Sony World Photography Awards 2026 - Professional

Close on January 13, 2026

Territory: Worldwide

Theme: Ten categories to enter

Eligibility: Open to professional photographers

Entry Fees: Free

Prize: Cash Prize

Rewarding the best photo series worldwide. Entry is free and you could win $25,000, a solo show, a range of Sony Digital Imaging equipment, a professional career-development day - plus more!

Free to enter
Open to anyone submitting a series of 5 to 10 images per category
Ten diverse categories to enter
Awards for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place photographers plus up to 7 shortlisted photographers per category
One overall winner receives the Photographer of the Year title
Please see 'Rules' below for full image eligibility criteria
Photographer of the Year is rewarded with a solo presentation of their work as part of the Sony World Photography Awards London exhibition the following year

Image: The Anthropocene Illusion by Zed Nelson

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All About Photo Magazine

Issue #52

Stay up-to-date with call for entries, deadlines and other news about exhibitions, galleries, publications, & special events.

Call for Entries

All About Photo Awards 2026

$5,000 Cash Prizes! Juror: Steve McCurry

Contests Closing Soon

Deadline: December 16, 2025

Focus: Shadow and Light

Photography is the recording of patterns of darkness and light. Shadows enhance the relationships of subjects in an image, they give definition and dimension, which compliments the quality of the light values. Photographers have used dramatic shadows and patterns in black and white images and have also explored using ethereal and moody shadows and textures in color photography. We will be looking for a range of how shadow and light are interpreted by contemporary photographers. Juror

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Deadline: December 16, 2025

AAP Solo Exhibition January 2026

We want to showcase incredible work. Photography that awakens our imagination, transforms our way of thinking, or simply resonates with who we are. The Solo Exhibition enables you to reach a wider audience through our independent magazine that has become one of the most vibrant portals of photography on the web. The Solo Exhibition competition is open to any category of photography or subject matter. Photojournalism, street photography, artistic photography, portrait, nu

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Deadline: December 17, 2025

Online Portfolio Reviews

To support our members with their photography and stay connected, CPA offers ongoing online portfolio reviews. Members have the opportunity to sit with executive director of CPA, Ann Jastrab, for a 25-minute one-on-one review. Occasionally she may be joined by fellow curators and photography professionals. These sessions are for photographers with a developed body of work. Students and recent graduates are of course welcome. Portfolio reviews are open to members only, and cost $35. If

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Deadline: December 17, 2025

4th B&W Athens Photography

Blank Wall Gallery organizes the 4th B&W Athens Photography. The presentation of the photographs will be held at Serafio, Athens Starting on February 14th 2026. After our experience from Chania International Photo Festival, the 12 years of Blank Wall Gallery's presence in Athens and the organization of two B&W Athens Photography Festivals, we believe that the level of participation from artists worldwide will be very high, once more, and that this event will

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Deadline: December 17, 2025

LensCulture Art Photography Awards 2026

The LensCulture Art Photography Awards 2026 celebrate visionary image-makers who work with photography and photographic practices to create stunning new works of art. We welcome photographers and artists from every corner of the world to share work that surprises, challenges, delights, or expands our appreciation of the photographic medium. There are no strict rules for this award. We’re excited to see every kind of creative approach — from conceptual and experimental projects, to

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Deadline: December 17, 2025

Art of Storytelling

Over $4,000 in cash prizes, global exposure, artist profile, winner's gallery feature, custom press release, interview, and more. Welcoming both series and individual entries that remind viewers of the indisputable power of photography Awarding the most exceptional creators with our highest possible global honor

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Deadline: December 17, 2025

Open Art Competition

We are pleased to announce our 3rd Open online Art Competition for the month of December 2025. Artists are invited to submit works in any style, medium, or subject matter. All forms of visual art are welcome for consideration. In addition to the selected artists, the jury will select award winners in the following art categories: painting, photography, sculpture. All selected artists will receive a digital award certificate. An article about each artist will be displayed alongside the

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Deadline: December 18, 2025

6th Abstract

Grey Cube Gallery proudly presents the sixth Abstract online art contest for the month of December 2025. Contest is open to all artists worldwide over 18 years of age. The gallery invites all artists and photographers from around the world to submit their best nonrepresentational artworks in all kinds of concepts and mediums. All visual art mediums (except video and sound) are allowed. The Best of Show winning artwork will be displayed as the poster of the show. All wining artists (Merit Award &

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Deadline: December 18, 2025

Dreams and Visions

Dreams and visions in art have long been a familiar and powerful motif. These mysterious and otherworldly images often serve as representations of our deepest subconscious thoughts, emotions, and desires. The dream in art acts like a wandering spirit, guiding us along the winding path of the imagination. It invites us to explore and question the complex relationship between the visible world we perceive and the invisible forces that influence our inner lives. Eligibility All photograp

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Deadline: December 19, 2025

Contemporary art prize LAB ART PRIZE

The Malamegi Lab Art Award is an international competition open to artists working in a wide range of disciplines, including drawing, painting, sculpture, photography, graphic design, mixed media, digital art, and video.The competition will select 12 finalists who will be considered for several professional opportunities and awards.Finalists may receive inclusion in a new Malamegi collection, an artwork acquisition award, participation in a group exhibition, a cash prize, and a monograph

