Photo contests
A directory of open photography contests from around the web. Looking for fotoclub.md's own community contest?
7th China dream International Photography Circuit 2026
An international photography circuit (7th China dream International Photography Circuit 2026) with WPU/CIPA patronage, open worldwide across five sections.
WPUCIPAJCPCJSPAHJPPThe 7th China dream International Photography Circuit 2026 is an international salon open to photographers from all around the world, conducted in accordance with patronages, rules and requirements approved by WPU and CIPA. It runs under the joint patronage of the World Photography Union (WPU), CIPA, JCPC, JSPA and HJPP, and is open to photographers worldwide, with five sections: Art Color, Art Mono, Record Human, Record Nature and Unlimited. Awards include a WPU Gold Medal plus Salon E-Certificates for Gold, Silver, Bronze and Honorable Mention (175+ awards in total).
Deadline: September 25, 2026 (Closed)
Country: China
Entry fee: 12 USD
Theme: color, monochrome, documentary/human, nature, open
Prize: WPU Gold Medal and Salon E-Certificates (Gold, Silver, Bronze, Honorable Mention) — 175+ awards total; entry fee USD $12 for 1 section (85 CNY), +$5 per additional section.
6-th Kyiv Photo Salon📌
This exhibition is open to anyone; however, an entry may be rejected when the Sponsor or the Exhibition Organizers, in their reasonable discretion, believes the entry does not conform to exhibition rules and these Conditions of Entry. Membership in any photographic organization is not required.
FIAPISThis exhibition is open to anyone; however, an entry may be rejected when the Sponsor or the Exhibition Organizers, in their reasonable discretion, believes the entry does not conform to exhibition rules and these Conditions of Entry. Membership in any photographic organization is not required.
PHmuseum 2026 Women Photographers Grant
€10,000 in cash plus an exhibition at PhMuseum Lab, screenings at PhotoVogue Festival, and more
The PhMuseum Women Photographers Grant, now in its 10th edition, aims to empower the work and careers of female and non-binary professionals of all ages and from all countries working in diverse areas of photography. Its mission is to support the growth of the new generations and promote stories narrated from a female perspective while responding to the need to work for gender equality in the industry. To participate, you are invited to submit one or more projects centred around a specific theme, narrative or concept. All approaches are welcome from classic to more experimental projects, and you can present more than one work. By applying you retain full copyright or your images at all times, and we’ll ask for your permission to share them on our social media channels. The judging will happen between October and November with the shortlist to be announced before 20 November. Thanks for considering this opportunity and good luck with your applications!
2026 Arnold Newman Prize for New Directions in Photographic Portraiture
A $20,000 prize awarded annually to a photographer whose work demonstrates a compelling new vision in photographic portraiture.
The Arnold Newman Prize for New Directions in Photographic Portraiture is a $20,000 prize awarded annually to a photographer whose work demonstrates a compelling new vision in photographic portraiture. The jury will select a Top Ten, from which the winner and three finalists will be chosen. The three finalists receive a $500 stipend each. All artists recognized in the Top Ten will be included in the online exhibitions hosted by Maine Media and the Griffin Museum of Photography. The Winner and Finalists will be featured in an exhibition at the Griffin Museum of Photography in December 2026.
The Crux of Visibility: Portraits, Vision, and Empathy
An open call exploring portraiture as a means of recognition, visibility, and empathy.
<cite index="17-7,17-8">Portraits hold a unique form of power and can exist in various photographic languages, from ID cards to institutional archives, from museum collections to family albums; they can be instrumental or conceptual, conveying fragmented and complex identities.</cite> <cite index="17-9">This call is curious about the conversations and connections enabled by portraiture, suggesting that the photographer can further problematize such limitations and photographic histories or offer a view rooted in compassion and understanding.</cite>
Deadline: September 22, 2026 (Closed)
Country: United States
Entry fee: 25 USD
Theme: portrait
Prize: 1st Place winner will receive $500 cash prize; 2nd Place winner will receive a $250 LACP gift card and one-year membership; 3rd Place winner will receive a $250 LACP gift card. Other artists will be selected as Honorable Mentions and will have their work shown in an online gallery, running for three months.
JCM Circuit 2026
An international digital photography circuit with FIAP, FIP, GPU and WPAI patronage.
