Whether you're an experienced photographer, a beginner just starting your journey, or simply someone who enjoys capturing beautiful moments, submitting your work to photography competitions is one of the most effective ways to gain exposure and recognition in the field.
Entering photography competitions offers benefits beyond just winning prizes and gaining publicity, though those are certainly valuable bonuses. It's also an opportunity to dive deep into your photo archives, rediscover your best images, and refine your personal photographic style. Even if you don't make it to the shortlist, the experience itself proves rewarding and can push your photography skills to the next level.
Many photographers credit competitions as the stepping stone that helped them build their reputation, grow their audience, or land their first major feature. With numerous open calls across all photography genres - from astrophotography and macro photography to wildlife, travel, food, portrait, and conceptual photography - there's something available for every photographer's interests and specialties.
The best aspect of these competitions is that most offer multiple categories, so you're likely to find a perfect match for your specific type of work. To help photographers get started, here's a comprehensive list of photography competitions with open calls that are accepting submissions through at least August and continuing until January of next year. This represents a small selection designed to spark inspiration, but countless other opportunities exist in the photography world.
**Photography 4 Humanity 2025**
Deadline: August 5, 2025
Open to: Photographers of all skill levels
Focus: Climate Justice - "We believe climate change is a human rights issue, so we are looking for images that show people impacted by the escalating climate crisis."
Entry Fee: Free to enter
Prizes: $5,000 global prize, with the top 10 finalists and top 20 honorable mentions being exhibited globally via UN.org
**LensCulture's Street Photography Awards**
Deadline: August 6, 2025
Open to: Photographers of all skill levels
Focus: Street photography - "From fleeting gestures to monumental scenes, your images can echo far beyond the instant they were captured."
Categories: Both series and single image submissions accepted
Entry Fee: One image free, additional images cost $10 each, or five images for $35, series of up to ten images cost $45
Prizes: $10,000 in total cash awards, solo feature published on LensCulture, exhibition opportunity in New York, international press exposure, and additional benefits
**Fujifilm GFX Challenge Grant Program**
Deadline: August 31, 2025
Open to: Creative professionals of all levels
Focus: Still photography or movie format projects
Entry Fee: Free to enter
Prizes: Complimentary use of a GFX system camera body and two GF lenses for the duration of the selected project, mentoring and technical assistance from Fujifilm technicians and product experts, plus a $10,000 grant
**KBr Photo Award**
Deadline: September 1, 2025
Open to: Professional photographers
Focus: Documentary photography - "Work must demonstrate artistic values of particular interest within the tradition of documentary photography."
Entry Fee: Free to enter
Prizes: $25,000 cash award to develop the winning project within 10 months, solo exhibition at KBr Barcelona and Fundación MAPFRE Madrid, accompanied by a published catalogue
**Paris Photo-Aperture PhotoBook Awards**
Deadline: September 5, 2025 (Note: One copy of each submitted photobook plus submission forms must be sent to Aperture's offices in New York)
Open to: Photographers of all skill levels
Categories: First PhotoBook, PhotoBook of the Year, Photography Catalog of the Year
Entry Fees: First PhotoBook category costs $30 per project; PhotoBook of the Year costs $60 for the first project from a given publisher, $30 for each subsequent project from the same publisher; Photography Catalog of the Year costs $60 for the first project from a given publisher, $30 for each subsequent project from the same publisher
Prizes: $10,000 cash prize
**Center for Photographic Art (CPA)**
Deadline: October 1, 2025
Open to: Creative professionals working in still photographic media
Focus: No specific theme required - any subject matter is eligible
Entry Fee: $10 for one image (entry discounts available)
Prizes: $5,400 in total cash awards, CPA gear, online exhibition, and physical exhibition at CPA's historic gallery located in Carmel, California
**19th Picture Award**
Deadline: October 5, 2025
Open to: Photographers of all skill levels
Category: Animals
Focus: Diversity in animal photography, including pets, urban wildlife, underwater photography, or macro insights
Entry Fees: One image costs $5, three images cost $13, five images cost $20
Prizes: $650 in cash and product prizes
**Nature Photography Contest**
Deadline: November 15, 2025
Open to: Photographers of all skill levels
Categories: Natural landscapes, Wildlife, Macrophotography, Underwater, Birds, Plant Life, Night World, Environmental Impact, Sharing the Planet, Funny Nature
Entry Fee: $10 per image
Prizes: Prestigious "Photographer of the Year" title, $2,000 in cash prizes, and additional awards
**Anthology Photography Competition**
Deadline: November 30, 2025
Open to: Photographers of all skill levels
Focus: 'The World As You See It' - "Photography styles can include street photography, landscapes, natural world and wildlife, macro photography, lifestyle, object and still life, and architectural photography. Technically manipulated images such as abstract, panoramic, stitched and composite images are also permitted."
Entry Fee: Standard rate of $18 from May until November 2025
Prizes: The winner will receive a $500 cash prize and editorial coverage in a future issue of Anthology magazine
**Sony World Photography Awards**
Deadlines: Student Competition: November 28, 2025; Open and Youth Competition: January 6, 2026; Professional Competition: January 13, 2026
Open to: Photographers of all skill levels
Categories: Student Competition focuses on "Together"; Open Competition includes Architecture, Creative, Landscape, Lifestyle, Motion, Natural World & Wildlife, Object, Portraiture, Street Photography, and Travel; Youth Competition has an Open Call asking to "Show us your best images!"; Professional Competition covers Architecture & Design, Creative, Documentary Projects, Environment, Landscape, Perspectives, Portraiture, Sport, Still Life, and Wildlife & Nature
Entry Fee: Free to enter
Prizes: Global press exposure, $25,000 cash prize, Sony photography gear, solo exhibition at the Sony World Photography Awards London exhibition, and numerous additional benefits
These competitions represent excellent opportunities for photographers to showcase their work, gain recognition, and potentially win significant prizes. The variety of categories and themes ensures that photographers working in different styles and subjects can find competitions that match their interests and expertise. Most importantly, many of these competitions are free to enter or have very reasonable entry fees, making them accessible to photographers at all levels of their careers.
