2026 Best Photo Contests, Photography Contests, Competitions & Awards

All About Photo has selected the best photo contests, photography competitions and call for entries. This list of international photo competitions and photo contests is thoroughly curated to help photographers find their next creative breakthrough and keep up with all the current opportunities to gain exposure. Exhibition, cash prize, publication... find the photo contest that is right for you.

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

Contests Closing Soon

Deadline: May 31, 2026

Photographer of the Week 24 - 2026

Showcase Your Talent: Become Our Photographer of the Week! Each week, from Monday morning to Sunday evening, you can submit up to 10 of your best shots! If your photo is chosen by our jury, you'll have your image featured across the All About Photo website and social media for an entire week. Don’t miss your chance to shine it's free! Showcase Your Talent: Become Our Photographer of the Week! For the entire week: Your winning photo will be sh

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Deadline: May 31, 2026

Praxis: Making Strange

Making Strange • obvious • overlooked • inversion • estrangement • friction • re-seeing The technique of art is to make the familiar unfamiliar and extend the length of perception. — Viktor Shklovsky Making Strange invites photographs that transform the ordinary into something newly visible. Through framing, timing, light, distance, or construction, artists reveal unexpected aspects of the world around us—rendering everyday subjects as unfami

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Deadline: May 31, 2026

HIPA 2026 - Family

The Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Award (HIPA) has unveiled ‘Family’ as the theme for its Fifteenth Season Competition. This season will feature five main categories, with ‘Family’ serving as the primary theme. ‘Sports Photography’ category is now a staple along with ‘General (Black & White and Colour)’ category and ‘Portfolio (Story-Telling)’ category. The other new category is ‘Dreams Through AI’, rounding off the categor

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Deadline: May 31, 2026

10th Singapore International Photography Festival 2026 Open Call

The Singapore International Photography Festival (SIPF) is an international platform which aims to promote the arts and the appreciation of photography arts, as well as critical thought and academic discourse on photography in Southeast Asia. First launched in 2008, SIPF is now one of the major photography platforms held in Southeast Asia. In each biennale edition, SIPF hosts some of the biggest names in photography, uncovers new talents, and promotes an understanding of the world and society th

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Deadline: May 31, 2026

Time Capsule

Create! Magazine and PxP Contemporary are pleased to announce an open call for Time Capsule, a juried online exhibition, artist catalog, and Artsy exhibition presented as part of the Create! Projects series. This is an international, juried open call open to artists worldwide working in any medium. We are inviting artists to submit work made within the past decade, offering a focused look at where your practice has been, how it has evolved, and what it has meant to you. All subjects,

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Deadline: May 31, 2026

Photometria Awards Open Call 2026

As the festival reaches its 18th edition, it symbolically enters a phase of maturity, capable of reflecting on and exploring central issues of transition. Coming of Age (18+) focuses on the process of coming of age, not as a chronological or legal milestone, but as a multifaceted condition shaped by internal and social ruptures, redefinitions, and acts of self-determination. Innocence does not disappear, but is transformed, while the subject is constituted as conscious, responsible, a

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Deadline: May 31, 2026

Life Framer Portrait 2026

“A portrait! What could be more simple and more complex, more obvious and more profound.” – Charles Baudelaire A window into the soul as the cliché goes, and yet there ’s some truth in the power of a portrait – from the history of the studio sitting to the rise of the selfie, the best portraits give a glimpse into another life, a connection formed across distance, cultures and ages. Show us faces – individuals or groups, the iconic or the unknown – that celebrate divers

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Deadline: May 31, 2026

VIEPA Vienna International Photo Awards 2026

Photography connects the World The peaceful Power of Photography unites Nations, Peoples and Continents. The Top Winners from each Category of the VIEPA Vienna International Photo Award will be awarded in the yearly VIEphoto Exhibition, which will be held during the Vienna Summer Photo Festival in Summer 2026. The selected pictures and collections will be exhibited in Vienna. Prizes: Vouchers for Luxury Stays at B.EXCLUSIVE Holiday Homes for Your

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Deadline: May 31, 2026

10th Singapore Young Photographer Award

Calling all aspiring photographers and lens-based artists aged 13 to 25! SYPA is your stage to showcase creativity, technical finesse, and bold perspectives. Whether you’re a local or an international youth living in Singapore, this is your chance to shine. From street photography to portraiture and conceptual work, we want to see your strongest, most compelling images. SYPA celebrates the fresh viewpoints and visual storytelling that only young photographers can bring.

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Deadline: May 31, 2026

Applied Arts 2026 Student Awards

Current secondary, post-secondary, or graduate students studying Graphic Design, creative advertising, photography, illustration, digital, motion or gaming programs are eligible to enter the 2026 Student Awards competition. Any school (group or individual) or personal work created at any time during your academic, creative program is eligible. Whether you are just starting your journey or looking to launch your career, the Applied Arts Awards give you an advantage in this c

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Deadline: May 31, 2026

The Street Unscripted

ISPEC is a curated street photography exhibition based in Denver, Colorado. 24 photographers are selected for a physical exhibition at The Lab on Santa Fe. All selected work is professionally printed and framed in partnership with WhiteWall. No shipping required. The exhibition runs August 27 – September 6 and is presented during Denver’s First Friday Art Walk. This is about your work on the wall. We are looking for street photography th

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Deadline: May 31, 2026

Animals and Insects

This month’s challenge invites you to capture the essence of wildlife, from majestic mammals and vibrant birds to intricate insects and underwater creatures. The guidelines are simple, and the process is designed to encourage fresh experimentation without extra hurdles. Selected works will be gathered into a curated collection with your name and link included, giving you a polished, shareable presence. Finalists receive certificates and a group feature, while top artists are highl

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Contest

Marisol Mendez named winner of the 2026 Saltzman-Leibovitz Photography Prize

The Saltzman-Leibovitz Photography Prize was founded in 2025 by photographer and philanthropist Lisa Saltzman, through the Saltzman Family Foundation, in collaboration with internationally renowned photographer Annie Leibovitz.

