black and white collage abstract portrait photo by Sander Vos. Photo competition, Photo contest, Photo awards

The Independent Photographer:
acclaimed international awards
& online magazine

SUBMIT PHOTOS MAGAZINE
© Sander Vos

Celebrating photography & supporting emerging artists

Color fine art portrait photo of man holding mirror by Karen Kouame. Open Call Award
2026 Open Call AWARD

Win $3,000 Cash Awards & International Exposure

Your choice: street, travel, fine art, landscape, documentary, portrait, and more. In October, we invite photographers of all ages, backgrounds, and experiences to unleash their creativity and share their best images!⁠

  • Win $3,000 in Cash Prizes
  • International Exhibition
  • +995k Instagram Feature
  • Free Online Portfolio
ENTER COMPETITION
Deadline: October 31, 2026
color travel photo of Bajau family in Borneo, Malaysia by Roberto Flores
© Roberto Flores

Exhibition • Photography

TIP – 2026 Annual Exhibition

The Independent Photographer is delighted to return to London this October for the fourth consecutive year, with our annual exhibition celebrating 12 months of photographic talent from around the world.

MAGAZINE

2026 Open Call Award

Win $3,000 Cash Awards & International Exposure

Your choice: street, travel, fine art, landscape, documentary, portrait, and more. In October, we invite photographers of all ages, backgrounds, and experiences to unleash their creativity and share their best images!⁠

  • Win $3,000 in Cash Prizes
  • International Exhibition
  • +995k Instagram Feature
  • Free Online Portfolio
ENTER COMPETITION
Deadline: October 31, 2026
Jeremy Skirrow © Jeremy Skirrow
Conceptual fine art color portrait of woman against pink wall by Ana Garrido Santos © Ana Garrido Santos
Color portrait photo of young monks by Chia-chieh Yang © Chia-chieh Yang
William Coxford © William Coxford
black and white photo of herders in Omo River, Ethiopia by Roberto Gennaro © Roberto Gennaro
color landscape photo of Mt Rainier National Park by Lauren Puyleart © Lauren Puyleart
Robi Chakraborty © Robi Chakraborty
Jeremy Skirrow © Jeremy Skirrow
Conceptual fine art color portrait of woman against pink wall by Ana Garrido Santos © Ana Garrido Santos
Color portrait photo of young monks by Chia-chieh Yang © Chia-chieh Yang
William Coxford © William Coxford
black and white photo of herders in Omo River, Ethiopia by Roberto Gennaro © Roberto Gennaro
color landscape photo of Mt Rainier National Park by Lauren Puyleart © Lauren Puyleart
Robi Chakraborty © Robi Chakraborty
Jeremy Skirrow © Jeremy Skirrow
Conceptual fine art color portrait of woman against pink wall by Ana Garrido Santos © Ana Garrido Santos
Color portrait photo of young monks by Chia-chieh Yang © Chia-chieh Yang
William Coxford © William Coxford
black and white photo of herders in Omo River, Ethiopia by Roberto Gennaro © Roberto Gennaro
color landscape photo of Mt Rainier National Park by Lauren Puyleart © Lauren Puyleart
Robi Chakraborty © Robi Chakraborty
Jeremy Skirrow © Jeremy Skirrow
Conceptual fine art color portrait of woman against pink wall by Ana Garrido Santos © Ana Garrido Santos
Color portrait photo of young monks by Chia-chieh Yang © Chia-chieh Yang
William Coxford © William Coxford
black and white photo of herders in Omo River, Ethiopia by Roberto Gennaro © Roberto Gennaro
color landscape photo of Mt Rainier National Park by Lauren Puyleart © Lauren Puyleart
Robi Chakraborty © Robi Chakraborty
black and white portrait photo of young woman by Ian McFarlane © Ian McFarlane
Carl Zhu © Carl Zhu
Justin Tay © Justin Tay
Nicola Balestrazzi © Nicola Balestrazzi
Laurence Kubski © Laurence Kubski
Visual Story ; People Award - color photo of a young monk walking along a path of candles in an old Buddhist temple in Bagan, Myanmar 2025 by Phillip Baros © Phillip Baros
color studio fine art portrait of a woman's back by Evgenia Rieger © Evgenia Rieger
black and white portrait photo of young woman by Ian McFarlane © Ian McFarlane
Carl Zhu © Carl Zhu
Justin Tay © Justin Tay
Nicola Balestrazzi © Nicola Balestrazzi
Laurence Kubski © Laurence Kubski
Visual Story ; People Award - color photo of a young monk walking along a path of candles in an old Buddhist temple in Bagan, Myanmar 2025 by Phillip Baros © Phillip Baros
color studio fine art portrait of a woman's back by Evgenia Rieger © Evgenia Rieger
black and white portrait photo of young woman by Ian McFarlane © Ian McFarlane
Carl Zhu © Carl Zhu
Justin Tay © Justin Tay
Nicola Balestrazzi © Nicola Balestrazzi
Laurence Kubski © Laurence Kubski
Visual Story ; People Award - color photo of a young monk walking along a path of candles in an old Buddhist temple in Bagan, Myanmar 2025 by Phillip Baros © Phillip Baros
color studio fine art portrait of a woman's back by Evgenia Rieger © Evgenia Rieger
black and white portrait photo of young woman by Ian McFarlane © Ian McFarlane
Carl Zhu © Carl Zhu
Justin Tay © Justin Tay
Nicola Balestrazzi © Nicola Balestrazzi
Laurence Kubski © Laurence Kubski
Visual Story ; People Award - color photo of a young monk walking along a path of candles in an old Buddhist temple in Bagan, Myanmar 2025 by Phillip Baros © Phillip Baros
color studio fine art portrait of a woman's back by Evgenia Rieger © Evgenia Rieger

