Photography Contest
August Sander Award 2026
Deadline |
03/16/26Theme |
Documentary and conceptual photographyTerritory |
WorldwideEligibility |
National and international artists born as of January 1, 1986Entry Fees |
FREEPrizes |
Cash PrizeThe prize is endowed with €5,000 to use as the winner sees fit.
Die Photographische Sammlung/SK Stiftung Kultur will also organize if possible a solo
exhibition of the winners’ works in cooperation with the artist.
Purpose and eligibility:
The prize is designed to promote young artists working in the field of documentary and conceptual photography. In honor of August Sander’s seminal contribution to portrait photography, the candidates’ photographic work should primarily focus on portraiture. The prize is awarded every two years.
National and international artists born as of January 1, 1986 who work mainly with photography are eligible to enter.
How to enter:
The artist should submit a largely completed series of maximum 20 photographs produced
especially for the award. The submission must consist of unframed working prints in
exhibition quality from this single series, with a maximum edge length of 60 cm. Candidates
should also include a PDF file (max. 10MB) containing all motifs of the series, dates and
measurements. The title of the PDF should be as follows: “candidates name_title of the
series.pdf”. Please send the PDF to the following address: projekt@sk-kultur.de .
Only works that form a thematically coherent group or sequence will be reviewed;
individual images will not be considered. Works that have already won awards in other
competitions will not be accepted.
Die Photographische Sammlung/SK Stiftung Kultur will also organize if possible a solo
exhibition of the winners’ works in cooperation with the artist.
Purpose and eligibility:
The prize is designed to promote young artists working in the field of documentary and conceptual photography. In honor of August Sander’s seminal contribution to portrait photography, the candidates’ photographic work should primarily focus on portraiture. The prize is awarded every two years.
National and international artists born as of January 1, 1986 who work mainly with photography are eligible to enter.
How to enter:
The artist should submit a largely completed series of maximum 20 photographs produced
especially for the award. The submission must consist of unframed working prints in
exhibition quality from this single series, with a maximum edge length of 60 cm. Candidates
should also include a PDF file (max. 10MB) containing all motifs of the series, dates and
measurements. The title of the PDF should be as follows: “candidates name_title of the
series.pdf”. Please send the PDF to the following address: projekt@sk-kultur.de .
Only works that form a thematically coherent group or sequence will be reviewed;
individual images will not be considered. Works that have already won awards in other
competitions will not be accepted.
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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!
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