From international photography awards to genre-specific grants, these photo contests are closing soon and still accepting entries. Browse the latest deadlines, pick the competitions that match your style, and submit before time runs out.

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W. Eugene Smith Grant 2026

Deadline: October 13, 2026
W. Eugene Smith Memorial Fund

The W. Eugene Smith Grant is designed to encourage and support visual storytellers whose photographic work renews the tradition of W. Eugene Smith’s dedicated compassion as evidenced during his 45-year career as a photographic essayist. Special consideration will be given to work that promotes social change, that embraces new technologies and image distribution, and that seeks to integrate the tradition of photography and social change with contemporary practice. The judges will be looking for a

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W. Eugene Smith Student Grant 2026

Deadline: October 13, 2026
W. Eugene Smith Memorial Fund

The W. Eugene Smith Grant for Student Photographers is designed to encourage and support students whose photographic work renews the tradition of W. Eugene Smith’s dedicated compassion as evidenced during his 45-year career as a photographic essayist. Special consideration will be given to work that promotes social change, that embraces new technologies and image distribution, and that seeks to integrate the tradition of photography and social change with contemporary practice. The judges will b

Decagon: The Shape of a Life

Deadline: October 14, 2026
Decagon Gallery

A life is not defined by its milestones alone. It is shaped by quieter things: the places we return to, the people who remain, the work we do, the objects we keep, the moments that pass almost unnoticed until memory gives them meaning. Photography has a unique ability to preserve these fragments. Sometimes a single image can suggest an entire life. The Shape of a Life invites photographers to explore the many ways a life becomes visible. The subject may be another person, someone close to

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Der Greif: Myth, Folk & Superstition

Deadline: October 14, 2026
Der Greif Magazine

From crossing paths with a black cat to honoring ancestors at vibrant altars, humans have always used stories, rituals, and visual symbols to make sense of fate, luck, and the unseen. Following on the heels of Halloween, just before Día de los Muertos and an upcoming Friday the 13th in November, this open call seeks lens-based artists to explore modern folklore, cultural superstitions, myth-making, and surrealism for another edition of Der Greif Pulse, timed to launch on October 31. We invite

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LensCulture Black and White Photography Award 2026

Deadline: October 14, 2026
LensCulture

The LensCulture Black & White Photography Awards 2026 is an international photography competition celebrating the expressive possibilities of monochrome imagery. Organized by LensCulture, the award invites photographers to submit compelling black-and-white work ranging from classic photographic approaches and darkroom processes to digital and experimental practices. Photographers may enter either individual images or a cohesive series, with series submissions allowing up to 10 photographs pre

VI Barcelona Human Rights International Photo Festival

Deadline: October 14, 2026
Barcelona Human Rights International Photo Festival

What winners receive The ten projects selected by the jury will be exhibited during the festival on the streets of Barcelona and will be featured in the catalogue and the magazine of the festival.The best of the ten projects will receive a prize of 3,000 euros as the winner of the competition and its category, and 400 euros for each winner of the other categories. About Más Retina Organized by Más Retina, an organization that promotes journalism and visual arts as tools to advance human

Raccont’arti – Castelfiorentino Prize for the Arts 2026

Deadline: October 15, 2026
Premio Raccont'Arti

Participants must submit a photographic project consisting of 10 to 30 images. Submissions can include documentary, artistic, or hybrid approaches. Only projects are accepted, not single images. The Open category winner will receive €3,000 and the Student category winner €500. All winners and finalists (4 per category) will exhibit in a group show in Castelfiorentino. “The illusion of knowledge: the photographic image between freedom and control.” The theme investigate the role of photography

Teravarna: 17th Abstract

Deadline: October 15, 2026
Teravarna

TERAVARNA announces their "17th ABSTRACT" International Juried Art Competition. Artists with a keen eye for originality are encouraged to put their most compelling pieces on the unifying topic of abstraction to this unique occasion. The abstract art competition is open to contributions in a wide variety of creative disciplines, including but not limited to traditional media such as painting and sculpture, new media such as digital art, painting, fiber art, photography, graphic design, and

