Find here exciting free photography contests with cash prizes or other types of rewards. Would you like to showcase your work and win prizes in free online photo competitions? You’ve come to the right place. Here you’ll find the best free photography competitions available. It is for beginner photographers as well as for seasoned professionals. There are free photo contests of all types, from international photography competitions to calls for entry from local artist groups, and all without any entry fees.
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List of free photography competitions
Here you can find all the free photo competitions currently listed on Deartline. A selection of some of the most interesting free online photography contests sorted by their closing dates. Select your next free entry photography contest, participate and get ready to stand out.
Do you know of a photo competition free entry that is not on our list? Send it to us!
November 2024
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What are free photography contests?
They are regular photography contests, but with no entry fee, simply photography contest free entry. As in the rest of the competitions these free contests also have prizes (and some of them are really interesting).
Among the best free photography competitions you will find great prizes such as money, photographic equipment or exhibitions of all sizes. Some of the most outstanding photography prizes in the world do not require an entry fee, so don’t think that because they are free photography open calls they have less quality or value.
There are, of course, all kinds of them. You can find free nature photo contests, a free wildlife photo contest, prizes with an open theme or others dedicated to very specific aspects of photography.
Free photo contests for beginners
Entering a free entry photo contest is one of the best strategies for a beginner photographer who wants to make a name for himself. And make no mistake, it’s probably not going to be easy, but a free photo contest offers many advantages if you know how to prepare for it:
Learn how to select your free contest
If you just jump into free photography open calls, it will be very difficult for you to stand out as a beginner. Take it easy and study your options.
Possibly an international award like the Sony World Photography Awards (yes, it is a free photo contest) will be complicated. But there are other smaller awards that will help you to improve your technique and to stand out. If you are just starting out, it is normal that this is what you are looking for, but be clear that not everything is free photo contests with cash prizes. An exhibition or having your name and your work seen in websites and magazines around the world can be more interesting prizes than they seem.
So don’t worry about the big ones (although you can try, it’s free), look for free to enter photography competitions that suit your level and work your way up little by little.
In free photography awards the reward is not everything
We’ve already told you that, but let us expand on it a bit more. Yes, we all like to participate in free photography competitions with great financial rewards, but we also know that they are usually the most complicated. These free photo competitions are full of great professionals and, if you’re just starting out, it’s very likely that you’re not at their level.
Don’t focus on that. There are many free photography submissions with great prizes that will allow you to improve your equipment, show your work to great professionals, receive feedback, exhibitions in remote parts of the world or even exhibit your art in renowned galleries where you could find buyers for your work.
Don’t chase only those free photo contests to earn money or you could be missing out on a lot.
Learn from the rest
This can be applied to all contests, with free contest images or with fee, and it works for all of them. Whether you win or not, take a look at the photos that other participants have submitted, the winners and finalists.
Don’t just look at the result, take it for granted that there is something in that photo. Something you have to discover and understand. Something that will make your photography can improve and reach higher in your next online free photography competition.
Everyone always has the opportunity to learn and improve. Understanding that is something that will help you grow as a professional and, possibly, as a person. So, whether participating in free photography contests or in our day to day life, it is a maxim that is always good to remember.
The big mistake that is usually made in a free photography competition
When entering a photography award, whether it’s a photography competition free entry or requires the typical entry fee, there is one mistake that is made more often than any other.
And yes, we make the classic mistakes of not reading the rules, not checking the editing, not thinking well if our photo fits the theme … but there is one that stands out above the rest and, above all, in free photo contests: not knowing the competition we are entering.
It is very common, especially when you are starting out in this world, to confuse a free contest with an uninteresting contest. This is not the case. Some of the most outstanding photography awards are free photography contests online. So one of the most common mistakes is to think that, being free, there will not be a good competition and not to send our best photos. Wrong.
Study the contest. The fact that they are free photography competitions does not mean that they do not include substantial prizes, are of great importance or have won the affection of great photographers. So be warned, don’t fall into the trap. Do not confuse photography contest free entry with photography contest low quality.
Participate in free photography competitions
There is no single way to participate in a free entry photography contest. Each one has its own systems and forms. However, nowadays, it is usual to come across a free online photography contest.
The fact that they are held online does not imply that they all have a common system, but most free online photo contests follow a similar process.
In most cases you will only have to follow a few steps similar to these:
- Register in the platform selected by the competition.
- Check that your photographs follow the requirements of the contest rules.
- Upload your images.
- Confirm your participation.
The fact that they are free photo contests does not imply that their quality or requirements are inferior. Always read the rules of each contest carefully and be aware that hundreds or thousands of other photographers are participating in front of you. Show your best work and stand out in every online free photography competition.
How to find free photo contests
Finding the best free photography competitions can be a tiresome task. You can research all the contests you can find and maybe find the international photography competition free entry you are looking for, or use a site like Deartline.
In this section we gather free online photo competitions so you don’t have to waste time searching. If you want you can subscribe to our newsletter and stay up to date with the best photo competitions.