The Sony World Photography Awards 2027 has four competitions and three deadlines. Student closes on 27 November 2026: its rules say entries must be submitted by 16:00 GMT and uploaded by 13:00 GMT, so plan for 13:00. Single Image and Youth close on 5 January 2027 at 16:00 GMT, and Series on 12 January 2027 at 16:00 GMT. Entries opened on 1 June 2026, and all four competitions are free to enter.
| Competition | Closes | Who can enter | What you enter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Student | 27 Nov 2026, 16:00 GMT (upload by 13:00 GMT) | Aged 18 to 30, on a photography programme at a registered institution | 5 to 10 images on the brief “Journeys” |
| Single Image | 5 Jan 2027, 16:00 GMT | Anyone | Single images taken in 2026, in 10 categories; 3 free |
| Youth | 5 Jan 2027, 16:00 GMT | Aged 19 and under on the closing date | Single images taken in 2026, open-call theme; 3 free |
| Series | 12 Jan 2027, 16:00 GMT | Over 18 | 5 to 10 images per category, in 10 categories |
Student: 27 November 2026
The Student competition is “Free to enter for anyone aged from 18 to 30 years-old undertaking a photography programme”, which the page defines as “a formalised photography course/credit/module/foundation which is taught at higher education level, within a diploma / Bachelor of Arts / Master of Arts curriculum”, and the rules add that “students must ensure their institution is registered”. The 2027 brief is “Journeys”, and each entry is a series of five to ten images. The rules give two capture windows: clause 2.1 says images must be taken “in the 18 months prior to the competition closing date”, and clause 3.7 says “Images must be taken between January 1, 2026 and November 27, 2026”, so only images taken between 1 January and 27 November 2026 meet both. The rules also give two times on the closing day: “Entries must be submitted by 16.00 GMT on 27 November 2026” (clause 1) and “All entries to be uploaded by 13.00 GMT on 27 November 2026” (clause 3.1).
Single Image and Youth: 5 January 2027
Single Image is “open to anyone submitting single images taken in 2026”, in ten categories: Animal Portraits, Architecture, Creative, Landscape, Lifestyle, Motion, Natural World & Wildlife, Portraiture, Street Photography and Travel. The page says “Enter up to three single images for free”; to enter more, “Buy image bundles”. The organiser’s bundles page lists three, charged in GBP and usable in Single Image or Youth: 10 extra images for £14.95, 20 for £21.95 and 50 for £44.95, on top of the three free images.
Youth is “open to all members of the public aged 19 and under on the closing date of the competition”, and “Each Entrant can submit up to three (3) images for free”. The 2027 theme is an open call, “Show us your best images!”, for photographs taken in 2026. Both close at 16:00 GMT on 5 January 2027.
Series: 12 January 2027
Series is for entrants over 18: a series of five to ten images per category, in ten categories: Architecture & Design, Creative, Documentary Projects, Environment, Histories, Landscape, Perspectives, Portraiture, Sport and Wildlife & Nature. You can enter as many categories as you like, but not the same series or images in more than one. Work may have been taken at any time; published work must have been published between 1 January 2026 and 12 January 2027, though up to 20% of a series may have been published at any time on your own website or social media, or exhibited as part of an official programme, and unpublished work is also accepted. “Entries must be submitted by 12 January, 2027 at 16.00 GMT”.
You can enter both Series and Single Image, as long as the work is different: “Entrants choosing to submit work across both Single Image and Series competitions must choose work originating from different bodies of work.”
AI and editing
Every entry must start from a photograph: “all Entries must originally be from either an analogue or digital photograph which may have then been manipulated. Computer generated content cannot be the origin of the Entry.” Manipulation must be described in the image description when you submit, and if the judges question it, “you may be requested to submit the original photograph and image file to verify.”
The licence
You keep the copyright. Entering grants the World Photography Organisation a non-exclusive, irrevocable, worldwide licence in all media over every entered image, for uses connected with promoting the photographer and the awards, including sub-licensing to the press and use by its event partners. It runs for three years after the April 2027 announcement, with two exceptions: the Student rules also keep an older clause granting it in perpetuity, and the Single Image and Youth rules say an image included in the awards’ galleries or gallery applications on event partner devices “will remain perpetually in the device royalty free”.
The record for the Sony World Photography Awards 2027 keeps the deadlines, categories and eligibility rules and links the organiser’s awards page. Other contests with no entry fee are on the free photo contests list, and every contest open now, by deadline, is on photo contests open now. Other deadlines from November to March are in November and December 2026 and January to March 2027.
Questions
When is the Sony World Photography Awards 2027 deadline?
There are three: Student closes on 27 November 2026, Single Image and Youth on 5 January 2027, and Series on 12 January 2027.
What time do Sony World Photography Awards entries close?
At 16:00 GMT on each closing date. The Student rules also say entries must be uploaded by 13:00 GMT on 27 November 2026, so plan for the earlier time.
Is the Sony World Photography Awards free to enter?
Yes. Series and Student are free, and Single Image and Youth each take up to three images free. For more, image bundles work in both Single Image and Youth and are charged in GBP: 10 extra images for £14.95, 20 for £21.95 and 50 for £44.95.
Can I enter both Series and Single Image?
Yes, with work from different bodies of work.
Sources
Checked against the World Photography Organisation’s pages on 13 October 2026: the awards page and the Student, Single Image, Youth and Series rules. The licence summary was checked against the four competitions’ rules (clause 7, and Student clause 3.6.5) on 13 October 2026, and the bundle prices against the organiser’s bundles page on 13 October 2026.