THE INTERNATIONAL
PHOTO CONTESTS DIRECTORY 2026

• Head On Photo Festival • Deadline: August 16th, 2026 • Theme: Several Categories • Prize: AUD$80,000 + Exhibition in Sydney • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE The Head On Photo Awards present photographers with the opportunity to compete for a combined $80,000 in prizes, making it one of the most significant international photography competitions. The awards are open to photographers of every skill level, from first-time entrants and hobbyists to experienced profe

• Freezer Festival • Deadline: August 23rd, 2026 • Theme: The Real • Prize: Solo Exhibition in La Plata (Argentina) • Entry Fees: Free • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE Are you creating exciting work in photography or publishing? This open call invites photographers, artist collectives, independent publishers, creative businesses, and anyone developing projects connected to photography to take part in a unique event celebrating visual culture and independent production. We are looki

• New York City for Photographic Arts • Deadline: August 16th, 2026 • Theme: Decay, Corrosion, Rust • Prize: $4,000 Prize Pool + Online Exhibition • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE In a world increasingly focused on the new, the polished, and the flawless, there is something profoundly compelling about subjects shaped by time and exposure. Rust, corrosion, decay, and weathering create visual qualities that are impossible to manufacture. As materials age and deterio

• PhotoED Magazine • Deadline: September 9th, 2026 • Theme: Real VS Imagined • Prize: Publication (Digital & Print) • Entry Fees: Free for Subscribers • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE What is real? What is imagined? And where do the two begin to overlap? Issue #78 invites photographers from around the world to explore these questions through unique, lens-based photographic work. We are looking for projects that transform reality, invent fictional worlds, or weave together elements

• HONOR

• Arc'Teryx

• Vogue

• Fujifilm

• Decode Gallery • Deadline: August 21st, 2026 • Theme: Unposed • Prize: Exhibition in Tucson + Sales + Exposure • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE Real life unfolds in the most powerful and unforgettable ways when nothing is planned. This category celebrates authentic documentary photography that captures genuine, unscripted moments exactly as they happen—without posing, staging, or performance. Whether photographing everyday life, intimate human interactions, cult

• Out From The Mist • Deadline: August 28th, 2026 • Theme: Exploring Experiences of Mental Illness • Prize: $1,650 AUD + Exposure + Masterclass • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE We invite photographers, audio producers, and short filmmakers from all backgrounds to submit work that explores personal experiences of mental illness. Your project may be based on your own experiences or on those of a family member, friend, or someone whose story has had a meaningful impa

• Handicrafts Photo Awards • Deadline: August 31st, 2026 • Theme: Craftsmanship Documentation • Prize: €2,000 + Exhibition + Catalog • Entry Fees: Free • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE Handicrafts Photo invites photographers from around the world to explore, document, and celebrate the beauty, creativity, and cultural importance of traditional and contemporary craftsmanship through the photographic medium. The project offers an opportunity to look beyond the finished object and dis

• Freezer Festival • Deadline: August 23rd, 2026 • Theme: The Real • Prize: Solo Exhibition in La Plata (Argentina) • Entry Fees: Free • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE Photography enthusiasts, artists, collectives, independent publishers, creative entrepreneurs, and organizations working across the photographic arts are invited to apply for this exciting open call. The event welcomes a wide range of photography-related projects, including self-published fanzines, artist books, phot

• PhotoPlace Gallery • Deadline: September 7th, 2026 • Theme: Quiet Landscape • Prize: Exhibition in Middlebury (USA) + Sales • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE PhotoPlace Gallery is inviting photographers from around the world to submit their work for Quiet Landscape, a juried photography exhibition dedicated to celebrating the beauty, serenity, and quiet power of the landscape. This exhibition seeks images that go beyond dramatic scenery, focusing instead on photo

• Most Traveled People • Deadline: September 30th, 2026 • Category: Travel Photography • Prize: MTP Ticket + €800 Travel Voucher • Entry Fees: Free for MTP Registered Members • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE MTP warmly invites photographers, explorers, and travel enthusiasts from around the world to participate by submitting their most inspiring travel photographs from every corner of the globe. Whether your images capture breathtaking landscapes, vibrant cities, remote wilderness,