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Contest

AAP Magazine #56: Shadows - Striking Award-Winning Photography

All About Photo is proud to reveal the winners of AAP Magazine #56: Shadows, a compelling new edition dedicated to one of photography’s most essential—and most evocative—elements.

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Contest

AAP Magazine #58 B&W: International Photography Competition Now Open

AAP Magazine #58 B&W invites photographers worldwide to submit powerful black-and-white photography portfolios for international publication and awards.

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Contest

Separated by ICE by Carol Guzy Wins World Press Photo 2026

When Carol Guzy was announced as the winner of the World Press Photo of the Year 2026, it was not just a recognition of visual excellence. It was an acknowledgment of the enduring power of photojournalism to confront, to reveal, and to hold systems accountable. Her image, Separated by ICE, does not rely on spectacle or ambiguity. It is devastatingly clear: a family, shattered in real time, inside a government building meant to deliver justice.

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Contest

All About Photo Awards 2026: Winners Selected by Steve McCurry

The 11th edition of the All About Photo Awards – The Mind’s Eye reaches a powerful crescendo with the unveiling of its top five winning images, selected by renowned photographer Steve McCurry. Known for his deeply humanistic and visually striking work, McCurry brings his singular vision and decades of experience to this year’s selection, confirming the competition’s place among the most respected global platforms for contemporary photography.

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Contest

World Press Photo Reveals 2026 Contest Winners

The World Press Photo organization has unveiled the winners of its 2026 World Press Photo Contest, once again spotlighting the most compelling visual storytelling from across the globe. This year’s selection underscores the organization’s enduring mission: to connect audiences worldwide with stories that matter through the lens of exceptional photojournalism and documentary photography.

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Contest

AAP Magazine 57 Portrait Photography Contest – Call for Entries

Enter the AAP Magazine #57 Portrait Photography Contest, an international call for entries celebrating powerful portrait photography. Submit your work to gain global exposure, win cash prizes, and be published in AAP Magazine.

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Contest

CPW Announces 2026 Vision Awards Recipients

CPW is proud to announce the recipients of its 2026 CPW Vision Awards. Each of the honorees has had a significant impact on the field of photography, and will be celebrated in person at the CPW Vision Awards gala on May 16, 2026, at CPW’s headquarters in Kingston, New York.

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Contest

The Powerful Winning Images of AAP Magazine 55 Women

AAP Magazine #55 explores women in photography through the work of 25 winning photographers—17 women and 8 men—representing 12 countries across 3 continents. From fine art to street photography and documentary, this global selection highlights diverse perspectives and celebrates the strength, creativity, and evolving representation of women in contemporary photography.

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News from the Web

Contest

2026 open submission - spotlight award recipients

May 01, 2026 | Source: Belfast Photo Festival
Congratulations to our 2026 Spotlight Award recipients - Louise Desnos with her project ‘Acedia’, and Laura Pannack with her project ‘The Journey Home From School’.

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Contest

On the Block 2nd Edition Winners Announced

Apr 26, 2026 | Source: Lucie foundation
A Street Photography Competition
Lucie Foundation invites you to join us “on the block”, where stories unfold in the open and every corner hides unexpected beauty. ‘On the Block’ celebrates the unposed, unfiltered, and fleeting moments that define the art of documenting everyday life, whether in dense urban streets or sleepy rural towns. From street photography to urban landscape, this competition seeks images that reveal the quiet truths and vivid stories concealed beneath everyday moments. Join us june 13th at house of Lucie los angeles for the opening reception of the winner and finalist group exhibition!

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Contest

Results PhMuseum 2026 Photography Grant

Apr 21, 2026 | Source: PhMuseum
Ukranian photographer Sergey Melnitchenko receives the PhMuseum 2026 Photography Grant Main Prize with the project Frontline Rolls.

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Contest

MFAH Announces Establishment of $50,000 Edelman Impact Award in Photography and First Winner

Apr 20, 2026 | Source: The Museum of Fine Arts
The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, is pleased to announce Yael Martínez as the first winner of the newly established Edelman Impact Award in Photography. Martínez will receive a cash prize of $50,000 in recognition of his achievements in photography.

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Contest

Istanbul Photo Awards 2026 winners

Apr 06, 2026 | Source: Istanbul Photo Awards
Palestinian EPA photographer Haitham Imad wins Photo of the Year award for his work titled ‘Gaza, No Hope’. The image captures a heart-wrenching moment asher mother held 2 year old Sham at the Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza.

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Contest

Raw Photo Fest Announces its 2026 Open Call Winners

Feb 27, 2026 | Source: The Raw Society
The International series winner is Marcus DeSieno (USA), with his powerful project Geography of Disappearance: Migrant Deaths on the US/Mexico Border, while the International Singles Winner, Ryan Murphy (USA), also won with his shocking photograph showing a man being detained by U.S. Border Patrol agents inside a fast-food restaurant under construction. The man sustained injuries to his face while agents wrestled him to the ground after he attempted to ﬂee.

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Best Photo Contests

Featured Competitions

AAP Magazine 58: Black and White

Photographer of the Week 23 - 2026

AAP Solo Exhibition June 2026

The 2026 Paula Riff Award

Contests Closing Soon

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