Wondering which of the best photography awards deserve your time? Start with Sony World Photography Awards, International Photography Awards, Prix Pictet and World Press Photo, then match each to your work and budget.
For the wider picture, browse the photography awards section of this site.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| International Photography Awards: International Photographer of the Year cash prize | $10,000 |
| International Photography Awards: first gala | December 2003 |
| Sony World Photography Awards: Photographer of the Year cash prize (2026) | $25,000 (USD) |
| Sony World Photography Awards: submissions (2026) | over 430,000 images from over 200 countries and territories |
| Sony World Photography Awards: edition number (2026) | 19th edition |
The prize and entry figures above come from Wikipedia’s International Photography Awards entry and Artdoc’s report on the 2026 Sony winners. Prizes, rules and fees change from year to year, so check the source before you rely on them.
How to judge the best photography awards
No single ranking settles the question, because awards do very different jobs. Wikipedia’s list of photography awards says it is organized by the region and country of the organization that gives each award, but some awards are open to international competitors. It also leaves out photojournalism, which it covers under journalism awards.
Before you spend time on an entry, run each award through four quick checks:
- Who judges: a named jury, a curator or a panel of industry figures.
- Who can enter: an open call, a nomination only, or an age limit.
- What you win: cash, an exhibition, a book, equipment or a grant.
- What it costs: entry fees, extra category fees and printing.
The same Wikipedia list also shows how wide the field is. It includes grants such as the W. Eugene Smith Grant, run by the W. Eugene Smith Memorial Fund, alongside competitions and festival prizes.
Open competitions you can enter
The International Photography Awards were created by Hossein Farmani as part of the mission of the Lucie Foundation, and the first gala took place in December 2003. According to Wikipedia, the awards cover professional, non-professional and student photographers, and the top title of International Photographer of the Year brings a Lucie statue and a cash prize of $10,000.
A guide on Contrastly notes that there are entry fees and that you pay for each extra category you enter. Read that as a reminder to check the current call for entries yourself.
The Sony World Photography Awards reached their 19th edition in 2026. As of the April 2026 Artdoc report, over 430,000 images from over 200 countries and territories were submitted, and Photographer of the Year went to Citlali Fabián for the series Bilha, Stories of my Sisters, with a $25,000 (USD) cash prize.
An All About Photo guide describes four competitions in the programme, with Professional recognising outstanding bodies of work. Contrastly adds that the Youth category is for photographers who are 12 to 19 years old.
If you shoot only in black and white, the Monovisions Photography Awards are built for monochrome work. Contrastly lists prizes of $3,000 for the Black and White Series of the Year and $2,000 for the Black and White Photo of the Year. Entering an additional category costs $10 per category.
Prestige prizes and nomination-based awards
Some of the most respected prizes are not open calls at all. The figures below come from an All About Photo guide posted in September 2018, so treat the amounts as a snapshot and check each organiser for the latest terms.
- Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize: set up in 1996 by The Photographers’ Gallery in London, with a prize of 30,000 Pound Sterling ($39,000). A group of more than 100 international photography experts nominates candidates, and a jury picks four finalists.
- Prix Pictet: founded in 2008 by the Geneva-based private Banque Pictet, it focuses on photography and sustainability. Entry is by nomination, and the prize is CHF 100,000 ($103,000).
- Foam Paul Huf Award: for photographers under the age of 35, awarded since 2007, with 20,000 euros ($24,000) and an exhibition at Foam Fotografiemuseum Amsterdam.
- Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize: a portrait competition whose first prize was 15,000 Pound Sterling ($19,000).
Photojournalism has its own flagship. The same guide says the prize-winning pictures of the World Press Photo contest travel as an exhibition to 45 countries and are seen by more than 4 million people each year. A separate guide covers the world press photo contest in more detail.
If prize size is your yardstick, Wikipedia’s list describes the Hamdan International Photography Award, backed by Crown prince Hamdan of Dubai, as having the largest monetary prize among photography awards. The list is a dynamic one, so check the organiser before you cite that.
Which award fits the work you make?
Match the award to the kind of work you already have, rather than shooting for a prize.
- A finished series: Sony’s Professional competition rewards bodies of work, and the International Photography Awards take entries across many categories.
- Black-and-white images: the Monovisions awards.
- Emerging artists under 35: the Foam Paul Huf Award.
- Portraits: the Taylor Wessing prize, which celebrates contemporary portrait photography from around the world.
- Sustainability projects: Prix Pictet, if a nominator puts you forward.
- News and documentary reporting: World Press Photo.
Young photographers have a clear route too, since the Sony programme includes Youth and Student competitions alongside Open and Professional.
Weighing entry fees against what you might gain
Open competitions usually charge per entry, and fees add up fast if you enter several categories. Nomination prizes such as Prix Pictet avoid that cost, but you cannot apply yourself.
Set a budget before you start and decide in advance what a win would be worth to you: exhibition space, press exposure, a book or contacts. The guide titled photography contest entry fees worth it weighs that trade-off in detail.
A short checklist helps before you pay anything:
- Read the rules for who owns or may use your images.
- Check the judges and whether the jury is independent of the organiser.
- Add up the total cost for every category you plan to enter.
- Confirm the prize in the organiser’s own announcement.
Frequently asked questions
Which award pays the most?
Show answer
Wikipedia’s list describes the Hamdan International Photography Award as having the largest monetary prize among photography awards. Among the prizes compared here, the September 2018 All About Photo guide lists CHF 100,000 for Prix Pictet.
Can amateurs enter the big awards?
Show answer
Some, yes. The International Photography Awards cover professional, non-professional and student photographers, and Sony’s programme includes Open, Student and Youth competitions. Prizes such as Prix Pictet are by nomination only.
Are photojournalism prizes part of general photography award lists?
Show answer
Often not. Wikipedia’s list of photography awards leaves photojournalism out and points to its list of journalism awards, so look for contests such as World Press Photo separately.
Do I have to be nominated?
Show answer
For some prizes, yes. Candidates for the Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize are nominated by an Academy of more than 100 international photography experts, and entry to Prix Pictet is by nomination.
