World Food Photography Awards 2027
Food Photographer of the Year Awards Ltd (formerly Pink Lady Food Photographer of the Year) worldfoodphotographyawards.com ↗
Closes Feb 07, 2027
·
D − 118
Worth entering? $6.5K top prize against 35 GBP for up to 6 images, then 7 GBP per extra image. The jury read and the rights terms below are what decide it — not the prize math. Jury read ↓ · Rights & disqualifiers ↓
Submit-Safe · before you pay the entry fee
Read the fine print
Read the fine print first — World Food Photography Awards 2027 has 5 hard disqualifiers and demanding rights terms.
What this contest takes
You keep copyright, but the licence reaches past promoting the contest — wider uses, sub-licensing or passing it to others. Read the licence clause before entering.
- Copyright stays with the entrant. Rule text: "By entering the awards, each entrant grants to the Owners a non-exclusive, irrevocable license to reproduce, publish, and communicate to the public, by any means, exhibit their image and copies of their image in all media throughout the world in relation to the awards and the exhibition for no other purpose" — covering judging, exhibition, books, promotion and merchandising. Copyright stays with the entrant; commercial uses need separate permission. Non-winning images are retained in the archive; withdrawal by written request after 3 years.
- Duration: irrevocable, awards- and exhibition-related use; archive withdrawal possible after 3 years
- You keep your copyright
- Credited when used
What disqualifies you
Generative fill is out; AI denoise / sharpen / upscale are fine — but “excessive manipulation” is judged subjectively, so keep the edit honest.
- Age minimum Adult competition: 18+ on the closing date. Jamie Oliver Youth Prize: 17 and under (free). “Entrants into the Adult competition must be aged 18 or over on the competition closing date.”
- Ai generation Must originate from a camera capture. Generative AI may not create, replace, extend or reconstruct any element; standard adjustments (exposure, colour, sharpening, noise reduction) are permitted. Original capture files must be retained and supplied on request. “Generative AI must not be used to create, replace, extend or materially reconstruct any visual element of the entered image. The entrant must retain the original capture file(s) and provide supporting files and workflow information on request.”
- Prior publication Images that have already won an Overall Winner title elsewhere, or were previously shortlisted here, cannot be entered. Do not post entries on social media before the shortlist is published. “No image which has won the title of Overall Winner of a photographic competition can be entered.”
- Copyright ownership Entrant must be the original photographer (or Food Stylist entering with the photographer's permission) and hold full copyright. “Each entry must be the original work of the entrant and the entrant must have complete copyright for this work.”
- Image format Entry files: JPG/PNG at 1920px on the longest side, no borders, watermarks, signatures or text; shortlisted entrants must supply an A2-printable file at short notice. “Entries must be digital files, submitted as jpg/jpeg or png files and at 1920 pixels along the longest dimension. Scans of transparencies and negatives are permitted. No borders, watermarks, signatures or added text must be included on the image.”
Closes Feb 7, 2027 · D−118
35 GBP for up to 6 images, then 7 GBP per extra image
Upload spec:
Files: JPG/PNGMax 1920px long edgeNo watermarks
Check your photo against these exact rules — free →
No account · reads the editing line, the AI clause and the file spec · rules human-verified
The full editorial read continues with past-winner pattern, fee-to-prize value, rights translated, and three comparable competitions. Studio reads the rest.
Categories
Fortnum & Mason Food at the Table
Single
Food at the table in hotels, restaurants, cafes or other eateries (studio shots go elsewhere).
Food Portraiture
Single
Studio-style images of prepared food, ready to eat.
Food for Sale
Single
Food being bought, sold or consumed in any retail setting — supermarkets, street vendors, open-air markets, corner shops.
Food in the Field
Single
Food and produce in its natural growing setting, anywhere in the world.
Champagne Taittinger Food for Celebration
Single
Food from any festive or celebratory occasion around the world.
World Food Programme Food for Life
Single
The humanitarian side of food — its power to bring people together; documentary and reportage welcome.
Food for the Family
Single
Families eating together in an everyday context, anywhere in the world.
Louis Jadot Wine Photographer of the Year
Single
The journey of wine from vineyard to bottle (Produce, Places and People sub-categories). Not eligible for the Overall title.
Cake Award
Single
Stunning, evocative images of cake, in any setting.
Award for Innovation
Single
Open to interpretation — original, exciting food-related shots that stand out. Winner receives a £1,400 bursary and residency.
A Feast of Flowers (2027 only)
Single
One-year-only category on food and flowers — kitchen gardens, floral still life, edible petals, crops beside flower fields.
The Newcomer Prize
Single
First-time entrants only; any food-related photograph.
On the Phone (in aid of Action Against Hunger)
Single
Food photographed on a smartphone; £7 per single entry, £2 of which goes to Action Against Hunger.
