Photography contest in 2022

iPhone Photography Awards

The IPPAwards are the Oscars of the mobile photography world. They have launched the careers of many iPhone photographers globally. There are 18 different categories to join, including architecture, portrait, abstract and travel. The rules of this photography contest are simple. Every image needs to be an iPhone or iPad photo and submitted no larger than 1000px.

ND Awards

The Neutral Density awards aim to promote photography. They do this by presenting photographers to audiences all over the globe. This award is a melting pot of some of the world’s most outstanding imagery, and it could be yours. The winning image receives recognition, prestige, and publicity.

This photography contest is the perfect place for professional photographers. It allows them to compete across six main categories. These include fine art, nature, and architecture. For amateurs, there are five categories. Both competitions go through a respected jury of acclaimed gallery owners, publishers, editors, and photographers.

International Photography Awards

The International Photography Awards are one of the highest paying photography contests around. It is also the only place you can land a Lucie. There are 13 categories to choose from for professional and non-professional photographers alike. On top of this, there is also a ‘one-shot’ street photography competition.

The winners receive a travel allowance and accommodation to collect their awards in New York. This photography contest is the primary funding mechanism for the Lucie Foundation. This is a non-profit, charitable foundation to honour the masters of photography. All winning images are published in a high-quality International Photography Awards book.

Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize

The Taylor Wessing Photography Portrait Prize is the leading international photography contest. As the name suggests, it focuses on portraiture. This prize promotes and celebrates the very best in contemporary portrait photography. It does so through its established reputation. A range of moods, settings, characters, and expressions are all present.

All submissions turn into an exhibition. It will feature the 59 selected images from the winners, including the $15,000 first prize winner. It is usually shown at the National Portrait Gallery in London. But the National Portrait Gallery building is closed until 2023 for significant redevelopment. So, an alternate venue will be likely be arranged.

Communication Arts Photography Competition

A distinguished jury of designers, art directors, and photographers chose the winning images. Apart from winning a personalised award of excellence, your image is distributed worldwide. This takes place in the communication arts photography annual, in both digital and print.

Moscow International Foto Awards

There are nine categories, each of them consisting of several subcategories. The entry fee varies according to proficiency (Professional and Emerging). There is a discount for students. There is also a chance to submit a portfolio. Here the contestants can enter up to twenty images, both individual images or photo series in either category. The entry fee for a portfolio is $50.

The submitted photos must be in jpg format, minimum 1000px wide or high. The size shouldn’t be bigger than 4MB per image. Apart from the remarkable prizes, the winners of this photography contest also receive significant international publicity.

Nikon Small World

The Nikon Small World photography contest gives you the largest chance of winning a cash prize. You can be first or twentieth, and you’ll still win an amount of money. This photography competition is all about photomicrography. This is the discipline of photographing through a light microscope.

Being a long-standing camera manufacturer, Nikon has been running this competition since 1975. That’s longer than I’ve been photographing, let alone alive. Anyone can enter, and they do in droves. They receive submissions from almost every continent on the planet. There are no restrictions, and you don’t even have to use Nikon cameras or microscopes.

Each participant can upload three images. If you don’t feel like entering, even if it is free, check out the previous winners. The images are stunning, and it might just get you in the mood to apply.

Monochrome Photography Award

Is black and white photography is your thing? Then this is the photo competition for you. There are 13 categories to enter, ranging across landscapes, fashion and abstract photography. If you are in the top three of any of them, you get a certificate alongside an exhibition of your work. All winners and honourable mentions are also included in the Monochrome Photography Awards Annual Book.

Each image costs $20 for professionals and $15 for amateurs if submitted before the early bird deadline (TBA). After, the price jumps up by $5. The only rule is that the image must be black and white, film or digital. Toned images, such as selenium or sepia are also accepted, so start getting creative. This is your time to shine.

Sony World Photography Award

The Sony World Photography Award has four simultaneous photo contests—Professional, Open, Youth, and Student. Each one has a different prize, and although it looks like cash, the money is for Sony Equipment.

