Photo contests
A directory of open photography contests from around the web. Looking for fotoclub.md's own community contest?
Art of Light 2026
An international FIAP-patronised photo salon organised by Vantaa Photoclub in Finland, open to photographers worldwide.
FIAPGPUNFFFAFCCThe 3rd edition of Art of Light is an international photography salon hosted by Vantaa Photoclub, Finland, open to entrants from any country. Competitors may submit to four FIAP-recognised sections: Colour Open, Monochrome Open, Nature, and Photo Travel. A total of 112 prizes are awarded across FIAP, GPU, NFFF, AFCC and club-specific categories.
Real And Wild – RAW Photography Awards
A nature photography competition celebrating wildlife and wild moments found close to home rather than through distant expeditions.
RAW is an inaugural 2026 nature photography competition open to everyone in the world, encouraging photographers to document wildlife and nature within 100 km of home rather than relying on long-distance travel. It rewards close observation of everyday encounters with nature — from urban wildlife to overlooked ecosystems — across categories including aerial, cityscapes, environmental, macro, landscape, seascapes, street, urban, and wildlife photography. Photographers retain all copyright and usage rights to their images.
Deadline: September 30, 2026 (Closed)
Country: International
Entry fee: Fee not listed
Theme: Aerial, Cityscapes, Environmental, Macro/Micro, Landscape, Nature, Seascapes, Street, Urban, Wildlife
Prize: Overall winner (RAW Photographer of the Year) receives $1000; category winners receive $250 each
Romanian Grand Circuit. Autumn📌
10TH INTERNATIONAL ART PHOTOGRAPHIC SALON ”VARADINUM” ORADEA - ROMANIA 2026 is international contest of art photography, organized by Asociatia Ovi D. Pop from Oradea, Romania.
FIAPGPUIAAPAAFRVaradinum10TH INTERNATIONAL ART PHOTOGRAPHIC SALON ”VARADINUM” ORADEA - ROMANIA 2026 is international contest of art photography, organized by Asociatia Ovi D. Pop from Oradea, Romania.
Analogue / Digital Photography Exhibition
An open call inviting photographers worldwide to explore the interplay between analogue and digital image-making for an online exhibition and printed catalogue.
Solas / Shadow Gallery invites photographers 18 and older, worldwide, to submit up to 5 JPG images exploring the relationship between analogue and digital photography, examining how each approach influences, challenges, and complements the other in contemporary practice. Submission is free, but participants selected for the exhibition pay a participation fee (£16 for 1 image, £22 for 2+ images). Selected work will be displayed in an online gallery, featured on the gallery's social media and YouTube channel, and included in a PDF/physical Exhibition Catalogue, with the exhibition starting January 2027.
Deadline: September 29, 2026 (Closed)
Entry fee: Fee not listed
Theme: analogue, digital, conceptual, open theme
Prize: Work displayed in an online gallery, digital certificate of participation, feature on gallery's social media and YouTube channel, and inclusion in a PDF and physical Exhibition Catalogue.
Nature and Humans 2026
An international photography contest exploring the relationship between people and the natural environment, with a focus on conservation and sustainability.
Organized by the DESEA Foundation, Nature and Humans 2026 invites photographers worldwide to submit up to 30 images across fifteen sections covering conservation, wildlife, landscape and human-nature interaction themes. The contest includes special categories such as Conservation Photography (Thematic Series, Single Image, Spain), Conservation Told by Women, plus thematic categories like Mammals, Birds, Oceans, Landscape and Creative, as well as Youth, Children and People's Choice awards. Entrants pay a standard fee, with discounts for FONAMAD members and free entry for minors under 18.
Deadline: September 28, 2026 (Closed)
Country: International
Entry fee: 25 EUR
Theme: nature, wildlife, conservation, environmental, landscape, documentary
Prize: More than €17,000 in total prizes, including €10,000 in cash, equipment and travel vouchers from Sony, OM SYSTEM and other partners, plus book sets and a People's Choice award.
BBA One Shot Award 2026
A single-image, open-theme photography award run by Berlin's BBA Gallery offering exhibition and a cash prize.
Open to photographers worldwide, this contest asks entrants to submit their single strongest photograph, regardless of genre or technique, including smartphone and analogue work. There are no categories or subthemes; curation produces a 50-image longlist, a 20-image shortlist that is exhibited at BBA Gallery in Berlin, and one overall winner. Shortlisted and winning photographers receive exhibition placement, online promotion, and (for the winner) an Artsy profile and cash prize.
Deadline: September 28, 2026 (Closed)
Country: International
Entry fee: 19 EUR
Theme: open theme, portrait, street, abstract, conceptual, smartphone
Prize: €300 cash prize, exhibition presentation at BBA Gallery (Berlin), promotion across BBA's website/newsletter/socials, and an Artsy profile for the winner; shortlisted entrants get an exhibition print (production costs covered) and online promotion.
Beauty by A Smith Gallery 2026
An international juried photography call inviting broad interpretations of "beauty" for an online exhibition, publication and solo-show awards at A Smith Gallery.
Open internationally to photographers working across mediums and styles, the call asks for images interpreting beauty through ideas like grace, charm, allure and elegance, with no separate entry categories. Juror Wendi Schneider will select up to 47 images for an online exhibition (Oct 16–Nov 26, 2026), 27 of which will appear in a hardbound book called The 27. Top honors include the Juror Award and Directors Award, each granting a month-long online solo exhibition, while the Visitors Award ($100) is decided by Instagram likes. Images previously shown in an A Smith Gallery competition are ineligible, and AI-generated images are currently discouraged.
Deadline: September 28, 2026 (Closed)
Country: International
Entry fee: 40 USD
Theme: fine art, beauty, portrait
Prize: Online exhibition inclusion, features in The 27 hardbound book, Juror and Directors Awards each granting a one-month online solo exhibition plus book/blog feature, and a $100 Visitors Award for the most Instagram-liked image.
81st Hong Kong International Salon of Photography 2026
An international photo salon organized in Hong Kong with FIAP and GPU patronage, open to photographers worldwide.
FIAPGPUThis is the 81st edition of the Hong Kong International Salon of Photography, run under patronage from FIAP and GPU with additional PSHK awards. <cite index="21-1,21-2">Closing date for entries is 28 September 2026, with judging completed by 26 October 2026 and the exhibition held 8–15 December 2026 at the Hong Kong Central Library.</cite> <cite index="21-3">Entry fees for online participants can be paid in USD, EUR, RMB or HK$ via PayPal.</cite>
Wojnicz International Salon of Photography 2026
An annual international photography salon run by the Wojnickie Towarzystwo Fotograficzne Fotum in Poland, recognized by IAAP.
FIAPGPUIAAPThis salon has garnered recognition from the International Association of Art Photographers (IAAP), with awards and acceptances earned during the event counting toward participants' IAAP honors. It also appears on the GPU list of licensed salons for its 2026 edition.
ICE Group Exhibition SANTA MARIA 2026
An international FIAP-patronized photography exhibition hosted by ICE Group in Iceland.
FIAPOpen international photo exhibition organized by ICE Group, held under FIAP patronage (2026/519) in Iceland. Photographers submit work online and pay a registration fee; accepted and awarded entries receive PDF certificates, with judging, notification and award distribution following the closing date.