A Guide To January 2026 Photo Awards & Open Calls

PhMuseum Photography Grant, Seed Award, Aperture Portfolio Prize, World Press Photo Contest, Fotografia Europea Open Call, Premio Luigi Ghirri, Taylor Wessing Irish Photo Prize, and Sony World Awards are among the opportunities we selected this month.

PhMuseum 2026 Photography Grant

Early Bird Deadline 29 January / €28
Regular Deadline 19 February / €35

Opening on 13 January, 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 awarded work by photographers 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 14th edition, the initiative is designed to support the production and promotion of visual projects through €10,000 cash prizes, exhibitions at international festivals, educational activities, and exposure on online media.

See all the prizes and learn how to apply here.

Seed Award 2026

Deadline 8 January / No entry fee

Organized by the Prince Claus Fund, the Seed Award is intended to give 100 early-career creatives the space and support needed to deepen their practice. Artists must be based in and working in eligible countries across Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe. Each selected recipient will receive a €5,000 trust-based grant that they can freely invest in their artistic and cultural development. Applicants should be in the first 1 to 5 years of their professional career, have established an innovative practice that addresses pressing issues in their communities, and have received little to no institutional recognition or support up to this date.

2026 Aperture Portfolio Prize

Deadline 10 January / Entry fee €71

The Aperture Portfolio Prize aims to spotlight coherent, innovative bodies of photographic work created within the past five years. Selected artists receive a combination of cash prizes, gear vouchers, editorial exposure, and exhibition opportunities. The first-prize recipient will be published in Aperture magazine and awarded $5,000 in cash plus a $1,000 gear gift card. Four shortlisted artists will each receive $1,000 in cash and an editorial feature on Aperture’s website. Additionally, all five finalists will participate in a group exhibition at the AIPAD Photography Show in New York in April 2026.

The judging panel includes Taous Dahmani (Curator, The Photographers’ Gallery), Jessica Dimson (Director of Photography, The New York Times Magazine), Jane’a Johnson (Editor, Aperture), and Avion Pearce (Artist and 2024 Aperture Portfolio Prize Winner).

You have time until 10 January 2026 to submit your portfolio. Read more and apply on Aperture’s website.

2026 World Press Photo Contest

Deadline 17 January / No entry fee

World Press Photo Foundation is inviting professional photojournalists and documentary photographers from around the world to submit their most powerful work created during 2025. Participants can enter in three main categories: Singles for individual images, Stories for a sequence of photographs, and Long-Term Projects that focuses on documentary work over an extended period. Prize-recipients receive €1,000 each, inclusion in the World Press Photo travelling exhibition, the annual printed Yearbook, and an invitation to the Winners’ Program in Amsterdam. The contest’s highest honors, including World Press Photo of the Year, carry an additional €10,000 prize and a set of FUJIFILM GFX camera equipment.

Read more on the World Press Photo website.

Fotografia Europea Open Call 2026

Deadline 9 January / Entry fee €25

Fotografia Europea has opened its international call for the 2026 edition of its festival, titled Fantasmi del Quotidiano (“Ghosts Of The Moment”), inviting photographers, curators, and collectives who were born in or are resident in Europe to submit project proposals that explore the hidden traces of contemporary life and the subtle presence of what remains unseen. Selected participants will receive a €3,000 production grant to create an exhibition that will be included in the official programme of Fotografia Europea 2026, taking place in Reggio Emilia, Italy, from 30 April to 14 June 2026. The festival organisers also provide each selected artist or collective with a dedicated exhibition space, curatorial and organisational support, coordination for setting up exhibitions, and insurance coverage for works during the exhibition period.

Learn more here.

Premio Luigi Ghirri 2026

Deadline 7 January / No entry fee

GFI | Premio Luigi Ghirri welcomes Italian artists under 35 to interpret the theme Voci / Voices, reflecting on how images can show perspectives that are unseen, unheard, or overlooked in the contemporary flow of information and visual culture. A jury of international curators and experts, including Danit Ariel, Ilaria Campioli, Krzysztof Candrowicz, Daniele De Luigi, and Femke Rotteveel, will select seven finalist projects. Each finalist receives a €1,500 production prize to cover the creation and transport of works, travel and accommodation in Reggio Emilia, Italy, during installation and opening days, plus insurance for artwork transportation. The resulting works will be exhibited in the GFI#13 | Luigi Ghirri Award 2026 group show at Palazzo dei Musei within the Fotografia Europea programme from 30 April to 14 June 2026.

Among the finalists, the international jury will award the Premio Luigi Ghirri a €4,000 cash prize. Additional opportunities include selection for the Nuove Traiettorie – GFI in Stockholm artist residency at the Italian Cultural Institute, where the selected artist will research and create a new project for exhibition, and participation in the Photo-Match portfolio review programme at Fotofestiwal Łódź, with travel and accommodation covered.

You have until 7 January to submit your application.

