Travel Photographer of the Year 2026 (TPOTY 2026)

Are you ready to claim the title of Travel Photographer of the Year 2026? The 24th annual edition of TPOTY is now open, inviting photographers worldwide to submit their strongest travel images for international recognition, media coverage, exhibitions, and a broad prize package. From 30 April to 12 October 2026, photographers can enter across portfolio, One Shot, Rising Talent and Young Travel Photographer categories, with the Overall Winner title awarded to the entrant who submits the best two portfolios across the portfolio categories.

Ranked among the top photography challenges to participate, TPOTY 2026 offers a wide range of entry options: four-image portfolios in Adventures & Journeys, Cultures, Traditions & Celebrations, Landscapes – Natural & Urban, and Wildlife, Sealife, Birdlife; One Shot single-image categories in In Nature, People of the World, Street, and Travel in Black & White; Rising Talent six-image portfolios; and a free Young Travel Photographer award. Entry fees start at £14 for One Shot images, £28 for portfolios, and £30 for Rising Talent, with bundle discounts, a 10% early-bird discount until 1 July, and a TPOTY Pass available until 14 July. This structure makes it accessible for everyone to showcase their best travel photographs.

Hosted entirely online and with prizes including nearly £10,000 in cash bursaries, TPOTY 2026 delivers a blind judging process led by an international panel of 15 judges. Finalists’ high-resolution files are reviewed in December, followed by a public vote for the People’s Choice award. Winners earn spots in UK and international exhibitions, extensive media features, and sponsor-provided rewards including imaging software, exhibition-quality prints, portfolio reviews, photo tuition, mentoring, and photographic equipment.

The Travel Photographer of the Year 2026 Prizes

TPOTY 2026 rewards excellence with a mix of cash bursaries, professional services, mentoring, photographic equipment, and prestigious exposure:

• Overall Winner – Travel Photographer of the Year 2026:
  • Title holder
  • Selected from entrants submitting the best two portfolios across the portfolio categories
  • Automatic and free entry for eligible photographers entering at least two portfolios
  • Extensive media exposure
• Young Travel Photographer of the Year:
  • Free entry
  • Open to photographers aged 18 and under
  • Awards in the 14 and Under and 15–18 age groups
  • One overall Young TPOTY winner selected
• Portfolio Category Winners (Adventures & Journeys; Cultures, Traditions & Celebrations; Landscapes – Natural & Urban; Wildlife, Sealife, Birdlife):
  • Cash bursaries as part of the overall prize package
  • Radiant Imaging Labs software
  • Best Single Image in each portfolio category eligible for Travel Image of the Year
  • Genesis Metro exhibition-quality prints among the prize support
• One Shot Category Winners (In Nature; People of the World; Street; Travel in Black & White):
  • Cash bursaries as part of the overall prize package
  • Radiant Imaging Labs software
  • Eligibility for Travel Image of the Year
• Rising Talent Award (for amateur and semi-professional photographers):
  • Mentoring support
  • Photo tuition
  • Portfolio development opportunities
  • Support from TPOTY and its partners
• Travel Image of the Year: Selected from the winners of the four One Shot categories and the four Best Single Image in a Portfolio winners, with judges and public participation.
• People’s Choice Award: Public-selected favorite
  • TPOTY books
  • Cards
  • Prints
  • Eye for the Light membership

The Categories of the Travel Photographer of the Year 2026

TPOTY 2026 offers multiple entry streams tailored to diverse travel narratives:

Portfolio Series (4 images each): Capture a cohesive story in:

• Adventures & Journeys
• Cultures, Traditions & Celebrations
• Landscapes – Natural & Urban
• Wildlife, Sealife, Birdlife

One Shot (1 image): Single-image challenges in:

• In Nature
• People of the World
• Street
• Travel in Black & White

Rising Talent Award: Six-image portfolio for amateurs/semi-pros, showing at least three different elements of travel photography.

Young Travel Photographer: Four-image portfolio by entrants aged 18 & under, with a Discovering the World theme. Free entry.

Travel Photographer of the Year 2026 Dates and Entry Fees

Entry Fees:

• Young Travel Photographer: Free
• One Shot: £14
• Four-image portfolios: £28
• Rising Talent: £30

Bundle Discounts: Two One Shot entries for £20; two four-image portfolios for £36; Four Plus Two, with 4 One Shot entries and 2 four-image portfolios, for £59; Ten Image Combination, up to 10 One Shot images, for £59.

TPOTY Pass: £99 for unlimited entries until 14th July 2026.

Earlybird Discount: 10% discount on entry fees until 1st July 2026. The Earlybird discount does not apply to the TPOTY Pass.

How to Enter:

Register or log in at TPOTY’s online portal, select your category or TPOTY Pass, upload images per guidelines (JPEG, maximum 3 MB, 72dpi, no bigger than 2,000 px longest side, sRGB/Adobe RGB), pay the fee if applicable, and submit.

Young Travel Photographer entries are free.

About the Jury

The TPOTY 2026 judging panel comprises 15 independent international experts who volunteer their time to select winners purely on merit. Judging is carried out blind, with entrant names and image details hidden until the judging process is complete, helping to protect the awards’ integrity and avoid bias.

Why Enter Travel Photographer of the Year (TPOTY) 2026?

Winning TPOTY 2026 delivers major international exposure, UK and international exhibition placements, and widespread media coverage. With nearly £10,000 in cash bursaries, imaging software, exhibition-quality prints, portfolio reviews, photographic equipment, photo tuition, and mentoring at stake, entrants gain a platform that can extend the reach of their work. As one of the photography challenges and rewards, TPOTY highlights the best in travel storytelling, from sweeping vistas to wildlife encounters, offering a significant platform for creative growth.

Rules and Copyright

This section about the rules and image rights of the Travel Photographer of the Year 2026 has been generated automatically. If you are interested in participating in this contest we suggest you review the complete rules provided by the contest.

Rules

The competition is open to amateur and professional photographers aged 19 and over from any country for the Portfolio and One Shot categories. The Rising Talent Award is open to amateur and semi-professional photographers, while Young Travel Photographer of the Year is for photographers aged 18 and under.
Submissions must be made online via www.tpoty.com by the closing date of October 12th, 2026.
Entrants can submit to multiple categories, except for the Rising Talent Award, which is limited to one entry per photographer.
Images should accurately reflect the subject matter and the scene as it appeared. Digital manipulation is permitted only within stated limits: entrants may optimise and crop an image, but may not add, move, or remove key elements, replace skies, or create composites unless otherwise agreed by the organisers.
No AI-generated images or video content will be allowed and any entered will be disqualified.
Shortlisted finalists will be required to provide original image files, including RAW or JPEG as shot, for final judging.
Specific rules apply to each category, including the number of images required for portfolios and Rising Talent entries. Entrants must read the rules for each category they enter.
Full compliance with the entry rules is required.

Copyright and Image Usage

Photographers retain full copyright of their submitted images at all times.
By entering, participants grant Travel Photographer of the Year and its sponsors the right to reproduce, publish, and exhibit submitted images strictly in connection with the TPOTY competition. This includes, but is not limited to, use in associated media coverage, exhibitions, awards materials, promotional materials, TPOTY books, catalogues, apps, public votes, the TPOTY website, and social media platforms.
TPOTY will credit photographers whenever their images are used.
Entrants must be the sole author and copyright owner of all submitted images and must ensure they have the necessary permissions for any recognizable individuals or property featured in their photographs.

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For more information and to participate in the contest, visit: the official website.