January Photography Awards

We know that searching through the masses of international photography competitions and selecting the best ones for you can be a daunting task. Fortunately, we have done the hard work for you and curated a list of what is coming up in the world of photography awards and grants throughout January and February.

We know that searching through the masses of international photography competitions and selecting the best ones for you can be a daunting task. Fortunately, we have done the hard work for you and curated a list of what is coming up in the world of photography awards and grants throughout January and February.

POYi

POY is set to launch the 73rd annual Pictures of the Year International competition, the oldest and one of the most prestigious photojournalism awards programs in the industry. POY recognizes “excellence in photojournalism, multimedia, and visual editing [and] is committed to engaging citizens worldwide with great documentary photography by sponsoring educational public exhibitions.”

The winners of the categories Photographer of the Year, Documentary Project of the Year, and the World Understanding Award will receive $1,000 cash prizes and Tiffany crystal trophies, while those who claim Newspaper Photographer of the Year, Sports Photographer of the Year, Multimedia Photographer of the Year, the Environmental Vision Award, Community Awareness Award, and Best Photography Book Award will each collect $500 and a Tiffany crystal trophy.

Registration and entry opens on Wednesday, December 16th. The deadline is Friday, January 15th, 2016 at 11.59 pm (U.S. Central Standard Time)

World Press Photo Contest

The World Press Photo Foundation is a leading organization in the development and promotion of visual journalism. This annual contest rewards “photographers for the best single exposure pictures contributing to the past year of visual journalism.” The competition is open to professional photographers and photojournalists, and entry coordinators submitting work on their behalf.

The award program is organized into categories (News, Documentary, Sports, Nature, and People) and judged by prominent photojournalism professionals. In the first week of judging, the work is done by five specialist juries, the chairs of which are: News - Francis Kohn, France, photo director Agence France-Presse; Documentary - Michaela Herold, Austria, director of photography Der Spiegel; Sports - Tim Clayton, Australia, photographer; Nature - George Steinmetz, USA, photographer; People - Narda van ’t Veer, the Netherlands, founder UNIT C.M.A, The Ravestijn Gallery. The judging takes places between February 1st and 12th, 2016.

Anyone wishing to enter the 2016 edition must register for access to the contest entry site between December 2nd, 2015, and January 7th, 2016. Entries may only be submitted online. The deadline is January 13th, 2016. The winners will be announced on February 18th, 2016

Sony World Photography Awards

The Sony World Photography Awards aim to reward the best contemporary photography in the world. Each year, the competition offers US$30,000 in cash prizes plus the latest Sony digital imaging equipment.

Free to enter, photographers of all abilities are invited to submit either their best single shots or series of work. The images are judged by the World Photography Organisation and a specially selected jury from the World Photographic Academy. The varying Professional Competition juries this year include such names as David Campany, Chair, Art Jury, Writer and Curator; Dominique Green, Chair, Documentary Jury, Consultant; Jael Marschner, Open Competition Chair, Group Picture Editor, Time Out; and Simon Bainbridge, Student Focus Award Jury, Editor, British Journal of Photography.

The awards offer an unparalleled opportunity for exposure for photographers at all stages of their career and are known worldwide by industry leaders. Each competition has a different deadline date: Professional - January 12th; Open - January 5th; Youth - January 5th; and the ZEISS Photography Award – February 5th.

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Every month we curate a list of what is coming up in the world of photography awards. Aimed at early, mid-career, and professional photographers, this list offers details of the most exciting opportunities. To stay up to date, subscribe to our newsletter by registering your email address in the space at the bottom of this page.

© Daniel Berehulak. Winner of the 2015 POYi Photographer of the Year award
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© Daniel Berehulak. Winner of the 2015 POYi Photographer of the Year award

© Mads Nissen. 2015 World Press Photo of the Year Winner
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© Mads Nissen. 2015 World Press Photo of the Year Winner

© John Moore. 2015 L’Iris d’Or Winner, Professional Competition, 2015 Sony World Photography Awards
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© John Moore. 2015 L’Iris d’Or Winner, Professional Competition, 2015 Sony World Photography Awards

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