Taylor Wessing Irish Photo Prize 2026

Deadline 12 January / No entry fee

Irish or Ireland-based (including Northern Ireland) photographers are invited to submit work that responds to the theme Community | Ar scáth a chéile a mhaireann na daoine — an Irish proverb meaning “It is in each other’s shadow that we live.” Prize-recipients and shortlisted photographers will be featured in a major public exhibition at Photo Museum Ireland in Dublin from 18 April to 24 May 2026. A total €25,000 cash prize will be shared among the selected photographers, with the first prize consisting of €10,000, while two runners-up will each receive €2,500, and up to 30 shortlisted artists will receive a €100 honourarium for exhibiting. In addition, the prizes include a separate €10,000 bursary specifically to support a photographer from an underrepresented community.

The jury is composed of curators, critics and directors from Ireland and beyond, such as Trish Lambe (CEO/Artistic Director of Photo Museum Ireland), Zoë Harrison (Head of Awards and Partnerships at British Journal of Photography), Anne Nwakalor (Curator and Writer), Fintan O’Toole (Writer and Cultural Commentator), and Darren Campion (Curator at Photo Museum Ireland).

Find out more on their website.

Sony World Photography Awards 2026

Deadline 6 January / No entry fee

The Sony World Photography Awards are open to photographers of all levels and styles, and are structured across various categories: Professional, Open, and Youth. The Open category welcomes single images that stand out for their creativity, originality, and visual impact across 10 genres, from street and landscape to conceptual and documentary styles. The Youth competition is for photographers aged 19 and under, and the Professional competition focuses on series that reveal a strong narrative or thematic vision.

Selected photographers will receive Sony digital equipment and have their work showcased internationally. In addition, the Photographer of the Year receives a $25,000 cash prize, the Open Photographer of the Year and the Sustainability Award prize-recipient will both receive $5,000. All awarded and shortlisted works are featured in the Sony World Photography Awards’ annual London exhibition at Somerset House, and then presented on tours and in the Awards’ annual book.

The deadline for the Youth and the Open competition is 6 January 2026. The Professional competition closes on 13 January 2026. Read more on their website.

Fotofestiwal Grant 2026

Deadline 15 January / No entry fee

Fotofestiwal Lodz, together with Kamienica Hilarego Majewskiego, is launching the Fotofestiwal Grant, a program supporting the production of new works by Polish or Poland-based artists. One selected project will receive a production budget and artist fee (a total of 20,000 PLN gross), a premiere exhibition during Fotofestiwal in Łódź in 2026, held in the gallery of Kamienica Hilarego Majewskiego in Łódź from 19 June to 12 July 2026, and curatorial support. Additionally, the organizers will cover accommodation and travel for the artist during the exhibition opening, the necessary transport of works within Poland, and exhibition promotion.

Learn more on Lodz Fotofestiwal's website.

FE+SK Book Award 2026

Deadline 30 January / Entry fee €10

European or Europe-based photographers, curators, and collectives are welcome to submit photobook projects or book dummies. Organised by Fotografia Europea in collaboration with the independent Italian publishing house Skinnerboox, the call seeks projects at any stage of development. The submitted project does not have to be fully paginated and may even be self-published in a limited run. The selected work will be published in an edition of 500 copies by Skinnerboox and officially launched during the opening days of Fotografia Europea, with the next edition to be held in Reggio Emilia, Italy, from 30 April to 14 June 2026. The jury is composed of Milo Montelli (founder of Skinnerboox), Tim Clark (Artistic Director of Fotografia Europea), and Chiara Capodici (photobook specialist and collaborator with Leporello photobooks et al.).

Read more on Fotografia Europea’s website.

The Portfolio Parade Award III Edition

Deadline 15 January / Entry fee €61

The Portfolio Parade, curated by Dutch artist and visual storyteller Erik Kessels, is inviting photographers from all levels and ages to submit projects for its third edition. Selected artists will exhibit their work at the fifteenth edition of MIA Photo Fair BNP Paribas from 19 to 22 March 2026 in Milan, Italy, with a preview on 18 March. The exhibition, organized in collaboration with FUJIFILM, will be presented in a playful and thought-provoking format designed to challenge traditional photographic presentations. The organizers will cover printing costs for the selected works, and the curator will guide display methods and dimensions. Additionally, prize recipients may be considered for two special opportunities, such as a portfolio publication in Gente di Fotografia magazine and a residency at SARP in Sicily, Italy, both of which are awarded by selection through the respective organizers.

Full details are available here.

Bienal Fotografia do Porto FUTURES Talents 2026

Deadline 7 January / No entry fee

The Bienal Fotografia do Porto is inviting emerging photographic artists living in Portugal to participate in FUTURES, the European photography platform dedicated to supporting emerging talents. The call seeks artists whose work engages with contemporary issues through photographic projects, offering opportunities for international exchange, visibility, and professional development. Five selected artists will join the FUTURES platform in 2026, receiving a €500 artist fee, dedicated mentorship, and the opportunity to attend the Annual Event in Utrecht, with a €600 travel stipend. Plus, they will get access to workshops and masterclasses organized by Magnum Photos, and their work will also be included in the FUTURES catalogue. The jury is composed of Jayne Dyer, Vera Carmo, and Virgílio Ferreira.

