Applications 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Photographers may submit both published and unpublished work in all categories, with the responsibility to provide accurate personal and image details.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.