FIAPFIPGPUWPAIThe circuit is organized with recognition from FIAP, FIP, GPU and the Wildlife Photography Association of India (WPAI). It runs four digital sections covering Monochrome (PIDM), Color (PIDC), Nature (ND), and a broader travel/genre category called World in Focus.
42. Zagreb Salon - International Exhibition of Photography 2026
An international art photography competition organized by Fotoklub Zagreb, held under FIAP patronage.
FIAPGPUOpen to amateur and professional photographers worldwide, the 42nd Zagreb Salon accepts digital photographs in five themes, with up to four images per theme per author. AI-generated images are prohibited, and entrants must hold full copyright to submitted works. The exhibition will be held at the National and University Library in Zagreb, Croatia.
Deadline: September 20, 2026 (Closed)
Country: Croatia
Entry fee: 20 EUR
Theme: open color, open monochrome, movement, geometry, minimalism
Prize: 137 awards total, including FIAP Blue Badge for most successful author, FIAP gold/silver/bronze medals and ribbons, GPU medals and ribbons, Zagreb Salon and Fotoklub Zagreb medals, and a special award for the most successful Croatian author.
ND Awards 2026
An international photography competition (the Neutral Density Photography Awards) offering a $10,000 total prize pool across professional and non-professional categories.
ND Awards 2026 is open to photographers aged 18 and over from any country, with separate Professional and Non-Professional sections judged by an international jury. Entries can be single images or series of 2–5 images across six professional and five non-professional categories, including Architecture, Editorial, Fine Art, Nature, People and Special. All submissions are made online, with winners announced November 22, 2026.
Deadline: September 20, 2026 (Closed)
Country: International
Entry fee: 19 USD
Theme: Abstract, Aerial, Analog, Architecture, Conceptual, Culture, Documentary, Editorial, Environmental, Fashion, Fine Art, Landscape, Long Exposure, Nature, Night Photography, Nudes, Open Theme, Panoramic, People, Photomanipulation, Portrait, Seascape, Sports, Street, Travel, Underwater, Wildlife
Prize: $10,000 in cash prizes, including a $3,500 Professional Grand Prize ("ND Photographer of the Year"), a $2,400 Non-Professional Grand Prize ("ND Discovery of the Year"), category prizes of $500/$400, plus subcategory Gold/Silver/Bronze awards and Honorable Mentions.
Elemental: Earth, Air, Fire, Water by TCG Gallery
An international open call for photographers and lens-based artists to submit work exploring the four elements for a curated online exhibition by TCG Gallery.
Open worldwide to photographers and visual artists aged 18+, this call invites individual images or cohesive series—conventional, alternative, analog, or digital—exploring earth, air, fire, and water literally, symbolically, or through their traces. There are no separate entry categories; roughly 35 works will be selected for a month-long curated online exhibition with a permanent archive placement. AI-generated or substantially AI-altered work is prohibited, and fee waivers are available for financial hardship.
Deadline: September 20, 2026 (Closed)
Country: International
Entry fee: 15 USD
Theme: Conceptual, Open Theme
Prize: Inclusion of ~35 selected works in a curated online exhibition (Oct 1–31, 2026), permanent placement in the gallery's online archive, promotion via website/email/social media, and optional artwork sales (TCG Gallery retains 30% commission).
Changing Asia 2026
A free, international photography call themed "Moments of Connection: Smiles and Hands of the Asia-Pacific," organized by China Daily and the Asia News Network.
Open to photographers worldwide, Changing Asia 2026 invites one to ten images per submission taken from January 1, 2023 onward that explore Asia-Pacific connection, transformation, and diversity through people, communities, environments, and culture. There are no separate categories; all entries respond to the single theme across three broad directions: Asian transformations, Asian stories, and Asian diversity. Winning work leads to a physical exhibition on October 26, 2026 at the Shenzhen Research Institute of The Chinese University of Hong Kong, ahead of the 2026 APEC Meeting.
Deadline: September 19, 2026 (Closed)
Country: International
Entry fee: Free
Theme: Culture, Documentary, Environmental, Landscape, Open Theme, People, Street, Travel
Prize: Winners receive a photo book, inclusion in the Changing Asia exhibition (October 26, 2026, Shenzhen Research Institute of The Chinese University of Hong Kong), and an award certificate.