Colors of Humanity Art Gallery: Animals

Deadline: October 15, 2026
Colors of Humanity Art Gallery

The art that is created today is how this time period will be viewed tomorrow. We want to make a difference in the lives of artists as well as a positive change in the world. We are an online art gallery that can offer different benefits than a physical art gallery. Such as international exposure, works will be archived and able to be viewed over and over giving you constant exposure, building traffic to your website, no cost in transporting artwork, no risk of your work being damaged, and we

The Street Photography Barcelona Contest 2026 2nd edition

Deadline: October 15, 2026
The Street Photography Barcelona Contest (SPBC)

25 Finalist artists €1.000 cash prizes Exhibition at the Galerie Art Nomade in Barcelona Screenings in Ibiza Workshops & Talks About The Street Photography Barcelona Contest (SPBC) was created with the aim of giving international visibility to professional and amateur photographers who work in street photography with honesty and creativity. The festival offers a physical exhibition in Barcelona and screenings in Ibiza, spaces where their works can be seen, appreciated, recognized, and

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PHmuseum 2026 Women Photographers Grant

Deadline: October 15, 2026
PH Museum

The PhMuseum Women Photographers Grant, now in its 10th edition, aims to empower the work and careers of female and non-binary professionals of all ages and from all countries working in diverse areas of photography. Its mission is to support the growth of the new generations and promote stories narrated from a female perspective while responding to the need to work for gender equality in the industry. To participate, you are invited to submit one or more projects centred around a specific th

Southeast Center for Photography: Telling Tales

Deadline: October 15, 2026
Southeast Center for Photography

A Single image can have a powerful storytelling impact, change the way we see, and leave a lasting impression. Often, a signature image or motif is associated with an artist or photographer or project. We’re looking for images that stand on their own, able to tell a story without supporting images.Analog and digital manipulation in all its forms welcome. Monochrome or color, all subjects, analog, digital or antique processes, photographers of all skill levels and locations are welcome.

Travel: Around the World 2026 Grid Photo Gallery

Deadline: October 15, 2026
Grid Photo Gallery

Grid Photo Gallery presents Travel: Around the World 2026, an international open call dedicated to photographic works that explore places, movement, culture, landscape, and the many ways we experience the world through photography. The theme welcomes a broad interpretation of travel photography, including distant landscapes, dense cities, remote territories, familiar streets, cultural spaces, routes, borders, interiors, and environments shaped by movement or belonging. Images may focus on ico

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PhotoVogue’s Regional Open Call: MENA Panorama

Deadline: October 15, 2026
Vogue Magazine

MENA Panorama A PhotoVogue Open Call for Image-Makers from Middle East and North Africa and Their Diasporas This year's PhotoVogue Regional Open Call celebrates the multiplicity of voices across Middle East and North Africa, foregrounding works that offer new perspectives, challenge dominant narratives, and expand visual storytelling. MENA Panorama is PhotoVogue's regional initiative to champion the plurality of voices from MENA, moving beyond monolithic narratives to showcase the regio

Black Portraiture[s] : Memphis

Deadline: October 15, 2026
Memphis Art Museum + the National Civil Rights Museum

This iteration of Black Portraiture[s] convenes for the first time in the American South, bringing together an intergenerational gathering of pioneering photographers, scholars, curators, and thinkers to explore the enduring legacy and expansive futures of Black photographic practices. Coinciding with what is widely recognized as the bicentennial of the world’s earliest surviving permanent photograph, made in 1827 by French photographer Nicéphore Niépce, this conference centers the studio not me

2026 Lucie Scholarship Program

Deadline: October 15, 2026
Lucie Foundation

The Lucie Foundation is proud to support professional and emerging talent with vision and dynamic ideas that challenge and progress the art form of still photography into work that compels. Our support of photography is broad, from Fine Art to Documentary and Photojournalism, to digital and film-based works. Our concern is to support photographers producing work that is at once gripping, and original. The Lucie Foundation is pleased to offer four cash grants and a variety of prizes to suppo

Les Mesnographies: FOCUS #7 Open Call 2026

Deadline: October 15, 2026
Les Mesnographies

For its 7th edition, Mesnographies is launching its annual call for applications around the concept of happiness. What is happiness? Is it a goal, a state to be reached? Does it lie within us, or do we build it over time? « Happiness is a positive emotion which is experienced as being pleasant and sometimes activating. Amongst the so-called universal emotions, happiness is one of the most desirable. It does not only arise in response to doing or receiving something, but also from a sense of c