Food Stylist (portfolio)
Portfolio · up to 5 photos (min 5)
Five-image portfolio entered by or for the food stylist with the photographer's permission; £35 per portfolio.
F Format requirements 1 spec
wfpa_entry
- File types: jpg, png
- Max long edge: 1920px
- No watermarks
E Eligibility 5 rules
-
Adult competition: 18+ on the closing date. Jamie Oliver Youth Prize: 17 and under (free).
hard
“Entrants into the Adult competition must be aged 18 or over on the competition closing date.”
-
Must originate from a camera capture. Generative AI may not create, replace, extend or reconstruct any element; standard adjustments (exposure, colour, sharpening, noise reduction) are permitted. Original capture files must be retained and supplied on request.
hard
“Generative AI must not be used to create, replace, extend or materially reconstruct any visual element of the entered image. The entrant must retain the original capture file(s) and provide supporting files and workflow information on request.”
-
Images that have already won an Overall Winner title elsewhere, or were previously shortlisted here, cannot be entered. Do not post entries on social media before the shortlist is published.
hard
“No image which has won the title of Overall Winner of a photographic competition can be entered.”
-
Entrant must be the original photographer (or Food Stylist entering with the photographer's permission) and hold full copyright.
hard
“Each entry must be the original work of the entrant and the entrant must have complete copyright for this work.”
-
Entry files: JPG/PNG at 1920px on the longest side, no borders, watermarks, signatures or text; shortlisted entrants must supply an A2-printable file at short notice.
hard
“Entries must be digital files, submitted as jpg/jpeg or png files and at 1920 pixels along the longest dimension. Scans of transparencies and negatives are permitted. No borders, watermarks, signatures or added text must be included on the image.”
Jury context
The 2027 panel is chaired by food photographer David Loftus, with judges including Rein Skullerud (UN World Food Programme photo editor), Clare Reichenbach (James Beard Foundation), Tom Athron (Fortnum & Mason) and chefs Javier and Sergio Torres. The organisers frame food photography as storytelling about people, places and cultures, not only plated dishes.
Priorities: storytelling emotional impact craft and light originality
Tone: people and place cultural story humanitarian celebration
Avoid: generative fill invented props or steam watermarks pre shortlist social posting
Past winners — text notes
The 2026 Overall Winner (Jo Kearney, "A Woman Eats in the Canteen of the Soviet-era Sanatorium") was a documentary scene rather than a styled plate — the awards repeatedly reward food-as-human-story frames.
These are text-only curatorial observations, never images of past winners.
Prizes
Overall Winner: £5,000. Category winners: trophy and Mall Galleries exhibition. Wine Photographer of the Year winner: £1,000. Award for Innovation: £1,400 bursary + residency. Finalists invited to the VIP Awards Evening on 18 May 2027 (travel not included).
- Finalists exhibited at the Mall Galleries, London; selection shown at Fortnum & Mason
- Award for Innovation: £1,400 bursary + 4-week Hugo Burge Foundation residency
- Louis Jadot Wine Photographer of the Year: £1,000
Exhibition Publication
R Rights & licensing what you grant the organizer
- What you grant
- Copyright stays with the entrant. Rule text: "By entering the awards, each entrant grants to the Owners a non-exclusive, irrevocable license to reproduce, publish, and communicate to the public, by any means, exhibit their image and copies of their image in all media throughout the world in relation to the awards and the exhibition for no other purpose" — covering judging, exhibition, books, promotion and merchandising. Copyright stays with the entrant; commercial uses need separate permission. Non-winning images are retained in the archive; withdrawal by written request after 3 years.
- Duration
- irrevocable, awards- and exhibition-related use; archive withdrawal possible after 3 years
- Exclusivity
- none
- Attribution
- Required
- Copyright retained by photographer
- Yes
Before you enter — quick answers
- Is World Food Photography Awards 2027 free to enter?
- World Food Photography Awards 2027 is not free: 35 GBP for up to 6 images, then 7 GBP per extra image. Check the organizer's page for the full fee rules and any waivers.
- Are AI-generated images allowed in World Food Photography Awards 2027?
- AI-assisted editing is permitted at World Food Photography Awards 2027, but the image must originate from a real photograph and manipulation may need to be disclosed. A fully AI-generated image is not eligible as a photograph.
- When is the World Food Photography Awards 2027 deadline?
- World Food Photography Awards 2027 closes on Feb 07, 2027 (in 118 days).
- How do I know if my photo is eligible for World Food Photography Awards 2027?
- Read your photograph against World Food Photography Awards 2027's published rules — the editing line, the AI clause, and the file requirements — free and without an account with WinPhoto's eligibility check. It tells you whether your image is eligible before you pay the entry fee.