A Guide to January 2025 Photo Awards & Opportunities

PhMuseum 2025 Photography Grant, Prince Claus Seed Award, Dummy Award, V&A Parasol Foundation Prize for Women in Photography, FE+SK Book Award, Aperture Portfolio Prize, Off-The-Wall Award, FUTURES Baltic Talents, World Press Photo, and many more.

PhMuseum 2025 Photography Grant

Early Bird Deadline 23 January / €28
Regular Deadline 13 February / €35

The PhMuseum Photography Grant is an annual initiative that recognises the importance of photography and visual storytelling. Over the years it has grown into a leading photography prize, with previous editions having recognized artists like Max Pinckers, Poulomi Basu, Jacob Aue Sobol, Diana Markosian, Alejandro Cartagena, Bieke Depoorter, Salvatore Vitale, Camille Lévêque, and Tomas van Houtryve, among many others. Now in its 13th edition, the initiative is designed to support the production and promotion of visual projects through €10,000 in cash prizes, exhibitions at international festivals, educational activities and exposure on online media.

Learn more and apply here.

Prince Claus Seed Award 2025

Deadline 21 January / No entry fee

Each year, the Prince Claus Fund grants the Seed Award to 100 emerging artists who work in contexts where cultural expression is under pressure. Eligible applicants must be from, live, and work in their eligible countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean and Eastern Europe. The award aims to give emerging artists the chance to amplify their practice and interests, thereby sparking a new wave of changemakers. Each selected recipient will receive a grant of €5,000 to invest in developing their artistic and cultural practice on their own terms.

You can apply by 21 January. Learn more on their website.

Dummy Award 2025

Deadline 31 January / Entry fee €36

The Dummy Award invites international artists, photographers, and graphic designers who utilize photography in their work to submit unpublished photobook projects, with no restrictions on themes. Shortlisted dummies will be exhibited at international photography events where they will be also voted by public vote or by curator’s choice. Among those, five winning books will be selected and one of them will be awarded the PBM/MAS Prize consisting of production and publication by Turkish photobook printing and binding house MAS Matbaa, in cooperation with the PhotoBookMuseum, with fully covered cost. The other four winning books will receive a production grant for printing their books at MAS Matbaa.

Discover more on their website.

The V&A Parasol Foundation Prize for Women in Photography 2025

Deadline 8 January / No entry fee

Produced in partnership with Peckham 24, south London's photography festival, the V&A Parasol Foundation Prize for Women in Photography is an annual initiative dedicated to identifying, supporting, and championing innovative women artists working in contemporary photography. The new edition invites photographers to respond to the concept of Unity, welcoming stories that explore how communities, individuals, and even nature come together to heal, reconcile, and find a peaceful resolution. Four selected artists will be included in a group exhibition at Peckham 24 festival in London, in May 2025, alongside accompanying events and public programming, and two nights' accommodation expenses covered to attend the event. Additionally, each exhibiting artist will be granted a £2,000 bursary.

The jury is composed of Charmaine Toh (Senior Curator of International Art at Tate), Thyago Nogueira (Head of the Contemporary Photography Department at Instituto Moreira Salles), and Gillian Wearing (Artist).

You can apply until 8 January. More information on their website.

FE+SK Book Award 2025

Deadline 31 January / Entry fee €10

Promoted by Fotografia Europea and open to all European (or resident in Europe) photographers, curators, and collectives of any age, the FE+SK Book Award is looking for a project that will become a photobook published by Skinnerboox, printed in 500 copies and presented during the opening days of the festival, taking place in Reggio Emilia, Italy, 24-27 April 2025. The jury is composed of Milo Montelli (founder Skinnerboox), Tim Clark ( Fotografia Europea Artistic direction) and Chiara Capodici (Leporello photobooks et al.).

More information on Fotografia Europea's website.

