Photography Contest
Head On Photo Awards 2026
Deadline |
CLOSEDTheme |
Portrait, Landscape, ExposureTerritory |
WorldwideEligibility |
Open to allEntry Fees |
AUD $35/imagePrizes |
Cash PrizeHost |
Head On Photo FestivalSince 2004 we have helped photographers worldwide to create, exhibit and inspire, awarding over $1,000,000 in cash and prizes.
The Head On Photo Awards represent a global selection of the best work from emerging and established photographers across three categories: Portrait | Landscape | Exposure
The Head On Portrait, Landscape and Exposure Awards are open INTERNATIONALLY to photographers of all levels.
AUD$80,000 prize pool – cash and high-end product
100% Anonymous Judging – judged without artists’ names to ensure equal opportunity. (Your gear and resume don’t matter, only the image)
110 finalists featured in a printed and online exhibition at Head On Photo Festival 2026 and included in a hard-cover catalogue
200 semi-finalists shown in a digital exhibition at a major festival venue
One overall winner and two runners-up per category
Prize pool
The three Head On Photo Awards 2026 category winners share an incredible prize pool exceeding AUD$80,000, including AUD$15,000 in cash.
Overall winners receive: AUD$5,000 cash, a premium OM Systems Camera Kit, a 12-month Adobe Creative Cloud All Apps subscription, a Photobook Australia printing package, and premium magazine subscriptions
Runners-up receive: A 12-month Adobe Creative Cloud All Apps subscription, a Photobook Australia printing package, and premium magazine subscriptions
All finalists receive a place in in a fully produced and curated printed exhibition at a key festival venue, online exhibition (www.headon.org.au)
All finalists are included in a hard-cover catalogue
The Head On Photo Awards represent a global selection of the best work from emerging and established photographers across three categories: Portrait | Landscape | Exposure
The Head On Portrait, Landscape and Exposure Awards are open INTERNATIONALLY to photographers of all levels.
AUD$80,000 prize pool – cash and high-end product
100% Anonymous Judging – judged without artists’ names to ensure equal opportunity. (Your gear and resume don’t matter, only the image)
110 finalists featured in a printed and online exhibition at Head On Photo Festival 2026 and included in a hard-cover catalogue
200 semi-finalists shown in a digital exhibition at a major festival venue
One overall winner and two runners-up per category
Prize pool
The three Head On Photo Awards 2026 category winners share an incredible prize pool exceeding AUD$80,000, including AUD$15,000 in cash.
Overall winners receive: AUD$5,000 cash, a premium OM Systems Camera Kit, a 12-month Adobe Creative Cloud All Apps subscription, a Photobook Australia printing package, and premium magazine subscriptions
Runners-up receive: A 12-month Adobe Creative Cloud All Apps subscription, a Photobook Australia printing package, and premium magazine subscriptions
All finalists receive a place in in a fully produced and curated printed exhibition at a key festival venue, online exhibition (www.headon.org.au)
All finalists are included in a hard-cover catalogue
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
€10,000 in cash plus an exhibition at PhMuseum Lab, screenings at PhotoVogue Festival, and more
ENDS 09/24/26
A total of $8,000 in grants will be awarded to three outstanding artists
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 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
The Center for Photographic Art (CPA) is excited to announce the 2025 International Juried Exhibition with $6,000 in awards!
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 10/11/26
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