Past Judges

Our competition jury is comprised of esteemed industry figures representing such prestigious agencies and publications as Magnum Photos, VII, National Geographic, Agence Vu', Vogue & GEO.
  • logo of The Guardian and portrait photo of editor Fiona Shields

    Fiona Shields

    Fiona Shields is Head of Photography for The Guardian News and Media Group. With more than two decades of experience, she has delivered talks, mentored photojournalism students, and served as judge of numerous awards and competitions.

  • Judge Steve McCurry Profile Picture

    Steve McCurry

    Celebrated as one of the most iconic voices in contemporary photography, American photographer Steve McCurry has created a unique collection of work featuring some of the most famous images of our time.

  • Judge Alessia Glaviano Profile Picture Vogue Logo

    Alessia Glaviano

    Based in Milan, Alessia Glaviano is the Brand Visual Director of Vogue Italia and L’Uomo Vogue. She is responsible for Photo Vogue and was a 2015 World Press Photo jury member.

  • Judge Ed Kashi Profile Picture VII Logo

    Ed Kashi

    Represented by the prestigious VII agency, Ed Kashi is an acclaimed photojournalist and educator who uses photography to explore geopolitical and social issues that define our times.

  • Judge Maggie Steber Profile Picture National Geographic Logo

    Maggie Steber

    A celebrated figure in the photographic community, Maggie Steber works for National Geographic and is part of the renowned VII Photo Agency. She has earned prestigious honors, including the Leica Medal of Excellence, the World Press Foundation Award & a Pulitzer prize.

  • Judge REZA Profile Picture

    REZA

    Founder of Webistan Photo Agency and Explorer of National Geographic, internationally acclaimed Iranian-French photojournalist Reza is a three-times world press winning photographer and recipient of the ICP Infinity Award.

  • portrait of photographer Carol Körting

    Carol Körting

    Carol Körting is a professional portfolio reviewer and the photo editor of the renowned Leica Fotografie International Magazine (LFI) and its online platform, producing and editing countless photographic projects since 2011.

  • portrait of photographer Nikos Economopoulos

    Nikos Economopoulos

    Member of Magnum Photos since 1990, Nikos Economopoulos has published several monographs and his iconic images have been published and exhibited worldwide. Economopoulos regularly teach and work around the world, in the context of his long-term On The Road project.⁠⁠

  • Judge Magdalena Herrera Profile Picture GEO Logo

    Magdalena Herrera

    Magdalena Herrera has worked in books, print, and magazines, spending ten years as head of the photo department at National Geographic before joining Geo France as Director of Photography. She was the chair of the 2018 World Press Photo contest.

Square TIP Logo Square TIP Logo

Competition winners

Travel AWARD Travel AWARD August 2026
color travel photo of Bajau family in Borneo, Malaysia by Roberto Flores

Winner Roberto Flores

Discover all winners

Previous winners:

Square TIP Logo

Awards Calendar

Each month, photographers enter a competition judged by a renowned artist.

STREET – September 2026
OPEN CALL – October 2026
LANDSCAPE – November 2026
PEOPLE – December 2026
BLACK & WHITE – January 2027
WILDLIFE & ANIMALS – Feb. 2027
STREET – March 2027
PORTRAIT – April 2027
COLOR – May 2027
BLACK & WHITE – June 2027
TRAVEL – July/August 2027

Coor photography of a man taking a bath by Ivelina Berova
© Ivelina Berova

A unique chance to
gain widespread exposure!


  • $ 36.000
    Cash Prizes
  • International
    Exhibition

  • Free
    Portfolio

  • Global
    Exposure

  • Professional
    Feedback
Color landscape photo by Spiros Dimas
© Spiros Dimas
ENTER COMPETITION
Deadline: October 31, 2026
“I never knew what I was doing until I was done.” – Man Ray
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