Photography Contest
The Center Awards 2025
Deadline |
CLOSEDTheme |
Personal, Social, and EnvironmentalTerritory |
WorldwideEligibility |
Open to allEntry Fees |
Between $35 and $55Prizes |
ExhibitionHost |
CENTERThe CENTER Awards recognize outstanding images, singular or part of a series, in three categories: Personal, Social, and Environmental.
A broad and inclusive interpretation of the themes is encouraged:.
• The Personal Awards recognize work engaging in the exploration, expression, the power of self-representation and/or underrepresented experiences..
• The Social Awards recognize work engaged in social issues. All projects exploring social topics or themes are eligible..
• The Environmental Awards recognize work focusing on the state of the ecological environment. Topics may include but are not limited to, conservation, biodiversity, ecology, climate change, or other issues concerning the natural world. All projects exploring ecological relationships, topics, or themes are eligible..
– The Personal, Social, and Environmental Awards support one artist each..
• Winners Exhibition at CENTER
• Review Santa Fe participation
• Public Project Presentation
• Publication in LENSCRATCH
• Professional Development Seminars access
• Inclusion in CENTER’s annual printed Program Guide
• Inclusion in the CENTER Winners Gallery & Archive
We are adding to our database and archive of lens-based work from the last 30 years and invite you to contribute. All applicant’s work will remain in the CENTER archive, regardless of award status.
A broad and inclusive interpretation of the themes is encouraged:.
• The Personal Awards recognize work engaging in the exploration, expression, the power of self-representation and/or underrepresented experiences..
• The Social Awards recognize work engaged in social issues. All projects exploring social topics or themes are eligible..
• The Environmental Awards recognize work focusing on the state of the ecological environment. Topics may include but are not limited to, conservation, biodiversity, ecology, climate change, or other issues concerning the natural world. All projects exploring ecological relationships, topics, or themes are eligible..
– The Personal, Social, and Environmental Awards support one artist each..
• Winners Exhibition at CENTER
• Review Santa Fe participation
• Public Project Presentation
• Publication in LENSCRATCH
• Professional Development Seminars access
• Inclusion in CENTER’s annual printed Program Guide
• Inclusion in the CENTER Winners Gallery & Archive
We are adding to our database and archive of lens-based work from the last 30 years and invite you to contribute. All applicant’s work will remain in the CENTER archive, regardless of award status.
Featured Photo Contest
AAP Magazine #55/Women
$1,000 cash prizes | Winning image(s) published in AAP Magazine #55 | Extensive press coverage and global recognition
© Jacque Rupp
Best Photography Contests in 2025
Each year, there are hundreds of photography competitions all over the world, so we've decided to select for you the best of the best! Our selection of the best photo contests in 2025 is thoroughly curated to help you, whether you are a professional photographer or an amateur, to help find your next creative breakthrough. These all-star competitions offer the greatest opportunities for international exposure and/or incredible financial benefits. Some of them are closing soon, so get your photo submissions in!
ENDS 03/13/26
The biennial Belfast Photo Festival provided the perfect platform for gaining exposure to an international audience, with previous editions having welcome over 100,000 visitors from all over the world
ENDS 03/13/26
The 28th edition of the PICTO Fashion Photography Award holds a special significance for the PICTO Foundation.
ENDS 03/15/26
‘On the Block’ celebrates the unposed, unfiltered, and fleeting moments that define the art of documenting everyday life, whether in dense urban streets or sleepy rural towns.
ENDS 03/16/26
The prize is endowed with €5,000 to use as the winner sees fit.
ENDS 03/17/26
Be Featured in our April 2026 Online Juried Solo Exhibition!
ENDS 03/21/26
The FORMAT Portfolio Review is returning in 2026. It will take place online on Friday 20 and Saturday 21 March.
ENDS 03/29/26
Be seen, be supported, and be part of Head On Photo Festival 2026.
ENDS 03/31/26
If you're a passionate amateur or professional photographer, we invite you to share your photographic project with us.
ENDS 03/31/26
Entries are open worldwide to photographers using an iPhone or iPad. Photos should not be published previously anywhere. The posts on personal accounts (Facebook, Instagram etc.) are eligible.
ENDS 03/31/26
Selected photobooks will be featured in Der Greif’s Articles section, including a dedicated editorial feature highlighting the project, its context, and the maker(s).
ENDS 04/12/26
The winner will receive a grant of $14,000 for a solo exhibition
ENDS 04/16/26
The main grant is open to professional photographers worldwide, one $30,000. grant
ENDS 04/16/26
Emerging Photographers (under 30 year old ) 2 X $ 5000 grants.
ENDS 05/07/26
The 2026 Virginia Prize, worth €10,000, will be awarded to its winner in November 2026.
ENDS 05/17/26
MonoVisions Photography Awards are an international open call for photographers using black and white medium to express their visual language.
ENDS 05/31/26
This season will feature five main categories, with ‘Family’ serving as the primary theme.
ENDS 06/15/26
Submit your best photographs now and get your chance to be one of the winners awarded in Siena!
ENDS 06/30/26
The IPA recognizes photography’s leading talents who are creating, shaping and defining the world of photography today.
ENDS 07/22/26
Submit your best work to our photo competition for a chance to win up to $11,500 in cash prizes, be selected by our curators for the PX3 exhibition in Paris and inclusion in the Annual PX3 book.