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HIPA: Water, Our Shared Stories

Deadline: October 15, 2026
Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Award

Water is experienced differently across people, communities and environments. Photography has the power to make these experiences visible - documenting challenges, celebrating solutions and connecting global conversations to real human stories. In collaboration with the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the 2026 United Nations Water Conference, the Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Award (HIPA) invites photographers from around the world to contribute to th

Megalopolitan Art Gallery: Faces

Deadline: October 15, 2026
Megalopolitan Art Gallery

Megalopolitan Art Gallery invites artists worldwide to submit their work for the upcoming online art exhibition Faces. The competition is dedicated to portraits and faces, capturing the identity, emotion, personality and presence of people. Artists are encouraged to explore the face through realistic, expressive, conceptual, abstract, or experimental approaches. The call is open to all artists aged 18 and older, regardless of location, and both emerging and established artists are encouraged to

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AAP Magazine 62: Travel Photography

Deadline: October 16, 2026
All About Photo

Our 62nd printed issue of AAP Magazine will feature the best projects showcasing the theme 'TRAVELS'. 'My life is shaped by the urgent need to wander and observe, and my camera is my passport.' - Steve McCurry We are looking for your travel photographs, near and far, to the edge of the earth and to the places perhaps known only to you. Whether you're hauling around a view camera and a tripod or just pulling a mobile phone out of your back pocket, we want to see what you've captured and

NYC4PA: Monochrome

Deadline: October 16, 2026
New York Center for Photographic Art (NYC4PA)

BLACK AND WHITE - MONOCHROME: KODAK, ILFORD, FUJI were the names that stood out in the early years of photography when shooting, developing and then printing were the steps to creating a great Black and White image. Memories of darkrooms, trays, chemicals, and the essential tools of the process bring smiles to many. The world of photography has changed dramatically in terms of how these images are created, but the special nature of a monochrome print — whether black and white, sepia, or ev

Decode Gallery: Southwest

Deadline: October 16, 2026
Decode Gallery

Photographers are welcome to submit their work for this juried exhibition highlighting the landscapes, cultures, and stories of the American Southwest. The images must be captured in California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, or New Mexico. Whether you’ve documented the vibrant colors of the desert, the rich history of the region, or the spirit of its people, we want to showcase your unique perspective. At least 26 images will be selected by the juror for exhibition at Decode Gallery. T

Black and White Spider Awards 2026

Deadline: October 16, 2026
Black & White Spider Awards

The 21st edition of Black & White Spider Awards is now open and accepting entries. With over 235 title awards, international press and exposure to the biggest names in photography - it’s your chance to be recognized as the best in the industry. Get exposure and put your work in front of the world's leading galleries, art directors, curators, editors and publishers and be recognized by the industry at the premier international awards show for black and white photography. Enter your best B&W today

World Street Photo Awards 2026

Deadline: October 17, 2026
World Street Photo Awards

The World Street Photo Awards 2026 is an international street photography competition organized by Berlin-based Unseen Imaging GmbH. The award focuses on photographs that capture real moments, everyday observations and visual stories from streets around the world, with an emphasis on authentic photographic image-making. The 2026 edition presents 20 categories covering approaches such as Reflection, Weather, Geometry, Black and White, Color, Silhouette, Light & Shadow, Movement & Motion, Trans

expand_circle_rightPhotography Contests Now Open

Capture the spotlight with our latest curation of Photography Contests Now Open. From prestigious international awards to niche category grants, these newly added photo competitions are officially accepting entries. Start your submission today and get your portfolio noticed by the industry’s best!

star Der Greif: Myth, Folk & Superstition

Der Greif Magazine

VI Barcelona Human Rights International Photo Festival

Barcelona Human Rights International Photo Festival

star LensCulture Black and White Photography Award 2026

LensCulture

2026 Lucie Scholarship Program

Lucie Foundation

star W. Eugene Smith Student Grant 2026

W. Eugene Smith Memorial Fund

Decagon: The Shape of a Life

Decagon Gallery