Photography Contest
Spotlight Awards 2026
Deadline |
CLOSEDTheme |
Commercial PhotographyTerritory |
WorldwideEligibility |
Open to allEntry Fees |
35 EurosPrizes |
Cash PrizeHost |
Production ParadiseThe Spotlight Awards highlight world-class commercial photographers who are creating the most outstanding imagery within advertising. Each category winner will get prizes from our sponsors, valued at $2,990.00. The total prize pool is worth over $40,000.00 across all the categories and offers invaluable international exposure. The contest is open globally to all professional photographers.
Grand prize winner
$1000 cash prize
Portfolio Review event ticket, worth $1500
Photo Review Membership digital, plus a voucher for digital publications in Photo Review's shop, total worth $100.00
Commercial Positioning Strategy Call or 60-Day Visibility Strategy Call with SALT, worth $470.00
Category Winner Prizes:
A Special Production Paradise Membership Pack, worth $2,000.00
Photo Review Access to recent digital editions, shop voucher and member-only content on the Photo Review website.
5-year Modelmanagement.com Premium Pro Membership for Photographers, worth $990.00
Image: © Todd Antony - Sport & Grand Prize Winner SA25
Grand prize winner
$1000 cash prize
Portfolio Review event ticket, worth $1500
Photo Review Membership digital, plus a voucher for digital publications in Photo Review's shop, total worth $100.00
Commercial Positioning Strategy Call or 60-Day Visibility Strategy Call with SALT, worth $470.00
Category Winner Prizes:
A Special Production Paradise Membership Pack, worth $2,000.00
Photo Review Access to recent digital editions, shop voucher and member-only content on the Photo Review website.
5-year Modelmanagement.com Premium Pro Membership for Photographers, worth $990.00
Image: © Todd Antony - Sport & Grand Prize Winner SA25
Featured Photo Contest
AAP Magazine #61 / STREET
The 61st printed issue of AAP Magazine will feature the best projects showcasing urban life. Send a cohesive body of work or portfolio - capturing the weird and wonderful moments unfolding around you!
© Tommi Viitala
Best Photography Contests in 2026
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 2026 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 09/22/26
Be Featured in our october 2026 Online Juried Solo Exhibition!
ENDS 09/23/26
A $20,000 prize awarded annually to a photographer whose work demonstrates a compelling new vision in photographic portraiture.
ENDS 09/24/26
A total of $8,000 in grants will be awarded to three outstanding artists
ENDS 09/24/26
€10,000 in cash plus an exhibition at PhMuseum Lab, screenings at PhotoVogue Festival, and more
ENDS 09/29/26
Send us a cohesive body of work or portfolio - capturing the weird and wonderful moments unfolding around you! The subject is completely up to you.
ENDS 09/30/26
If you're a passionate amateur or professional photographer, we invite you to share your photographic project with us.
ENDS 09/30/26
This program is a juried competition open to a diversity of book submissions- from traditionally published to prototypes, hand-made books to zines
ENDS 10/01/26
Each of the three categories—Spot News, Environment, and Solutions—has one Category Winner receiving USD 5,000 and exhibition of the winning essay at Xposure
ENDS 10/01/26
The James Balog Earth Vision Awards (JBEVA) are biennial juried prizes that are intended to support photographers who are responding to today’s complex environmental issues through photography.
ENDS 10/01/26
$12,000 in total grants awarded to three artists
ENDS 10/01/26
TIFA connects photographers from around the world with the creative community in Tokyo, Japan, providing them with an excellent platform to present their work to a new market.
ENDS 10/01/26
The Center for Photographic Art (CPA) is excited to announce the 2025 International Juried Exhibition with $6,000 in awards!
ENDS 10/11/26
Art is born out of passion. Fine Art photography is a perfect instrument, which allows a person to communicate with the world and share their vision. It results from the author's deep sensitivity, a need to express feelings through image.
ENDS 10/13/26
For 2026, the amount of the W. Eugene Smith Student Grant is $5,000. The grant provides two students with the opportunity to complete a photographic essay.
ENDS 10/13/26
For 2026, the amount of the W. Eugene Smith Grant is $30,000, and two additional $10,000 Finalist Grants will be awarded.
ENDS 11/05/26
To help photographers improve their chances, we have launched a portfolio and contest submission review service.
ENDS 11/05/26
The acclaimed and renonwned photography grant contest from Gomma. The ninth year in the making. High international exposure and funding.
ENDS 12/01/26
Empowering photographers and storytellers to tell powerful, long-term stories about the people and communities protecting our planet and wildlife.
ENDS 01/05/27
Dedicated to young photographers under 19 years-old - first prize is top Sony digital imaging equipment plus benefit from global exposure
ENDS 01/05/27
Rewarding the best single images! Enter for free and you could win $5,000, top Sony digital imaging equipment plus more!
ENDS 01/12/27
Rewarding the best photo series worldwide! Enter for free and you could win $25,000, a range of Sony digital imaging equipment plus more!
ENDS 11/26/27
Provides a platform for photography students worldwide - first prize is top Sony digital imaging equipment plus benefit from global exposure