• Evi Mono • Deadline: October 1st, 2026 • Theme: Two Generations. One Story. Women. • Prize: Online Presentation + Exposure • Entry Fees: Free • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE The EVI MONO AWARDS is an international monochrome photography competition created to celebrate women, their experiences, and the many stories that shape their lives. Open to photographers from every corner of the world, the award encourages artists to use the timeless language of black and white photography

• All About Photo • Deadline: August 18th, 2026 • Category: Nature Photography • Prize: $1,000 + Online Exhibition + Exposure • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE Nature photography invites us to slow down and experience the world through a fresh perspective. As one of the most inspiring forms of photography, it celebrates the endless beauty and diversity of our planet, capturing everything from vast wilderness and breathtaking landscapes to the smallest details of pl

• Arrival Gallery • Deadline: October 10th, 2026 • Category: Contemporary Photography • Prize: Exhibition in Amsterdam + Exposure • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE Arrival Gallery welcomes submissions from artists working across a wide range of creative disciplines for its exhibition programme in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Open to both emerging and established artists, the gallery invites painters, photographers, sculptors, illustrators, textile artists, mixed media p

• Decagon Gallery • Deadline: October 10th, 2026 • Theme: The Shape of a Life • Prize: $1,000 Prize Pool + Online Exhibition • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE A life is shaped by far more than its defining milestones or major achievements. It is built from the countless small moments that often go unnoticed—the familiar places we return to, the people who remain by our side, the routines that structure our days, the objects that carry personal meaning, and the flee

• Action Contre la Faim • Deadline: August 31st, 2026 • Category: Social / Documentary Photography • Prize: €5,000 Grant + Exhibitions • Entry Fees: Free • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE Action Against Hunger is launching the fourth edition of its Grant for a New Humanitarian Perspective, reaffirming its commitment to supporting visual storytelling that challenges conventions and brings forward more authentic, ethical, and inclusive narratives about humanitarian issues. This year,

• British Ecological Society • Deadline: August 31st, 2026 • Theme: Ecological Triumph / Challenge / Survival • Prize: £750 + 12 months BES Membership • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE Each year, ecologists, conservationists, and wildlife photographers from across the globe come together to share some of the most powerful, thought-provoking, and visually striking stories about the natural world through this internationally recognized photography competition. From e

• Dusk Photo Gallery • Deadline: August 20th, 2026 • Theme: Creatures • Prize: Exhibition in Santa Fe (USA) + Sales • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE CREATURES is now accepting submissions, inviting photographers to celebrate the fascinating world of animals through compelling visual storytelling. Hosted by Dusk Gallery, this exhibition seeks images that capture the countless ways creatures inhabit, adapt to, and interact with their surroundings, whether in untouch

• Techo • Deadline: August 31st, 2026 • Theme: The Home I Live in • Prize: $250 + 2 Exhibitions in Guatemala City • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE TECHO Guatemala invites photographers of all experience levels, from passionate amateurs to seasoned professionals, to participate in the international photography competition "The House I Live In." This thought-provoking open call encourages participants from around the world to explore one of the most fundamental ques

• Head On Photo Festival • Deadline: August 16th, 2026 • Theme: Several Categories • Prize: AUD$80,000 + Exhibition in Sydney • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE With an impressive $80,000 prize pool, the Head On Photo Awards invite photographers from around the globe to compete in one of the world's leading photography competitions. Open to participants at every stage of their creative journey, the awards encourage submissions from professionals, amateurs, students,

• Umbra International Photography Awards • Deadline: September 30th, 2026 • Theme: Several Categories • Prize: Statues + Medals + Certificates • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE Welcome to the 4th Edition of the Umbra Awards 2026, an international photography competition dedicated to recognizing exceptional talent and celebrating the creative achievements of photographers from around the world. Regarded as one of the leading photography awards, the Umbra Internation

• Annual Photography Awards • Deadline: December 14th, 2026 • Category: Several Categories • Prize: $5,000 Prize Pool + Medals + Certificates • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE The Annual Photography Awards welcomes photographers from around the world to take part in the eighth edition of its international photography competition. Open to professionals, amateurs, students, and emerging creatives, the competition celebrates talent at every stage of a photographer’s j

