Below is a selection of leading photography competitions, but there are also loads more you could enter. We also encourage you to enter the annual Yorkshire Photograpic Union Exhibition (each year, several of RCPS members are ‘accepted’ or even receive awards).
Always read competition Ts&Cs and rules carefully – do not rely on this page.
At the end of this page is a simple calendar showing which competitions close in which month.
RPS International Photography Exhibition
- You don’t need to be a member of RCPS
- Submissions are encouraged from new, emerging and established photographers worldwide
- Enter 1 image for free or multiples of 4 for £35/set
- Entries are now open – deadline is 2 December 2025
Amateur Photographer of the Year
- Britain’s most prestigious annual competition for amateur photographers (‘amateur’ here means photography is your hobby, or is not your primary source of income)
- The winner of each theme gets £500 to spend at Camera Centre UK + other benefits. The overall winner gets £1,000 to spend at Camera Centre UK + other benefits.
- The remaining themes for 2025 are: Animal Kingdom, Movement, Urban Life, and Open (in which anything goes!).
- Entries are now open – deadlines vary by theme.
British Photography Awards
- A wide range of categories – beyond the usual there’s also street, pets, weddding, sports, documentary, food, selfie, fashion, and more
- Entries for 2026 will close in August 2026.
LCE Photographer of the Year
- Organised by London Camera Exchange
- Free to enter – open to photographers of all experience levels
- £10,000 prize fund
- 14 categories
- See the 2025 winners
- Entries for 2026 will close in January 2026.
Lens Culture Awards
- 6 major international award competitions each year: Street; Black & White; Portrait; Art; Exposure; Emerging Talent
- Deadlines vary by category.
British Wildlife Photography Awards
- Images must have been taken in Britain or the British Isles
- Check the rules carefully as to what wildlife conditions are acceptable
- See the 2025 winners
- Entries for 2026 will close in June 2026.
Taylor Wessing Photo Portrait Prize
- Awarded by the National Portrait Gallery in London
- Open to amateur & professional photographers
- 60 images are selected for exhibition at the NPG
- Cash prizes range from £1,000+ to £12,000+
- Model release form required
- Entries for 2026 will close in April 2026.
Portrait of Britain
- Run by the British Journal of Photography, the subject is the diversity of British people
- Images must have been taken within the previous 6 years and depict subjects living in the UK at the time
- The 100 winning portraits are displayed on outdoor advertising screens; 200 shortlisted portraits appear in a book
- Model release form required
- Free to enter
- Entries for 2026 will close in July 2026.
Wildlife Photographer of the Year
- Open to anyone
- Entry is £30
- Read the rules carefully
- Entries for 2026 will close in December 2026.
Chromatic Photography Awards
Celebrate your favourite colour photos. An international competition, costs about £17 per image. Deadline 26 October 2025.
Monochrome Photography Awards
Sister-competition to Chromatic, but for monotone. Deadline: 16 November 2025
Sony competitions
You don’t need to be a Sony user to enter their WPA (World Photography Awards) – free to enter, deadline 6 Jan 2026. However, users of Sony Alpha, ZV or RX cameras can also enter the Universe awards (by 2 November 2025)
Close-Up Photographer of the Year
For close-up, macro and micro photography in all its forms. The 2025 shortlist will be revealed in October (so you can see the standard) and the next competition will take submissions from May 2026.
CEWE Photo Award
The CeWe is a free-to-enter worldwide photography competition, open to amateurs and professionals. Deadline for 2026 likely to be in May.
Calendar of these deadlines (but check websites in case of changes)
| January | LCE Photographer of the Year Sony World Photography Awards |
| February | YPU Exhibition (but our own RCPS deadline for entries if before this, to allow for processing at our end) |
| March | |
| April | Taylor Wessing Photo Portrait Prize |
| May | CeWe Photo Award |
| June | British Wildlife Photography Awards |
| July | Portrait of Britain Close-Up Photographer of the Year |
| August | British Photography Awards |
| September | |
| October | Chromatic Photography Awards |
| November | Sony Universe Awards Monochrome Photography Awards |
| December | Wildlife Photographer of the Year |
| Various throughout the year | Lens Culture Photography Awards Amateur Photographer of the Year |