Photography Contest
2026 Photographer of the Year Contest
Deadline |
10/18/26Theme |
Several categoriesTerritory |
WorldwideEligibility |
Open to allEntry Fees |
Between $30 and $50Prizes |
Cash PrizeHost |
1839 AwardsJoin us in celebrating distinctive images in fine art photography with the 2026 Photographer of the Year Contest by the 1839 Awards. Winners will receive $4,000 in cash prizes, a dedicated page in our Artist Directory, global media exposure, the opportunity to have their work seen by world-class judges, and much more.
Prize Details
Winners of the 1839 Awards enjoy far more than prizes. Throughout the year and beyond, both winners and participants benefit from ongoing promotion and international recognition.
* Global Exposure: Receive a public profile in our Artist Directory, complete with links to your website and social media, helping your work reach industry professionals and influential tastemakers worldwide.
* Cash Prizes: More than $4,000 in cash awards.
* Winners Gallery: Showcase your work in a dedicated digital exhibition space designed to highlight winning artists.
* Community: Join a global network of photographers brought together through the 1839 Awards.
* Press Release: Receive professionally written promotional materials, including a customized press release to help share your achievement.
* Winner's Interview: Be featured in a publicly promoted interview with links to your portfolio and social profiles, helping you gain the international recognition your work deserves.
Image: Wayne Sorensen
Prize Details
Winners of the 1839 Awards enjoy far more than prizes. Throughout the year and beyond, both winners and participants benefit from ongoing promotion and international recognition.
* Global Exposure: Receive a public profile in our Artist Directory, complete with links to your website and social media, helping your work reach industry professionals and influential tastemakers worldwide.
* Cash Prizes: More than $4,000 in cash awards.
* Winners Gallery: Showcase your work in a dedicated digital exhibition space designed to highlight winning artists.
* Community: Join a global network of photographers brought together through the 1839 Awards.
* Press Release: Receive professionally written promotional materials, including a customized press release to help share your achievement.
* Winner's Interview: Be featured in a publicly promoted interview with links to your portfolio and social profiles, helping you gain the international recognition your work deserves.
Image: Wayne Sorensen
Featured Photo Contest
AAP Magazine #62 / TRAVELS
Our 62nd printed issue of AAP Magazine will feature the best projects showcasing the theme: Travels. Reflect on your past or current adventures, expand our horizons from the four corners of the globe!
© Indranil Sengupta
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 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 Grant is $30,000, and two additional $10,000 Finalist Grants will be awarded.
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 10/14/26
This year we're excited to exhibit our Emerging Talent winners in Paris alongside Paris Photo, the world's largest international art fair dedicated to photography!
ENDS 10/14/26
From crossing paths with a black cat to honoring ancestors at vibrant altars, humans have always used stories, rituals, and visual symbols to make sense of fate, luck, and the unseen.
ENDS 10/15/26
A total of $8,000 in grants will be awarded to three outstanding artists
ENDS 10/15/26
€10,000 in cash plus an exhibition at PhMuseum Lab, screenings at PhotoVogue Festival, and more
ENDS 10/16/26
We are looking for your travel photographs, near and far, to the edge of the earth and to the places perhaps known only to you.
ENDS 10/31/26
If you're a passionate amateur or professional photographer, we invite you to share your photographic project with us.
ENDS 11/01/26
The best photographs will be presented in an exhibition in the Principality of Monaco, then touring in various locations around the world, as well as in a high-quality photography book.
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 11/22/26
The criteria for selection by a jury of professional in the photographic field are a height creative level, originality and a coherent personal vision.
ENDS 11/30/26
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 12/01/26
Empowering photographers and storytellers to tell powerful, long-term stories about the people and communities protecting our planet and wildlife.
ENDS 01/02/27
Turn your unique perspective on architecture into an award-winning visual narrative in the Luis Ferreira Alves Photography Competition.
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 02/07/27
Competition dedicated to telling food stories through photography
ENDS 03/31/27
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 11/26/27
Provides a platform for photography students worldwide - first prize is top Sony digital imaging equipment plus benefit from global exposure