Sony World Photography Awards 2027

The Sony World Photography Awards offers free entry across four competitions: Series with $25,000 and a solo show; Single Image with $5,000; Student; and Youth for under-19s.

Overview

The Sony World Photography Awards aims to establish a platform for the continuous development of photographic culture. The 2027 edition comprises four competitions: Series (previously Professional competition), Single Image (previously Open competition), Student, and Youth.

The Series competition rewards outstanding projects and narrative excellence across 10 categories including Architecture & Design, Creative, Documentary Projects, Environment, Histories, Landscape, Perspectives, Portraiture, Sport, and Wildlife & Nature. Prize recipients receive $25,000, a solo exhibition, a range of top Sony digital imaging equipment, and international media exposure. Entrants must submit 5 to 10 images per series.

The Single Image competition celebrates the power of a standalone photograph across categories including Animal Portraits, Architecture, Creative, Landscape, Lifestyle, Motion, Natural World & Wildlife, Portraiture, Street Photography, and Travel. Prize recipients receive $5,000, Sony digital imaging equipment, and international media exposure.

The Student competition provides a platform for photography students worldwide, with the 2027 brief titled Journeys. The competition invites students to "explore the theme of Journeys from their own perspective" through a series of 5 to 10 images, with prize recipients receiving Sony digital imaging equipment and global exposure. The Youth competition is dedicated to photographers under 19 years old, who may enter up to three of their favourite photographs taken in 2026, with prize recipients receiving Sony digital imaging equipment and global exposure.

Practical Info

The Awards are open to photographers worldwide, shooting on any device. The Series competition requires 5 to 10 images per entry. The Single Image competition accepts individual photographs. The Student competition is open to photography students submitting 5 to 10 images on the theme Journeys. The Youth competition is for photographers under 19 years old, who may submit up to three images taken in 2026.

Entry is free across all competitions. The Awards open for entries on 1 June 2026. The Student competition closes 27 November 2026. The Single Image and Youth competitions close 5 January 2027. The Series competition closes 12 January 2027.

About World Photography Organisation

The World Photography Organisation runs the Sony World Photography Awards, which recognises great contributions to photography through the Outstanding Contribution to Photography prize while finding new talents and providing them with opportunities to be promoted and exhibited around the world. Sony is committed to photographic culture by extending their relationship with individual winners beyond the Awards to develop photographers' careers.