Photography Contest
2026 ZEKE Awards
Deadline |
CLOSEDTheme |
Documentary - Systemic ChangeTerritory |
WorldwideEligibility |
Open to allEntry Fees |
$25Prizes |
Cash PrizeWe are happy to announce that we will be giving two separate awards.
ZEKE Award for Systemic Change
ZEKE Award for Documentary Photography
Each awardee will receive $2,500
2026 ZEKE Award for Systemic Change
SDN is proud to partner again with the Foundation for Systemic Change for the fourth year to award the ZEKE Award for Systemic Change.
SDN will award one photographer a $2,500 honoraria and recognition of their outstanding visual stories documenting systemic changes leading to sustainable solutions to important issues affecting the world today.
We are particularly interested in issues related to the threat to democracy, human rights, global health, climate change, migration and refugees, conflict, race and gender, reproductive rights, sustainable farming practices, and others.
We look to photographers to educate us as to what issues are most pressing and the change that is being done.
What is important is to show solutions and not only problems.
ZEKE Award for Documentary Photography
SDN will award one photographer the ZEKE Award for Documentary Photography and a $2,500 honoraria to recognize their success in documentary visual storytelling about any subject matter with an emphasis on themes that affect the global community.
Jurors will look at the quality of the photographic images and accompanying text and how well the combination adds to our understanding of the issue.
Awards
Two First-Place Winners will receive
• $2,500 cash prize.
• Featured in ZEKE magazine.
• Featured in exhibitions of ZEKE Award winners at Photoville in Brooklyn, NY in early June 2026.
• Featured in SDN's email Spotlight sent to SDN's 8,500 members and on SDN's home page, Facebook, and Instagram feeds.
Honorable Mentions
• Presented in ZEKE magazine.
• Featured in exhibitions of ZEKE Award winners at Photoville in Brooklyn, NY in early June 2026.
• Featured in SDN's email Spotlight sent to SDN's 8,500 members and on SDN's home page, Facebook, and Instagram feeds.
Featured Photo Contest
AAP Magazine #56 / SHADOWS
$1,000 cash prizes | Winning image(s) published in AAP Magazine #56 | Website feature and International Press
© Francesco Pace Rizzi
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 03/19/26
Our 56th printed issue of AAP Magazine will feature the best projects showcasing the theme "Shadows".
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
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 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 04/02/26
$10,000 project development grant for up to eight participants. Funds may be used in whatever way fellows see fit in order to expand and complete projects
ENDS 04/12/26
The winner will receive a grant of $14,000 for a solo exhibition
ENDS 04/16/26
Emerging Photographers (under 30 year old ) 2 X $ 5000 grants.
ENDS 04/16/26
The main grant is open to professional photographers worldwide, one $30,000. grant
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 06/03/26
BUDAPEST INTERNATIONAL FOTO AWARDS is an international platform for photographers from all levels and genres to share their best images with the creative community in Hungary and Eastern Europe.
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.