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Deadline: December 19, 2025

Geographies

LoosenArt is inviting photographers, video makers and digital visual designers to take part in the collective exhibition "Geographies: an exploration between places, environments and cultures", an exhibition project that seeks to question and narrate the many forms of contemporary geography: physical and symbolic, human and environmental, local and global. The aim is to explore borders - geographical, cultural, political, and emotional - and their transformations through the creative ga

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Deadline: December 19, 2025

19th Annual International Color Awards

International Color Awards is open to professional and amateur photographers shooting in all forms of color photography using traditional or digital methods. We encourage classic styles, new creative ideas and photographers who are driven by their artistic eye and a desire to excel in this classic art form. Winning photographers enjoy exposure on a global scale as they vie for the 16th Annual International Color Awards. Prize money, Certificates of Achievement, winner medals, publica

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Call for Entries

Solo Exhibition January 2026

Get International Exposure and Connect with Industry Insiders

Contest

All About Photo Awards 2026 Launch: Juror Steve McCurry and $5,000 Cash Prizes

The launch of the All About Photo Awards 2026 – The Mind’s Eye marks the 11th edition of one of the most respected international photography competitions. Since its creation in 2016, the awards have played a key role in discovering and promoting photographers worldwide, offering meaningful exposure, publication opportunities, and over $100,000 in prizes awarded to date. With $5,000 in cash prizes and legendary photographer Steve McCurry serving as juror, the 2026 edition continues to set a high standard for artistic excellence, global visibility, and professional recognition within the contemporary photography landscape.

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Contest

Event

Jerwood/Photoworks Award Winners

Photoworks is pleased to announce the recipients of the fifth edition of the Jerwood/Photoworks Awards as Roman Manfredi and Sayuri Ichida and to share more about the projects planned and tours across the UK.

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Contest

Winners: AAP Magazine 52 Street Photography

From vibrant urban centers to quiet sidewalks around the world, the 25 winning photographers of AAP Magazine 52: Street demonstrate the remarkable diversity and creative power of contemporary street photography. Selected from an international call for entries, these award-winning street images highlight how photographers capture everyday life with authenticity, precision, and artistic vision.

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Contest

Ampersand/Photoworks Fellowship: 2025 recipient announced

Photoworks is pleased to announce Nicholas J.R. White as the recipient of the 2025 Ampersand/Photoworks Fellowship. Now in its third edition, the Ampersand/Photoworks Fellowship is a biennial opportunity for mid-career artists to create and exhibit a new body of work. It offers a combination of support that includes a £15,000 award, mentoring, curatorial support, a dedicated public program, digital content, a production budget, and a touring exhibition in the UK.

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Contest

Arrayah Loynd Winner 2025 Rhonda Wilson Award

This body of work is a personal story; a visual telling of the mental and physical impacts of living with chronic pelvic pain while dealing with medical misogyny, misinformation, and incompetence. There is only a thin membrane between what the world sees and the lived reality of my life. I may seem fine as I mask the pain, but if you excavate, even just a little, you will find it is all completely raw. I am lost in the ebb and flow of pain, of heartbreak and despair. I am angry. I am difficult. I am defeated

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Contest

AAP Magazine 54: Nature - International Photography Competition Now Open for Entries

Calling all photographers worldwide! AAP Magazine is accepting submissions for its 54th issue, dedicated to Nature Photography. Showcase your landscapes, wildlife, and flora and fauna in a global photography contest, gain international exposure, and have your work published in the printed magazine and online Winners Gallery. Don’t miss this opportunity to share your vision of the natural world.

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Contest

Dörte Eisseldt Wins the Viviane Esders Prize

Convened by Viviane Esders, the jury has awarded the 2025 Viviane Esders Prize to German photographer Dörte Eißfeldt. The laureate will be officially announced on November 3 during a ceremony at the INHA (Institut National de l’Histoire de l’Art) in Paris and in her presence. She will receive an endowment of €50,000, while the two other finalists, Oleksandr Suprun and Bohdan Holomíček, will each receive €5,000 and will also attend the event. The jury chose to honor an artistic practice sustained over more than forty years, distinguished by its coherence, poetry, and deep reflection on the photographic medium—qualities that particularly captivated the jury’s attention in Dörte Eißfeldt’s work.

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Contest

Thero Makepe Receives The PhMuseum 2025 Photobook Award

His work We Didn't Choose To Be Born Here examines Botswana and South Africa’s socio-political fabric through a personal lens. Dragan Saric claims MBP's Special Mention with Tomorrow Hotel. Read the judges' motivations and learn more on their projects.

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Contest

Critical Mass Top 50 Winning Portfolios

Each year, Photolucida’s Critical Mass stands out as one of the most respected and insightful photography competitions in the world. The process is as rigorous as it is inspiring: photographers submit a cohesive portfolio of around ten images accompanied by an artist statement, which are first reviewed and narrowed down to 200 finalists before being evaluated by an international jury of industry professionals.

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Sony World Photography Awards 2026 - Professional

Contests Closing Soon

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