2025 Aperture Portfolio Prize

Deadline 11 January / Entry fee € 71

Aperture is currently accepting submissions for their 2025 Portfolio Prize. They are looking for innovative and impactful bodies of work that haven't yet received widespread recognition. The first prize winner will be awarded a $5,000 cash prize, a $1,000 gift card to MPB.com, and a presentation organized by Aperture in New York City. Plus, four shortlisted artists will each receive a $1,000 cash prize and an editorial feature on Aperture's website. Among the previous prize recipients are Avion Pearce, Vân-Nhi Nguyễn, and Felipe Romero Beltrán.

Learn more on Aperture's website.

LensCulture New Visions Photography Award

Deadline 15 January / Entry fee $45 (€43)

LensCulture celebrates 20 years of discovering photographic talent with an award that seeks for new visions. With an offer of over $20,000 in cash prizes and gears plus exhibition opportunities, the New Visions Award is structured through 6 categories: Humanity, Storytelling, Place, Art/Experimental and Monochrome, which are all dedicated to series, and Moments, instead welcoming single images. A prize recipient will be chosen from each category, receiving $2,000 if from a series category and $1,000 if from the single images category. The Discovery of the Year Photographer will receive $5,000 cash and a $5,000 credit for photographic equipment from MBP. All awarded photographers will be exhibited at Photo London 2025, and some will have their work showcased at Leica Gallery in New York City in 2025. Among the 27 jurors are Anna Goldwater Alexander (WIRED), Carolyn Drake (Magnum Photos), Giada De Agostinis (The New Yorker), Giuseppe Oliverio (PhMuseum), Jessica Dimson (The New York Times Magazine), Michael Famighetti (Aperture) and Shana Lopes (San Francisco Museum of Modern Art).

Find out more on their website.

Off-The-Wall Award 2025

Deadline 15 January / Entry fee €61

MIA Photo Fair welcomes artists to exhibit their work at the 14th edition of MIA Photo Fair, which should align with the theme Off The Wall by Dutch artist Erik Kessels. The exhibition will take place at Superstudio Più, in Milan, Italy, 20-23 March 2025. Selected artists are eligible for two additional awards: a free artist residency, to be announced by MIA Photo Fair at a later date, and the publication of a portfolio in Gente di Fotografia, selected by Franco Carlisi (Editor-in-Chief of Gente di Fotografia). Through this award, Kessels aims to engage contemporary artists of all ages who use photography as an artistic language. As outlined by the theme, “The works must embody personal, unusual exploration and emphasize the experimental nature of photography as both an 'object' and a medium that integrates other disciplines. The works should present 'unconventional stories and executions in new photographic expressions.’”

Read more on their website.

FUTURES Baltic Talents 2025

Deadline 5 January / No entry fee

ISSP is calling for artists from or currently based in Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia to join FUTURES, the European-based photography platform dedicated to supporting emerging talents. Three selected artists will receive a €500 artist fee, the opportunity to have conversations with international professionals, online and in-person, an invitation to take part in the program of networking events, access to Magnum online education platform, in addition to workshops and talks at the Futures Annual Event in September - October 2025 (travel costs and accommodation covered).

The selection will be done by an international jury composed of Kulla Laas (Artistic Director of Tallinn Photomonth), Ieva Meilute-Svinkūniene (Curator), Iveta Gabaliņa (Artist and Curator of the ISSP Gallery) and Jūlija Berkoviča (ISSP director).

More information on ISSP's website.

Organ Vida FUTURES Talent Call 2025

Deadline 15 January / No entry fee

Organ Vida welcomes artists from (or based in) Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Slovenia, and Albania, working in photography and video, as well as hybrid practices that explore the relationship between images and sound, sculpture, or spatial expansion, such as installations or performances. Five selected artists will become part of FUTURES, the European-based photography platform dedicated to supporting emerging talents. Plus, they will receive a €500 artist fee, invitation to the annual event with travel, accommodation, and daily allowances for participation covered, conversations with international professionals and more.

The artists will be selected by a professional jury comprising the Organ Vida curatorial team (Barbara Gregov, Lovro Japundžić, and Lea Vene), Hana Čeferin (curator and editor of ETC Magazine), Tena Starčević (curator, Office for Photography), and Vanja Žunić (curator, Eugster Gallery).

