The Xposure International Photography Awards are a globally recognised platform celebrating powerful visual storytelling through the medium of photography. Open to photographers of all levels from around the world, the contest invites submissions across a wide range of categories, offering participants the opportunity to gain international exposure and professional recognition.

The competition is completely free to enter and is hosted by Xposure, a leading photography festival based in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. The awards programme honours exceptional work in a variety of genres, including Nature and Landscape, Architecture, Portraiture, Street Photography, Sport, Mobile Photography, Night Photography, Photo Manipulation and Artificial Intelligence, as well as a special Junior category for younger entrants.

Each category recognises one winner, one runner up and five additional nominees. An overall winner is selected from among the category winners and awarded the title of Xposure International Photographer of the Year. All winners and nominees are invited to exhibit their work at the next edition of the Xposure Festival, with travel and accommodation provided for the main award recipients. This exhibition opportunity places their work before an audience of curators, editors, collectors and festival visitors from around the world.

Entries are judged in two rounds by an independent panel of industry professionals. The first round assesses creativity and visual impact, while the second round focuses on technical excellence, composition and how well the image aligns with the theme of its chosen category. Photographs must be the original work of the entrant and should not contain any offensive or inappropriate content.

With a total prize pool valued at over sixty thousand US dollars and a strong reputation for professional integrity, the Xposure International Photography Awards offer a serious opportunity for photographers to advance their careers and present their work on a global stage.