Best photo contests with cash prizes

Photography contests are a good way to show your work and of course to obtain the recognition every photographer is looking for. But photo contests are also a way to gain exposure and sometimes to win money. So what are the real photo contests worth entering if you are looking for monetary gains?
We have created this list for you, with the exact cash prizes you can expect. The figures are the overall cash prizes, meaning that the first place winner will most likely earn less, but it gives you an idea of what you can expect even if you are not the winner.
You can visit each websites to discover the other prizes you can win like exhibitions and publications. In this list we focused on the cash prizes only. But for example if a photo contest promises you a prize pool of $20,000 but the real cash prize is $10,000 (and the rest is equipment worth $10,000 for example), we chose to list the $10,000 cash prize only so that you know exactly what the real numbers are.

Hamdan International Photography Award (HIPA): $450,000
Open to all, 4 categories, Free entry

The Prix Pictet: CHF 100,000 ($103,000)
Entry to the award is strictly by nomination. For professional photographers. One theme per year

The Roam Awards: $45,000
Open to all, several categories, Entry Fee: $20/image

Istambul Photo Awards: $41,000
Open to all, several categories, Free Entry


Eugene Smith Grant: $40,000
Documentary photographer or photojournalist, Entry Fee: $50/project

The Grand Prix Images Vevey: CHF 40,000 (approx. € 35,000)
Open to all, the work must not have been published before, Entry Fee: €60

The Deutsche Börse Photography Prize: ₤ 30,000

Leica Oskar Barnack Award: € 35,000
One different theme per year, must submit a series of images, Free entry.


Sony World Photography Awards - Professional Category: $25,000
10 categories, professional photographers, must submit a body of work, Free entry.

Wellcome Photography Prize: ₤ 21,250
Open to all, One theme, Free entry.

The Foam Paul Huf Award: € 20,000

The Alexia Professional Grant: $20,000
Photographers and visual journalists from any country may apply for this Grant, must submit a synopsis, Entry Fee: $50

The Andrei Stenin International Press Photo Contest: $20,000
Open to young photojournalists aged between 18 and 33 years old, no theme, Free entry.

World Press Photo: € 20,000
The photo contest is open to professional photographers and photojournalists, and entry coordinators, Theme: Visual Journalism, Free entry


Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize: ₤ 15,000
Open to all, theme: portrait, Free entry

Jean-Luc Lagardère Foundation Grants: € 15,000
For professionals, Documentary, Free entry

Pulitzer Prize for Photography: $15,000
For professionals, must enter a list of requirements, Entry fee: $75

Lensculture B&W Photography Awards: $15,000
Open to all, theme B&W, Entry Fee: $50/5 images

Women Photographers Grant: $12,000
Open to women worldwide, no theme, Entry fee: $35

EPSON International Pano Awards - Open: $12,000
Open to all, All images must be panoramic format, defined for this competition as a minimum 2:1 ratio, Entry fee: $22


National Geographic Travel Photo contest: $12,250
Open to all, travel photography, Entry fee: $15/image

PX3: $11,500
Open to all, no theme, Entry fee: $30/single $50/series

Lumen Prize: $11,000
Open to all, Promotes artists working with technology, Entry fee: $48

Wildlife Artist of the Year: ₤ 10,000
Open to all 17+, Theme: Wildlife, Entry Fee: ₤ 25

The Alfred Fried Photography Award: € 10,000
Open to all, Theme: Peace, Free entry


All About Photo Awards: $10,000
Open to all, no theme, Entry fee: $30/3 images

International Landscape Photographer of the Year: $10,000
Open to all, Theme: landscape, Entry Fee: $25/image

The Motif Collective: $10,000
Open to all, one theme/year, Entry fee: Between $12 and $36

LuganoPhotoDay: $10,000
Open to all, Two categories: Reportage and documentary and Wildlife and nature, Entry fee: CHF 25

Dorothea Lange-Paul Taylor Prize: $10,000
Professionals, Documentary Photography, Entry fee: $70

Arte Laguna Prize: € 10,000
Open to all, no theme, Entry fee: € 100


Portrait of Humanity by BJP: $10,000
Open to all, Theme: portrait, Entry fee: $15

Larry Sultan Photography Award: $10,000
Professionals, Application process is by nomination only, Free entry

International Garden Photographer of the Year: ₤ 9,500
Open to all, nine categories, Entry fee: Between ₤5 and ₤25

Nikon Small World: $8,000
Open to all, Theme: Photomicrography, Free entry


ND Awards: $7,500
Open to all, several categories, Entry fee: Between $20 and $30

Kolga Tbilisi Photo Award: € 7,500
Open to all, several categories, Entry fee: $30