Photography Contest
Istanbul Photo Awards 2026
Deadline |
CLOSEDTheme |
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Photographers may submit both published and unpublished work in all categories, with the responsibility to provide accurate personal and image details.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 #62 / TRAVELS
Our 62nd printed issue of AAP Magazine will feature the best projects showcasing the theme: Travels. Reflect on your past or current adventures, expand our horizons from the four corners of the globe!
© Indranil Sengupta
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 10/13/26
For 2026, the amount of the W. Eugene Smith Student Grant is $5,000. The grant provides two students with the opportunity to complete a photographic essay.
ENDS 10/13/26
For 2026, the amount of the W. Eugene Smith Grant is $30,000, and two additional $10,000 Finalist Grants will be awarded.
ENDS 10/14/26
This year we're excited to exhibit our Emerging Talent winners in Paris alongside Paris Photo, the world's largest international art fair dedicated to photography!
ENDS 10/14/26
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.
ENDS 10/15/26
A total of $8,000 in grants will be awarded to three outstanding artists
ENDS 10/15/26
€10,000 in cash plus an exhibition at PhMuseum Lab, screenings at PhotoVogue Festival, and more
ENDS 10/16/26
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.
ENDS 10/31/26
If you're a passionate amateur or professional photographer, we invite you to share your photographic project with us.
ENDS 11/01/26
The best photographs will be presented in an exhibition in the Principality of Monaco, then touring in various locations around the world, as well as in a high-quality photography book.
ENDS 11/05/26
To help photographers improve their chances, we have launched a portfolio and contest submission review service.
ENDS 11/05/26
The acclaimed and renonwned photography grant contest from Gomma. The ninth year in the making. High international exposure and funding.
ENDS 11/17/26
Exhibition: 34 photographers exhibited in Barcelona, Spain, from November 5 to December 11, 2026, at Centre Cívic Pati Llimona
ENDS 11/22/26
The criteria for selection by a jury of professional in the photographic field are a height creative level, originality and a coherent personal vision.
ENDS 11/30/26
Selected photobooks will be featured in Der Greif’s Articles section, including a dedicated editorial feature highlighting the project, its context, and the maker(s).
ENDS 12/01/26
Empowering photographers and storytellers to tell powerful, long-term stories about the people and communities protecting our planet and wildlife.
ENDS 12/08/26
The Rencontres d’Arles is pleased to announce the launch of the 2026 Discovery Award. Jury award of €15,000 and public award of €5,000
ENDS 01/02/27
Turn your unique perspective on architecture into an award-winning visual narrative in the Luis Ferreira Alves Photography Competition.
ENDS 01/05/27
Dedicated to young photographers under 19 years-old - first prize is top Sony digital imaging equipment plus benefit from global exposure
ENDS 01/05/27
Rewarding the best single images! Enter for free and you could win $5,000, top Sony digital imaging equipment plus more!
ENDS 01/12/27
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 02/07/27
Competition dedicated to telling food stories through photography
ENDS 03/31/27
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 03/31/27
Exhibition at the Pure Street Photography Awards Exhibition in India
ENDS 11/26/27
Provides a platform for photography students worldwide - first prize is top Sony digital imaging equipment plus benefit from global exposure