The deadline is 7 January 2026. More information is available on the Bienal Fotografia do Porto's website.

VOID Open Call FUTURES 2026

Deadline 9 January / No entry fee

VOID welcomes applications from artists in Greece, Bulgaria, or Cyprus for participation in FUTURES, a platform that promotes emerging photographers internationally and fosters connections with peers and institutions. Selected artists will receive a €500 artist fee, access to four online FUTURES Conversations with experts, travel and accommodation for the 2026 annual event, and opportunities to participate in the Annual Exhibition traveling across Europe. Their work will also be published on the FUTURES catalogues and shared through invitations to platform events. Additional benefits include the option for tutoring sessions and access to an online learning program with Magnum Photos. Participation continues to offer opportunities for professional development, exhibitions, and networking in subsequent years.

Further information is available on VOID’s website.

Organ Vida FUTURES Talent Open Call 2026

Deadline 10 January / No entry fee

Organ Vida is calling for photographers and visual artists working across photography, video, and hybrid media to take part in FUTURES, a European platform supporting emerging and mid-career practitioners. The call is open to artists from Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Slovenia, and Albania. Applicants are encouraged to submit work that explores the intersections of images with sound, sculpture, spatial expansion, installations, or performances. Five selected artists will participate in online educational activities, internal open calls for exhibitions and mentorship programs, and the in-person Annual Event in November 2026. Each prize-recipient will receive a €500 artist fee, plus travel, accommodation, and daily allowances for participation in the final event. Their work will also be printed in the annual publication. The jury is composed of Barbara Gregov, Lovro Japundžić, and Lea Vene from the Organ Vida curatorial team, along with Tia Čiček, curator and researcher at Škuc Gallery, and Natalija Paunić, curator and founder of Autokomanda.

You have time until 10 January 2026. More information is available on Organ Vida’s website.

FUTURES Baltic Talents 2026

Deadline 10 January / No entry fee

ISSP invites photographers and contemporary artists working with photography from Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia to apply for FUTURES Baltic Talents 2026. The call seeks participants who have maintained an active artistic practice for 3 to 10 years, including at least one solo exhibition, and who have developed strong photographic work in the last three years. Selected artists will gain access to an international network of professionals, online and in-person mentoring, workshops, talks, and networking events at the FUTURES Annual Event in autumn 2026, with travel and accommodation covered. They will also receive a €500 artist fee and exclusive access to the Magnum online education platform tailored for FUTURES participants.

Check out their website for more information.

Triennial of Photography + House of Photography FUTURES Talent 2026

Deadline 11 January / No entry fee

The Triennial of Photography and the House of Photography at Deichtorhallen Hamburg announce a call for photographers to participate in FUTURES, a European platform for emerging photography talents. They are looking for artists with bold, poetic, conceptual, or experimental perspectives who are at an early or mid-career stage. While photography is central, cross-disciplinary approaches are also welcome. Applicants should have a background in photography/art and/or professional experience within the last three years. Five selected artists will receive a €500 artist fee, travel and accommodation for the Onboarding meeting in Hamburg during the 9th Triennial of Photography Hamburg 2026, personalized mentoring, participation in networking events, workshops, and talks, plus access to the Magnum online education platform designed for FUTURES artists. The jury includes curators and representatives from the Triennial of Photography, the House of Photography, and Freundeskreis der Photographie Hamburg: Mark Sealy, Bettina Freimann, Cale Garrido, and Nadine Isabelle Henrich.

Other Deadlines

SWIT Platform Residency 2026 / Deadline 15 January / No entry fee

SWIT Platform invites Italy-based creatives (artists, writers, curators, critics) working with photography to apply for a research-based residency in Göteborg, Sweden, with two periods available (20 April – 3 May for writers/curators/critics; 1 – 30 June for artists). Selected participants receive free round-trip flights, free accommodation with workspace, access to Göteborgs Bildverkstad, curatorial support, and opportunities to visit galleries and network locally. The residency is self-directed and doesn’t require a final result.

Istanbul Photo Awards 2026 / Deadline 9 January / No entry fee

The Istanbul Photo Awards, organized by Anadolu Agency, is a major international photojournalism award celebrating documentary and press photography. Professional photographers worldwide can submit work taken in 2025 across 10 categories (singles and stories) with a total prize pool of $58,000, including $6,000 for Photo of the Year and cash prizes for category prize-recipients. Selected artists also gain publication in the official IPA photobook and exposure through international exhibitions.

IPFA Award 2025 Open Call / Deadline 12 January / Entry fee €20

50 artists will be chosen to participate in a collective touring exhibition that will open in Barcelona on 19 March 2026 and travel to other festivals. In addition, the 20 selected artists and the 50 finalists will be featured in the IPFA Photographers Repository, created to promote their work and make it accessible to curators and festivals around the world. Finally, all selected participants will receive discounts for conferences and portfolio reviews during the 2nd International Meeting of Photography Festivals in Barcelona in July 2026, further expanding their international exposure.

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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.