Photography Contest
Istanbul Photo Awards 2026
Deadline |
01/09/26Theme |
Several categoriesTerritory |
WorldwideEligibility |
The competition is open to professional photojournalists from around the world.Entry Fees |
FREEPrizes |
Cash PrizeHost |
Istambul Photo AwardsApplications for İstanbul Photo Awards 2026, an international contest where the photos that set the world’s stage compete at the top level, opened on Nov. 13.
Organized by Anadolu for the 12th consecutive year, the contest aims to promote press photography globally.
Each year, around 20,000 images are submitted to İstanbul Photo Awards, which is widely seen as one of the world’s top photography contests.
Professional photographers, regardless of their press affiliation, are eligible to enter the contest provided their newsworthy photos were taken between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2025.
The contest features 10 categories, including Single News, Story News, Single Sports, Story Sports, Single Nature and Environment, Story Nature and Environment, Single Daily Life, Story Daily Life, Single Portrait, and Story Portrait.
Photographers may submit both published and unpublished work in all categories, with the responsibility to provide accurate personal and image details.
Distinguished Jury
A distinguished, star-studded panel of jurors from the world of photography will select the winners in March 2026, evaluating each entry for technical skill, perspective, motion, and emotional impact.
The contest will distribute a total of $58,000 in prize money, with the Photo of the Year awarded to the top image in the Single News category, which comes with a $6,000 prize.
First-place winners in each category will receive $3,000, while second and third places will get $1,500 and $1,000, respectively.
Applications can be submitted exclusively on the website istanbulphotoawards.com until Jan. 9, 2026.
Extensive information about the application conditions, along with past winning photos, exhibition details, photo albums, and information on previous jury members, is also available on the website.
Image: Photo of the year 2025: Gaza - Deir al-Balah / Palestine A mother and father embrace their children who were killed in an Israeli airstrike on their tent in the Gaza Strip’s central city of Deir al-Balah on Aug. 28, 2024.
Organized by Anadolu for the 12th consecutive year, the contest aims to promote press photography globally.
Each year, around 20,000 images are submitted to İstanbul Photo Awards, which is widely seen as one of the world’s top photography contests.
Professional photographers, regardless of their press affiliation, are eligible to enter the contest provided their newsworthy photos were taken between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2025.
The contest features 10 categories, including Single News, Story News, Single Sports, Story Sports, Single Nature and Environment, Story Nature and Environment, Single Daily Life, Story Daily Life, Single Portrait, and Story Portrait.
Photographers may submit both published and unpublished work in all categories, with the responsibility to provide accurate personal and image details.
Distinguished Jury
A distinguished, star-studded panel of jurors from the world of photography will select the winners in March 2026, evaluating each entry for technical skill, perspective, motion, and emotional impact.
The contest will distribute a total of $58,000 in prize money, with the Photo of the Year awarded to the top image in the Single News category, which comes with a $6,000 prize.
First-place winners in each category will receive $3,000, while second and third places will get $1,500 and $1,000, respectively.
Applications can be submitted exclusively on the website istanbulphotoawards.com until Jan. 9, 2026.
Extensive information about the application conditions, along with past winning photos, exhibition details, photo albums, and information on previous jury members, is also available on the website.
Image: Photo of the year 2025: Gaza - Deir al-Balah / Palestine A mother and father embrace their children who were killed in an Israeli airstrike on their tent in the Gaza Strip’s central city of Deir al-Balah on Aug. 28, 2024.
Featured Photo Contest
AAP Magazine #54 / Nature
Our 54th printed issue of AAP Magazine will feature the best projects showcasing the theme: Nature. Capturing the Splendor of Landscapes, Wildlife, Flora & Fauna
© Jo Fields
Best Photography Contests in 2025
Each year, there are hundreds of photography competitions all over the world, so we've decided to select for you the best of the best! Our selection of the best photo contests in 2025 is thoroughly curated to help you, whether you are a professional photographer or an amateur, to help find your next creative breakthrough. These all-star competitions offer the greatest opportunities for international exposure and/or incredible financial benefits. Some of them are closing soon, so get your photo submissions in!
ENDS 12/15/25
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Be Featured in our January 2026 Online Juried Solo Exhibition!
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Winners will be exhibited in New York during The Photography Show + Cash Prizes
ENDS 12/31/25
If you're a passionate amateur or professional photographer, we invite you to share your photographic project with us.
ENDS 01/06/26
Rewarding the best single images! Enter for free and you could win $5,000, top Sony digital imaging equipment plus more!
ENDS 01/06/26
Dedicated to young photographers under 19 years-old - first prize is top Sony digital imaging equipment plus benefit from global exposure
ENDS 01/06/26
First place receives Sony Digital Imaging equipment and inclusion in the Sony World Photography Awards exhibition and book
ENDS 01/09/26
All Finalists: All five finalists participate in a group exhibition organized by Aperture at AIPAD in New York in April 2026.
ENDS 01/09/26
First-place winners in each category will receive $3,000, while second and third places will get $1,500 and $1,000, respectively.
ENDS 01/12/26
The Prize intends to recognise one overall winner who will receive a €10,000 cash prize, and two runners-up who will each receive €2,500
ENDS 01/13/26
Rewarding the best photo series worldwide! Enter for free and you could win $25,000, a range of Sony digital imaging equipment plus more!
ENDS 01/17/26
The annual photo contest rewards photographers for the best single exposure pictures contributing to the past year of visual journalism.
ENDS 02/15/26
Art is born out of passion. Fine Art photography is a perfect instrument, which allows a person to communicate with the world and share their vision. It results from the author's deep sensitivity, a need to express feelings through image.
ENDS 03/01/26
Full Tuition, a Leica camera system on loan for the academic year and an opportunity to present their work at the Leica Store in New York City’s Meatpacking District.
ENDS 03/02/26
The biennial Belfast Photo Festival provided the perfect platform for gaining exposure to an international audience, with previous editions having welcome over 100,000 visitors from all over the world
ENDS 03/04/26
BUDAPEST INTERNATIONAL FOTO AWARDS is an international platform for photographers from all levels and genres to share their best images with the creative community in Hungary and Eastern Europe.
ENDS 03/31/26
Entries are open worldwide to photographers using an iPhone or iPad. Photos should not be published previously anywhere. The posts on personal accounts (Facebook, Instagram etc.) are eligible.
ENDS 05/17/26
MonoVisions Photography Awards are an international open call for photographers using black and white medium to express their visual language.
ENDS 07/22/26
Submit your best work to our photo competition for a chance to win up to $11,500 in cash prizes, be selected by our curators for the PX3 exhibition in Paris and inclusion in the Annual PX3 book.