The submitted images need to be taken within a year of their entry. There is a minimum of five and a maximum of ten images that you can send, so don’t be shy. We love this competition because it is free to enter. That’s right, free. And you choose from many different categories.

International Landscape Photographer of the Year

For all landscape photographers, enter the International Landscape Photographer of the Year award. This is their sixth year, and it’s still going strong. The limitations are set to four images per applicant. This is to allow the experience gained from the competition is easily accessible. From all these submissions, the jury rates the images between 1 and 100. They choose the top 101 images and move to the second round of judging. First, they find the best images and search for the best photographers.

There is the photographer of the year, a photograph of the year and five special subject awards. Each section goes through a rigorous selection process. It costs $25 per image, meaning the maximum you can spend is $100 in total. They also have to be captured within a year of their submission. The best thing about this photo contest is that you are not restricted when it comes to photography manipulation. Just make sure you do it yourself.

Life Framer Competitions

Every month, there is a new category, such as nightlife, world travellers, or animal kingdom. Each of the categories is judged individually by industry leader photographers. Entering one image costs you $20. However, you can enter up to ten images to upgrade to premium membership.

LensCulture Portrait Awards

This photography contest is open to every type of portrait photography, whether studio, candid, conceptual, or self-portraits. They appreciate every approach to portraiture, as long as it is executed in an imaginative and refined way.

The winners are offered professional visibility by having their photos featured at international photo festivals and a permanent exhibition. They also receive press coverage from magazines worldwide, such as The Telegraph, The Guardian, Washington Post, or The British Journal of Photography.

PHmuseum Photography Grant

This competition focuses on the importance of visual storytelling. Photographers with both a classic approach and innovative projects are welcome to enter. If you want to participate, you can enter one or more photo projects centred around a specific theme. An independent jury reviews the submissions with various photography backgrounds.

The entry fee is $40, but you get an early bird discount if you apply until January 27th. This contest is a great opportunity if you are outstanding in narrative photography.

World Press Photography Awards

This is the most famous and internationally recognised press photography award. Its exhibition travels from country to country every year, showcasing over a hundred amazing yet disturbing photographs. There are eight categories in which you can enter. Each of these aims to find the best visual journalist in that particular field, eliminating manipulated and staged photographs.

Every category is judged by three photographers specialised in that area. After this process, the general jury selects the winners.

BigPicture Natural World Photography Awards

The contest accepts nature, wildlife and conservation images from all around the world, organised into seven categories. This includes abstract expressions of nature, such as photos from under a microscope. Aquatic life, landscapes, wild animals, or even humans’ interaction with nature are also welcome.

You can enter up to ten single images for $25 or four to six images in the Photo Story category for $10. Entrants are limited to up to ten photo submissions.

GuruShots Photography Contests

GuruShots is taking a unique approach when it comes to photography contests. There is a new photography challenge every day, and it is up to each individual how many challenges they would like to try themselves in. Some of the winning artworks are exhibited in galleries all around the world. There is an extra fee ($10) to enter the Exhibition Challenge, allowing you to submit four images.

Aperture Portfolio Prize

After getting a magazine subscription, you need to upload 10-15 photos that you want to enter. What’s unique about this contest is that you also need to submit a CV, a bio, and a statement about your photography work.

The jury looks at consistency, fresh ideas, technical aspects, and a unique approach to the subject. The theme is not further specified. It is up to everyone’s judgment how innovative they want to get with their photos.

MonoVisions Photography Awards

This photography contest is meant to discover the best black and white photographers, as only monochromatic submissions are allowed. You can enter photographs taken with both digital and analogue cameras.

Apart from the two main categories (single and series), there are 12 subcategories, such as photojournalism, architecture, or travel photography. The entry fee for a series is $30 and $25 for a single image. If you apply before 17 January, there is an early bird discount.

BJP International Photography Award

This award is made to discover the best contemporary talents in photography. Over the last fifteen years, it has launched the career of many newly discovered photographers. From exhibition to press coverage and commissions, this contest offers many opportunities for photographers.

The contest is free to enter after subscribing to the 1854 website and paying for digital or full access. The competition is judged by a panel of industry leader photographers, which ensures that the winners get recognition all around the world.