Photography Competitions - The Ones To Watch
Looking to take your photography to a new level in 2018? Have a browse through our list of the biggest and perhaps most prestigious photography competitions and awards out there. With some open to just professionals and others to everyone have a browse and you might find one you’d like to enter and tick off of your bucket list for this year.
More of a photography lover? Then have a browse of the competition sites as they showcase some of the best pieces the world of photography has to offer from across the globe.
The Pulitzer Prize for Photography
One of the most famous photography awards the Pulitzer Prize for Photography runs annually with entries from photojournalists from all around the world. The competition has been running since 1942, however, the original prize has been split into two photojournalism since 1968 – the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography and the Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Photography (2000)
Prize: $10,000 and Award
World Press Photo
Beginning in 1955 the World Press Photo Competition is centered around photos which portray accurate, fair and compelling insight into the world, there are a range of categories entries can be submitted against including the environment, people, long-term projects and spot news.
Prize: €10,000 and winning entries are compiled into an exhibition which travels the world as well as published in the yearbook.
Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Ran in association with the Natural History Museum and in 2018 hitting its 55th year of running the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition looks for entries that push the standard level of artistic and technical aspects of wildlife photography. There are plenty of categories to enter including Urban Wildlife, Plants and Fungi, Animals and their Environment and Photo Story.
Prize: £10,000 a trophy and certificate
National Geographic – Nature Photographer
Having been published for more than 100 years, to have your work featured in the National Geographic magazine is the highest aim for many photographers. The categories the annual competition is judged in are wildlife, underwater, aerial and landscapes, with there also being the opportunity to win the people’s choice in each available as well as 1st, 2nd, 3rd and honorable mention.
Prize: £7,500, and published in the National Geographic Magazine
National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest
With a magazine known for delivering stunning photographs of nature, people, and life around the world it’s hardly surprising that the National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest attracts some of the leading photographers around. The beauty of the entries? They are inspiring and challenge you to see the world through a different lens.
Prize: Previously a 10 Day National Geographic Expedition trip for 2 to the Galapagos
The Sony World Photography Awards
Made up of 4 competitions; professional, open, youth and student focus the Sony Photography Awards aims to highlight the best photography from over the year. With industry experts and leaders giving their seal of approval to the winners it’s a prestigious award sure to jumpstart a photographers career.
Prize: $30,000, the latest Sony equipment and exposure of photographers work.
Pictures of the Year International
The competition to enter for visual journalists, Pictures of the Year International or POYI is an annual contest for the works of photojournalism and documentary photographers. POYI is centered around reaching out to individuals across the world and creating/celebrating visual history showing ‘truth with a camera’ (founder Cliff Edom in 1943) reflecting human experience.
Prize: $1,000, Tiffany crystal trophy and Award title
Big Picture Natural World Photography Competition
The BigPicture Competition is all about celebrating nature and the diversity of life on Earth with the hope to inspire human conservation and respect for the world we live in through imagery. Now in its 5th year, BigPicture is open to photographers around the world with captures depicting nature, wildlife, and conservation.
Prize: $5,000
Leica Oskar Barnack Award
Originally presented by World Press Photo, the award was named after Oskar Barnack the first designer of the Leica camera from 1995 onwards. The competition now in its 38th year welcomes entries from around the world which depict the relationship/interaction of people with their environment in innovative and visionary ways.
Prize: €25,000, plus a Leica Camera and Lens worth €10,000.
Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards
Looking for the funniest animal photographs out there, a browse through the entries to the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards is sure to make you chuckle! By having a humorous approach, founders hope to bring attention to wildlife conservation efforts across the globe.
Prize: Handmade trophy and a 1-week photographer led safari for 2 with Alex Walker’s Serian.
Travel Photographer of the Year
Commonly referred to as TPOTY, this competition is run for photographers of all level of experience who simply love travel photography. Founded in 2003 the contest was set up to highlight the different travel photography subjects and genres away from just the standard holiday snaps. Now in its 15th year, they receive entries from nearly 123 countries each year.
Prize: Prestigious world recognised award and the publicity that comes with it plus £4,000, a prize pack worth £750 from recognised brands and a membership to the Royal Photographic Society.
Smithsonian Photo Contest
With categories including the Natural World, The American Experience, Travel and Altered Images the Smithsonian photo contest will be entering is 16th Annual Competition in 2018. Entries are received from across the world with 460,000 entries being received to the 2016 competition alone with photographers looking for the exposure the recognition of Smithsonian has to offer.
Prize: $2,500
Looking for something a little smaller? Enter into our photo competition here at Frames Express with a new theme each month and up to £100 worth of framing vouchers (and a chance to feature on our website) up for grabs click here or visit our Facebook to see the latest theme release.