• Le Stanze della Fotografia • Deadline: September 30th, 2026 • Theme: Stories related to the theme of water • Prize: Exhibition in Venice (Italy) • Entry Fees: Free • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE Launched by the Le Stanze della Fotografia Foundation in collaboration with the Association for the Heritage of the Prosecco Hills of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene, this project introduces a free international competition open to participants of all backgrounds. The initiative seeks to c

• World Street Photo Awards • Deadline: October 10th, 2026 • Category: Street Photography • Prize: €2,500 Prize Pool + Online Exhibition • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE The World Street Photo Awards invites photographers of all levels—professional, amateur, and student—to submit their work and share compelling visions of life as it unfolds in public spaces around the world. Dedicated to celebrating the power and diversity of street photography, the awards seek im

• New York City for Photographic Arts • Deadline: August 16th, 2026 • Theme: Decay, Corrosion, Rust • Prize: $4,000 Prize Pool + Online Exhibition • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE Nothing escapes the passage of time. Sunlight fades paint, rain corrodes metal, wind wears away surfaces, and years slowly transform even the strongest structures. Yet within this process of change lies an unexpected beauty. Rust blooms across steel like organic patterns. Paint peels awa

• Vincent van Gogh Photo Awards • Deadline: March 30th, 2027 • Theme: Spirit of Light • Prize: €1,000 + Exhibition in the Netherlands • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE The Vincent van Gogh Photo Award brings together photographers from every corner of the world, creating an international platform that celebrates outstanding contemporary photography and artistic excellence. Open to emerging and established photographers alike, the award encourages the exchange of id

• Castelfiorentino For the Arts • Deadline: October 15th, 2026 • Theme: Contemporary Photography • Prize: €3,000 + Exhibition in Italy + Publication • Entry Fees: Free • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE "Raccont'arti" is a free international open call for photographers and visual artists dedicated to exploring the evolving landscape of contemporary image-making. Conceived as a platform for artistic research and discovery, the initiative aims to identify and promote emerging and estab

• Form Photography • Deadline: October 31st, 2026 • Category: Contemporary Photography • Prize: Exhibition @ UNSEEN during Art Rotterdam • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE With the valued support of UNSEEN, Picter, and Form Magazine, we are delighted to announce the launch of the Form Photo Award x UNSEEN 2027, an international award dedicated to celebrating excellence and innovation in contemporary photography. Established as an annual initiative, the award is desi

• Global Lens • Deadline: September 30th, 2026 • Category: Several Categories • Prize: $1,000 + Exhibition + Publication • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE Global Lens Photography Awards 2026 welcomes photographers from around the world to submit work across an extensive range of categories that reflect the diversity of contemporary photography. Whether your practice focuses on documentary storytelling, commercial imagery, conceptual projects, or artistic experiment

• Arrival Gallery • Deadline: October 1st, 2026 • Category: Contemporary Photography • Prize: Exhibition in Osaka (Japan) + Exposure • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE Arrival Gallery is reimagining the way artists share and experience exhibitions in today’s contemporary landscape. Rather than following traditional models, the gallery is committed to creating new opportunities that prioritize both artistic integrity and meaningful visibility. Each exhibition is thou

• BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation)

• National Geographic

• AKC American Kennel Club • Deadline: October 31st, 2026 • Theme: The Great Outdoors • Prize: $1,000 Prize Pool + Online Exhibition • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE Photographers with established experience, as well as those in the early stages of developing their craft, are invited to participate in the 2026 AKC Photo Contest. This year’s theme, “The Great Outdoors,” encourages submissions that capture the beauty, diversity, and spirit of natural environments. E

• Hotusa Group • Theme: Barcelona, World Capital of Architecture • Deadline: October 20th, 2026 • Prize: €5,000 + 1-Night Stay • Entry Fee: Free • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE Hotusa Group is pleased to announce the 24th edition of the Eurostars Grand Marina Photography Award Josep Juanpere 2026, inviting both amateur and professional photographers to take part in this prestigious international competition. For this edition, participants are asked to create photographic triptychs

• Milano Photo Awards 2026 + Nikon • Deadline: August 15th, 2026 • Category: Contemporary Photography • Prize: €30,000 in Prizes + Nikon Z50II Camera + Exhibition • Entry Fees: Yes • REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE The Milano Photo Awards set themselves apart from many other photography competitions through a clear and defining philosophy: the event is designed not only to celebrate the winners, but also to recognize and give visibility to every photographer who chooses to participa