Photography Competitions That Are Actually Free
Open Competitions (January - February)
Entry limit: 12-18
Categories: Open/Free theme
Rewards: €10,000 and promotion on The Prix Virginia website, social media, newsletter.
Eligibility: For professional women photographers of any age or nationality.
Rules: All photography must be unpublished and original work that has not been exhibited in France.
Rights to use: Photographers retain full copyright
Note: By entering, the photographer grants The Prix Virginia the right to promote the photos on its website, newsletter, social media, or through its partners or the media.
Entry limit: 5 to 15 images per person
Categories: "The Urgency for Connectivity”
Rewards: Winning images will be showcased in an exhibition in Geneva in June and October 2026. Award recipients will be invited to attend the Awards Ceremony.
Rules: Images must not be altered by adding/removing elements. Excessive tonal manipulations or, textures, or filters are prohibited.
Rights to use: Photographers retain full copyright
Note: By entering, the photographer grants Giga, UNICEF, and partners a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to use submitted images for award-related, non-commercial purposes, including exhibitions, communications, and advocacy.
Open competitions (March - May)
Entry limit: One free entry per person
Categories: Open to all styles and genres
Rewards: $10,000, solo feature published on LensCulture, international group exhibition
Rules: Purely AI-generated work is not accepted. Photographers can submit photos previously entered in other competitions.
Rights to use: Photographers retain full copyright
Note: By entering, the photographer grants LensCulture limited, non-exclusive rights to use submitted photos to promote the competition and the photographers themselves.
Entry limit: 3 per person
Categories: Still photography
Note: Small World in Motion (videos/time-lapses) is open to filmmakers.
Rewards: The cash prizes range from $35 - $3,000. The 1st place winner receives a trophy and international recognition.
Rules: No AI-generated images, logos, or watermarks permitted. Images must not have won previous competitions.
Rights to use: Photographers retain full copyright
Note: By entering, the photographer grants Nikon a perpetual, worldwide, royalty-free license to use, publish, and display the images for marketing and promotional purposes.
Entry limit: Up to 3 photo essays total
Note: Each entry must be a photo essay of 10–12 images.
Categories: Spot News, Environment, and Solutions.
Rewards: Category winners receive $5,000. The Independent Photojournalist of the Year wins $15,000.
Rules: Entries must be original, ethical, unmanipulated, and taken within the past 24 months. AI-generated images are not allowed.
Rights to use: Photographers retain full copyright
Note: By entering, the photographer grants Xposure non-exclusive rights to use high-resolution images for promoting the festival and IFPA across all media, including website, archives, and publications.
Open competitions (June - August)
Sony World Photography Awards
Opens: June 1
Open & Youth Deadline: January 6
Professional Deadline: January 13
Entry limit: 3 entries per person
Categories: 6
Rewards: $5,000, Sony Digital Imaging equipment, London exhibition, and inclusion in the Sony Photography Awards Book
Rules: Photographers can submit photos previously entered or published in other competitions. Photographs cannot have watermarks.
Rights to use: Photographers retain full copyright
Note: By entering, WPO and partners are granted non-exclusive and irreversible access to use the photographer’s images for 3 years to promote the awards, the photographer, exhibitions, books, and online.
Open Competitions (September - December)
Entry limit: Up to 15 entries per category
Categories: 6
Rewards: Grand Prize winner: $2,500, Category winners: $500, Readers' Choice winner: $500
Rules: Photographs that were taken before January 1, 2023, are not eligible.
Rights to use: Photographers retain full copyright
Note: By entering, the photographer grants the Smithsonian Institution a royalty-free, perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive license to use the photos in any media for various purposes, including promotion, advertising, exhibition, and commercial products.
Entry limit: 3 entries per category
Categories: 10
Note: The categories are subject to change every year. Project/21 is a consistent feature of the completion. This category is exclusive to photographers 21 years or younger.
Rewards: EUR 5,000, Hasselblad X2D II 100C camera, Two XCD Series lenses
Rules: Submissions cannot be taken with a cellphone.
Rights to use: Photographers retain full copyright
Note: By entering, the photographer grants Hasselblad Masters and its affiliates the right to use the photographer’s images for commercial use. Hasselblad Masters and its affiliates are not required to pay royalties.