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The Exposure One Awards Photographer of the Year 2026 is an international photography competition specifically dedicated to celebrating the art of black and white photography. The competition aims to honor photographers who demonstrate exceptional skill in utilizing the timeless and evocative nature of black and white to create powerful visual narratives. It provides a distinguished platform for artists to gain significant exposure and recognition within the international photography community.
This year’s Exposure One Awards Photographer of the Year 2026 competition welcomes submissions from photographers aged 18 and above, with separate judging for professional and non-professional entrants. The contest features 20 categories designed to encompass a wide range of genres within black and white photography. Participants have the opportunity to compete for $4,000+ in cash prizes. The 2026 submission period runs through a series of tiered deadlines leading to the final closing date on September 2, 2026.
Entering the Exposure One Awards Photographer of the Year 2026 competition offers a strong opportunity for photographers specializing in monochrome to have their work evaluated by a panel of respected industry professionals. Beyond the juried awards, nominated entries are automatically entered into the People’s Vote Awards, providing additional worldwide exposure as the public is invited to vote for its favorite images. This combination of expert evaluation, public visibility, substantial prizes and career-focused benefits makes the contest one of the best photography competitions to enter for photographers working in black and white.
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The Exposure One Awards Photographer of the Year 2026 Prizes
The Exposure One Awards Photographer of the Year 2026 contest provides a comprehensive suite of prizes and benefits designed to give awarded photographers both financial support and international visibility. The competition offers more than $4,000 in total cash prizes.
The top honors come with substantial cash awards:
- International Photographer of the Year (Professional): $3,000.
- International Discovery of the Year (Non-Professional): $1,000.
Professional and non-professional winners are also selected across each of the 20 categories. In addition to the cash awards, winners and honorees may receive a range of career-focused benefits:
- Published Winner’s Interview.
- Printed and embossed Winner’s Achievement Certificate.
- Credit for free entry to another Exposure One contest.
- Feature in a dedicated email to Exposure One’s global audience.
- Premier artist placements throughout the Exposure One website.
- Prominent feature in the Winner’s Gallery.
- Custom press release tailored to the photographer’s achievement.
- Public profile in Exposure One’s Artist Directory.
- International press exposure.
- Digital Winner’s Certificate and badge.
- Free entry and placement in the People’s Vote Award Gallery for nominated entries.
- Potential features through Exposure One’s social media and newsletter.
- The Exposure One Trophy for qualifying contest and category winners.
These awards are designed to provide recognition beyond the initial announcement, with selected photographers receiving online profiles and promotional assets that can continue to support their work after the competition.
Related Photo Contests
The Categories of the Exposure One Awards Photographer of the Year 2026
While the contest has a singular focus on black and white, it offers a wide range of categories to encompass the breadth of subjects and styles explored by photographers working in this medium.
The contest accepts both single images and series composed of 2 to 5 images. Images may also be entered into more than one category and will be judged independently within each selected category.
- Abstract
- Aerial
- Architecture
- Conceptual
- Domestic Animals
- Event
- Fashion & Beauty
- Film/Analog
- Fine Art
- Landscapes
- Minimalism
- Nature
- Nude
- People
- Photojournalism
- Portrait
- Still Life
- Street
- Travel
- Wildlife
Exposure One Awards Photographer of the Year 2026 Dates and Entry Fees
The Exposure One Awards Photographer of the Year 2026 features three distinct entry periods:
| Entry Period | Dates |
| Early Bird | May 11 – July 8, 2026 |
| Regular Entry | July 8 – August 6, 2026 |
| Extended Entry | August 6 – September 2, 2026 |
The final submission deadline is September 2, 2026. Winners are scheduled to be announced on October 14, 2026.
Current entry fees during the extended submission period are:
| Entry Level | Single Image | Series |
| Professional | $35 | $50 |
| Non-Professional | $27 | $40 |
| Student | $20 | $30 |
Entering the same work into an additional category is discounted by 50%. Exposure One also offers prepaid entry bundles with savings of up to 30%: five credits cost $105 for Professional entrants or $88 for Non-Professional entrants, while ten credits cost $210 and $175 respectively. Eligible students receive separate student pricing.
