Of the 22 photo contests in our verified records that are open now or open later this season, three are free to enter and 19 charge a fee. In US dollars the standard fee runs from $10 to $40 across ten contests; in euros from €10 to €30 across four; in pounds from £30 to £35 across four; and one contest charges INR 2,360. We don’t convert currencies. What one payment buys varies too: at Wildlife Photographer of the Year £35 covers up to 25 photographs, while at Ocean Art $10 covers one.
Free to enter
- Sony World Photography Awards 2027: all four competitions are free; Single Image and Youth take up to three images free each.
- World Sports Photography Awards 2027: free, up to 10 images.
- RPS International Photography Exhibition 168: one single image free; each further entry of four images costs £35, £27 for RPS members and £20 for entrants under 30.
US dollars
| Contest | Closes | Standard fee | Other rates in the rules |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ocean Art Underwater Photo Competition 2026 | 6 Dec 2026 | $10 per image | 11 images for $100, 22 for $200 |
| The Independent Photographer Monthly Awards 2026 | 31 Oct 2026 | $15 per image | 3 images for $30, 6 for $45 |
| International Landscape Photographer of the Year 2026 | 31 Oct 2026 | $25 per image | Every fifth entry free until 24 Oct |
| Chromatic Photography Awards 2026 | 25 Oct 2026 | $27 per image | Amateurs $22 |
| Monochrome Photography Awards 2026 | 15 Nov 2026 | $27 per image | Amateurs $22 |
| Fine Art Photography Awards 2026–2027 | 14 Feb 2027 | $29 per image | Amateurs $24; series $34, amateurs $29; $10 per extra category |
| Annual Photography Awards 2026 | 13 Dec 2026 | $30 per image | Series of up to 8 images $40 |
| 1839 Awards Photographer of the Year 2026 | 17 Oct 2026 | $35 per image | Non-pro $27, students $20 |
| AAP Magazine #62: Travels | 10 Nov 2026 | $35 for up to 3 images | $30 until 16 Oct; $5 per extra image |
| Communication Arts Photography Competition 2027 | 12 Mar 2027 | $40 per image | Series $80; student work $20; $10 more per entry from 13 to 26 Mar |
Euros
| Contest | Closes | Standard fee | Other rates in the rules |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Nature Photography Contest 2026 | 15 Nov 2026 | €10 per image | |
| World Street Photo Awards 2026 | 17 Oct 2026 | €18 for the first photo | €15 each for photos 2 to 4, €13 each for 5 to 10, €10 each from the 11th |
| Getxophoto 2027 Open Call | 3 Nov 2026 | €22 per project of 10 to 20 images | |
| Glanzlichter 2027 | 10 Jan 2027 | €30 for up to 30 images | Under 18s €15 |
Pounds sterling
| Contest | Closes | Standard fee | Other rates in the rules |
|---|---|---|---|
| World Nature Photography Awards 2027 | 30 Oct 2026 | £30 for up to 6 images | |
| Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2027 | 3 Dec 2026 | £35 for up to 25 images | Free for the Young competition, ages 18 to 26 and residents of listed countries |
| Bird Photographer of the Year 2027 | 13 Dec 2026 | £35 for 25 entry credits | £40 from 8 Dec; plus VAT in the UK; Youth free |
| World Food Photography Awards 2027 | 7 Feb 2027 | £35 for up to 6 images | £7 per extra image; Youth Prize and RPS Student category free |
Indian rupees
| Contest | Closes | Standard fee | Other rates in the rules |
|---|---|---|---|
| Global Wildlife Fair International Photo Awards 2026 | 15 Oct 2026 | INR 2,360 for up to 6 images | INR 2,000 plus 18% GST |
Three ways contests price an entry
Per image. Nine of the ten dollar-priced contests, The Nature Photography Contest and World Street charge for each photograph, and several charge professionals more than amateurs.
One payment for a set number of images. Wildlife Photographer of the Year’s £35 is “A one-off non-refundable entry fee” for up to 25 images, Glanzlichter’s €30 covers up to 30, and at the World Nature Photography Awards “The standard entry fee is £30 per entry, which allows you to enter up to 6 images.” The Global Wildlife Fair’s INR 2,360 also covers up to six.
Per project or series. Getxophoto charges €22 for each project, and Fine Art Photography Awards, Annual Photography Awards and Communication Arts each have a series price.
Fees can change with the date as well: AAP Magazine and Bird Photographer of the Year raise theirs before the close, Communication Arts adds a late fee after it, and International Landscape Photographer of the Year stops its free fifth entry a week early. Each record page shows the fee in force on the day you read it. For a contest we don’t list, the Terms Check quotes its fees from the rules page.
Questions
How much does it cost to enter a photo contest?
Among the 19 paid contests in our verified records for the 2027 season, the standard fee runs from $10 to $40, €10 to €30 or £30 to £35, and one charges INR 2,360. What that buys ranges from one image to 30.
Which photo contests are free to enter?
Three: the Sony World Photography Awards 2027, the World Sports Photography Awards 2027 and the RPS International Photography Exhibition 168, which takes one single image free. See free photo contests for 2027.
Do amateurs pay less to enter photo contests?
At some contests. Chromatic and Monochrome charge amateurs $22 instead of $27 and Fine Art Photography Awards $24 instead of $29; the 1839 Awards charges non-professionals $27 instead of $35.
Why do some contests charge per entrant and others per image?
It is the organiser’s choice. Wildlife Photographer of the Year charges once for up to 25 photographs; Ocean Art charges $10 for each one.
Sources
Each fee comes from our record of the contest or from the organiser’s fee page it links, and every one was checked on 13 October 2026: we re-read all 22 on the organisers’ pages for this post. Each contest’s record links its organiser’s rules.