You can apply by 15 January with no entry fee. Learn more on their website.

Triennial of Photography + House of Photography FUTURES Talent 2025

Deadline 10 January / No entry fee

Triennial of Photography and the House of Photography at Deichtorhallen Hamburg are looking for photographers and lens-based artists with ties to or a base in Germany who bring poetic, conceptual, and experimental perspectives to their work. While the work should revolve around photography or lens-based practices, they also encourage applications from artists working across disciplines. Five selected artists will become part of the FUTURES platform, receive a €500 artist fee, tailored guidance from the Creative Team of the Triennial of Photography Hamburg and the House of Photography, plus conversations with international professionals, online and in-person, an invitation to take part in the Annual Event in September 2025 with travel costs and accommodation covered. In addition, access to the Magnum online education platform of talks and workshops and more.

The jury comprises curators and representatives from the 9th Triennial of Photography, the House of Photography at Deichtorhallen, and Freundeskreis der Photographie Hamburg such as Mark Sealy, Bettina Freimann, Cale Garrido, and Nadine Isabelle Henrich.

Discover more on their website.

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Other Deadlines

Realisation Grants 2025 / Deadline 16 January / No entry fee

The Centre for British Photography announced the second year of its grants and mentorship program, supporting artists working with photography across Britain. During 2025 the Centre will be awarding a total of £10,000 with a maximum award of £2,500 per recipient that will be used by the applicant to complete the project within a year.

2025 World Press Photo Contest / Deadline 10 January / No entry fee

Featuring the photojournalism and documentary photography produced over the last year, the World Press Photo Contest awards selected photographers with a €1,000 cash prize, inclusion in the annual World Press Photo year-long worldwide exhibition, inclusion in the annual collectible yearbook, an invitation to the Winners' Program in Amsterdam, and a physical award. Plus, winners are often invited to speak at public events, exhibition openings, and lectures throughout the year. Additionally, the World Press Photo of the Year prize recipient will also receive additional €10,000, an additional physical award, while Fujifilm GFX cameras and lenses will be awarded to the winner and two runners-up.

Sony World Photography Awards 2025 / Deadline 10 January / No entry fee

The 18th edition of the Sony World Photography Awards is open to photographers worldwide shooting on any device. The Professional competition prize recipient will be awarded a $25,000 (€24,000) cash prize, a solo show, a range of Sony digital imaging equipment, and more. Perspectives is a new category that encourages series that tell a story through a variety of formats and genres - from using a documentary or creative approach to mixing portraiture, landscapes, and still life.

Internationale Photoszene Köln 2025 Open Call / Deadline 31 January / No entry fee

Internationale Photoszene Köln is delving into the theme of Feelings & Photography. The open call focuses on contemporary phenomena in photography, and simultaneously takes a look at what stirs our feelings in the world. Equally, it poses the question of what, under what circumstances, prompts our compassion. Up to 20 artists will be selected for group exhibitions to be held at the Photoszene Festival in May/June 2025 in Cologne, Germany, and will receive a €500 exhibition fee. The jury is composed of Jan Borreck (Curator, Essen), Linda Conze (Head of Photography, Kunstpalast Düsseldorf), Felix Hoffmann (Artistic Director, Foto Arsenal Wien and Foto Wien), Donja Nasseri (artist and curator, Düsseldorf), Rebecca Racine Ramershoven (Artist, Cologne) and G. Kühnhardt Alvarez (International Photoscene Cologne).

Belfast Photo Festival 2025 Open Call / Deadline 1 February / Entry fee € 23-29

The Belfast Photo Festival offers opportunities to photographers consisting of an exhibition at the festival held in Belfast, Northern Ireland, before going on a European tour, and a range of awards including a £2,000 (€2,300) cash prize. The jury will consist of Jessica Baxte, Meaghan Looram, Alessia Glaviano, Shana Lopes, Michael Famighetti, Alejandro Acin, and Michael Weir.

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Visit our awards page or download our iOS awards app to get a complete view of the best photography opportunities that are currently open for entry.