro Presets let you tell your story with clarity and control. Apply a preset, then tap once more to reveal Contrast, Color, and

• All About Photo • Deadline: September 30th, 2025 • Category: Street Photography • Prize: $1,000 + Publication + Exposure • Entry Fees:...