Photo contests that ask for RAW files in 2027, and when
We re-checked the rules of 11 open photo contests on 21 October 2026. All 11 ask, or keep the right to ask, for RAW or original files. When they ask, what they accept and how long you get.
№ 03 · The journal
WinPhoto Journal
Filed under 2027. All entries →
Bird Photographer of the Year 2027: deadline, fee and rules
BPOTY 2027 closes 13 December 2026 at 23:59 GMT. £35 buys 25 entries (£40 from 8 December), plus VAT for UK-based entrants; Youth entry is free.
Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2027: dates, fee and rules
WPOTY 2027 is open for entries until 11:30 GMT on Thursday 3 December 2026. The £35 fee and who enters free, the 16 adult categories, the AI rule and the licence.
Sony World Photography Awards 2027 deadlines, by competition
Sony World Photography Awards 2027: Student closes 27 November 2026, Single Image and Youth 5 January 2027, Series 12 January 2027. Times and rules.
Photo contests that ban AI images for 2027, and how they check
16 of the 22 verified photo contests open now or later this season ban AI-generated images; 12 ask, or may ask, for RAW or original files. Contest by contest.
Photo contest entry fees compared: the 2027 season
Entry fees of the 22 verified photo contests open or opening for the 2027 season, in each organiser's own currency: what one payment buys and who pays less.
Photo contest deadlines: January to March 2027
Verified photo contests closing from January to March 2027, with each deadline's time and time zone where given, the standard fee and the AI rule.
Free photo contests for 2027: who can enter without a fee
Photo contests you can enter free for the 2027 season, from our verified records: who enters free, when each closes, the AI rule and the licence.
Photo contests open right now (June 2026): every major deadline, fee, and AI rule
A complete, current list of the major photography competitions open for entry as of June 2026 — eighteen of them, from contests closing this month to the big 2027 names that just opened. For each: the deadline, whether it's free or paid, and the one rule that disqualifies more entrants than any other — what it lets you do to the file. Updated as deadlines pass.
Sony World Photography Awards 2027: what wins, and the one decision most entrants get wrong
The Sony World Photography Awards — the largest photography competition on earth, 400,000+ entries a cycle — opened its 2027 edition on 1 June. Entry is free, the title is the most prestigious in the medium, and the single biggest mistake entrants make happens before they upload a frame: choosing the wrong track. A close read of what the Professional and Open juries actually reward, where the AI line sits, and how to decide which competition you're really entering.
Sony World Photography Awards 2027: Series or Single Image — where each of your photos belongs
For its 20th edition, Sony renamed its two main competitions — Professional is now Series, Open is now Single Image — and, for the first time, you can enter both (the work just has to differ). So the question is no longer 'which one do I choose.' It's 'which of my photographs belongs where.' Series rewards a cohesive 5–10 image body of work; Single Image rewards one frame that stops you. Here's how to place each photo where it actually wins.