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Photographers may submit both published and unpublished work in all categories, with the responsibility to provide accurate personal and image details.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 #55/Women
$1,000 cash prizes | Winning image(s) published in AAP Magazine #55 | Extensive press coverage and global recognition
© Jacque Rupp
Best Photography Contests in 2024
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 2024 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 03/03/26
Our 55th printed issue of AAP Magazine will feature the best projects showcasing the theme "Women".
ENDS 03/04/26
Earth Photo 2026 is now open for entries, inviting photographers and filmmakers of all ages, working anywhere in the world, to submit compelling visual stories about our planet.
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 03/13/26
The 28th edition of the PICTO Fashion Photography Award holds a special significance for the PICTO Foundation.
ENDS 03/13/26
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 03/15/26
‘On the Block’ celebrates the unposed, unfiltered, and fleeting moments that define the art of documenting everyday life, whether in dense urban streets or sleepy rural towns.
ENDS 03/16/26
The prize is endowed with €5,000 to use as the winner sees fit.
ENDS 03/17/26
Be Featured in our April 2026 Online Juried Solo Exhibition!
ENDS 03/21/26
The FORMAT Portfolio Review is returning in 2026. It will take place online on Friday 20 and Saturday 21 March.
ENDS 03/29/26
Be seen, be supported, and be part of Head On Photo Festival 2026.
ENDS 03/31/26
If you're a passionate amateur or professional photographer, we invite you to share your photographic project with us.
ENDS 03/31/26
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 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 04/12/26
The winner will receive a grant of $14,000 for a solo exhibition
ENDS 04/16/26
Emerging Photographers (under 30 year old ) 2 X $ 5000 grants.
ENDS 04/16/26
The main grant is open to professional photographers worldwide, one $30,000. grant
ENDS 05/07/26
The 2026 Virginia Prize, worth €10,000, will be awarded to its winner in November 2026.
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 05/31/26
This season will feature five main categories, with ‘Family’ serving as the primary theme.
ENDS 06/15/26
Submit your best photographs now and get your chance to be one of the winners awarded in Siena!
ENDS 06/30/26
The IPA recognizes photography’s leading talents who are creating, shaping and defining the world of photography today.
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.