Seven deadlines in our verified records fall between January and March 2027. Three belong to the Sony World Photography Awards 2027, which is free to enter: Single Image and Youth close on 5 January and Series on 12 January, all at 16:00 GMT. Glanzlichter closes on 10 January, at noon or at midnight CET depending on which language of its rules you read. The World Food Photography Awards close on 7 February, the Fine Art Photography Awards on 14 February and Communication Arts on 12 March, with late entries to 26 March.
| Contest | Closes | Standard fee | AI rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sony World Photography Awards 2027, Single Image | 5 Jan 2027, 16:00 GMT | Free for up to 3 images | Bans AI-generated images; editing tools allowed |
| Sony World Photography Awards 2027, Youth | 5 Jan 2027, 16:00 GMT | Free for up to 3 images | Bans AI-generated images; editing tools allowed |
| Glanzlichter 2027 | 10 Jan 2027, 12:00 CET (see below) | €30 for up to 30 images | Strict ban on AI-generated images |
| Sony World Photography Awards 2027, Series | 12 Jan 2027, 16:00 GMT | Free | Bans AI-generated images; editing tools allowed |
| World Food Photography Awards 2027 | 7 Feb 2027, no time given | £35 for up to 6 images, then £7 per extra image | Bans AI-generated images; editing tools allowed |
| Fine Art Photography Awards 2026–2027 | 14 Feb 2027, no time or time zone given | $29 per image | No AI rule in the published terms |
| Communication Arts Photography Competition 2027 | 12 Mar 2027, midnight Pacific Time | $40 per image | Bans AI-generated images; editing tools allowed |
Reading the table
Glanzlichter gives two times. Its German rules say “Einsendeschluss ist der 10. Januar 2027 – 24:00 Uhr (MEZ)”, midnight at the end of 10 January; its English conditions say “The deadline for entries is January 10th, 2027 – 12:00pm (CET)”, noon. We list the earlier. Glanzlichter also checks originals: after the first pre-selection it requests RAW files or out-of-camera JPGs from 27 January 2027, due by 7 February 2027.
Fine Art Photography Awards gives two dates. Its fee table says “Final deadline – February 14th, 2027” and a banner on the same page says “FINAL DEADLINE IS FEBRUARY 15th, 2027”. We list the earlier, and neither states a time.
Communication Arts has a late window. Its rules say “Entries must be registered no later than Midnight (Pacific Time), March 12”, and its FAQ says “After the March 12, 2027 deadline we will accept entries for two weeks but a late entry fee of $10 per submission is required. No entries can be registered after March 26, 2027.”
Fees are the standard adult or professional fee. Glanzlichter charges €15 for photographers under 18. Fine Art Photography Awards charges amateurs $24, a series of two to five images $34 ($29 for amateurs) and $10 for each additional category. Communication Arts charges $80 for a series of up to five and $20 for a student single. World Food’s Jamie Oliver Youth Prize and its RPS Student Food Photographer of the Year category are free.
Sony’s three competitions differ in who can enter. Single Image is open to everyone, for images taken in 2026; Youth is for photographers aged 19 and under on the closing date; Series is for entrants over 18, with five to ten images per category. The fourth Sony competition, Student, closes earlier, on 27 November 2026. Each competition’s closing date is on the Sony World Photography Awards 2027 page.
The deadlines before these are in photo contest deadlines, November and December 2026, and every contest open now is on the open contests list. For a contest we don’t list, the Terms Check reads its rules page and quotes back the deadline with its time zone.
Questions
Which photo contests close in January 2027?
In our verified records: the Sony World Photography Awards 2027, whose Single Image and Youth competitions close on 5 January and Series on 12 January, and Glanzlichter 2027, on 10 January.
When is the Sony World Photography Awards 2027 deadline?
Single Image and Youth close on 5 January 2027 and Series on 12 January 2027, at 16:00 GMT. The Student competition closes on 27 November 2026.
Is there a late deadline for the Communication Arts Photography Competition?
Yes. After 12 March 2027 entries are accepted until 26 March with a late fee of $10 per entry.
Which of these photo contests are free to enter?
The three Sony World Photography Awards competitions. Single Image and Youth each take up to three images free, and both sell image bundles for more.
Sources
Checked against the organisers’ pages on 13 October 2026:
- Sony World Photography Awards: Single Image, Youth and Series rules
- Glanzlichter Teilnahmebedingungen and conditions of participation
- World Food Photography Awards entry terms
- Fine Art Photography Awards fees and deadlines, terms and FAQ
- Communication Arts 2027 Photography Competition and its category list