How to Enter
To enter the Exposure One Awards Photographer of the Year 2026 contest, photographers must submit their work through the official Exposure One Awards website. The process involves creating or logging into an artist account, completing the profile and uploading the required image or series.
Each image requires a title of up to 40 characters, while an optional description of up to 300 characters may also be supplied. Series consist of 2 to 5 photographs and should share a common concept, idea or framework. Photographers can save an incomplete submission and return to it later, but once payment has been completed, the entry can no longer be edited.
About the Jury
The judging panel of the Exposure One Awards Photographer of the Year 2026 includes photography professionals from museums, magazines, galleries and other areas of the international photography industry. The current published judges are Shana Lopes of SFMOMA, Susan Ciccotti of Aperture, Beatrice Tamagnini of Vogue, Lindsey Sharman of the Art Gallery of Alberta and Paris Chong of Leica Gallery LA.
The judging process is conducted blindly, ensuring entries are assessed without the judges knowing the identity of the submitting photographer. It begins with a preliminary round in which a selection of entries is nominated for awards within each category. In subsequent rounds, the judges’ rankings are aggregated to determine category winners and the overall International Photographer of the Year and International Discovery of the Year.
After the juried selection is complete, nominated entries are automatically entered into the People’s Vote Awards, where the public can vote for its favorite images within each contest category.
Why Enter Exposure One Awards Photographer of the Year 2026?
Entering the Exposure One Awards Photographer of the Year 2026 presents a compelling opportunity for photographers working in black and white to gain international recognition. A major incentive is the chance to compete for more than $4,000 in cash prizes, including the $3,000 International Photographer of the Year award and the $1,000 International Discovery of the Year award. Beyond the monetary aspect, the contest provides exposure through its Winner’s Gallery, Artist Directory, published interviews and international promotional activity.
Winning photographers also receive useful assets for career promotion, including custom press releases, digital badges and certificates, while qualifying winners receive the Exposure One Trophy. The diverse categories mean photographers can submit work across subjects ranging from portraiture and landscapes to street, architecture, wildlife and fine art. This broad scope gives photographers working within the black and white photography contest field considerable freedom in choosing where their images fit best.
The People’s Vote adds another route to recognition for jury-nominated entries, while the separate Professional and Non-Professional tracks prevent the two groups from competing directly for the overall titles. It stands as one of many worthwhile other photography contest deadlines for artists to consider when planning their submission calendar.
Rules and Copyright
We reviewed the official rules of the Exposure One Awards Photographer of the Year 2026 to summarize the key participation requirements, copyright terms and image usage conditions. Before entering, we recommend checking the complete rules published by the organizer.
Rules
The Exposure One Awards Photographer of the Year 2026 is open to individual content creators aged 18 or older. Entrants are categorized as Professional or Non-Professional and judged separately. Exposure One defines a professional photographer as someone who regularly sells or publishes photographic work or earns, or has earned, the majority of their income through photography.
Previously published or awarded photographs may be submitted, and Exposure One does not require exclusivity. Images also do not have to have been created within a specific time period.
The competition is exclusively for black and white photography; color images will not be considered. Sepia photographs and images using a single color tone are accepted.
AI-generated images are not accepted in any Exposure One Awards contest. The organizer reserves the right to request proof that an image was not generated using AI, as well as evidence of ownership of the original files.
Submitted files must be JPEG or PNG, with a minimum dimension of 1,500 pixels on the longest edge and a file size below 10 MB. Watermarks and logos are not permitted. Both single-image entries and series of 2 to 5 photographs are accepted, with no judging priority given to either format.
Copyright and Image Usage
Photographers who submit their work to the Exposure One Awards Photographer of the Year 2026 retain all rights to their images. Exposure One does not become the owner of submitted work, does not claim copyright or moral rights and states that entries will not be sold to third parties.
Exposure One may use submitted photographs where necessary to administer and promote its competitions. When an entry is displayed for these purposes, the photographer is credited as the owner of the image. The published FAQ does not specify a fixed duration for this permission.
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For more information and to participate in the contest, visit: the official website.
