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The natural world is under unprecedented pressure. Earth Photo 2027 invites photographers and filmmakers to document the resilience, beauty, and fragility of our planet. This international competition is not merely a showcase of landscapes. It is a platform for storytelling that sparks conversation about the environment and our place within it. Established in 2018 by Parker Harris, the Royal Geographical Society and Forestry England, Earth Photo has developed into an international platform for photography and film addressing the natural world, its peoples and environments.
If you are looking for photography contests online that offer more than just a digital gallery, Earth Photo combines awards with physical exhibitions in the UK and opportunities for selected work to reach international audiences. The 2027 edition calls for work that goes beyond the surface to explore the urgent issues shaping our time, from biodiversity loss and climate change to resilience, restoration and human relationships with the natural world.
The deadline for submissions is February 3, 2027. Open to artists and image-makers worldwide working in any lens-based media, the call accepts single photographs, series, moving image, long-form documentary and other image-based projects. There is no entry fee, and each entrant may submit up to 10 photographs or films.
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Prizes
Earth Photo 2027 offers a range of awards designed to support photographers and filmmakers through funding, mentoring, exhibition and professional opportunities. The prize list includes cash prizes alongside residencies and editorial collaborations.
- Earth Photo Award 2027: £1,000 for an outstanding photography project telling a compelling story about life on Earth.
- Climate of Change Award: £500 for work exploring the impacts of climate change on people, environments or wildlife, or highlighting resilience and innovative adaptations leading to positive action.
- Moving Image Award: £500 for the most powerful short film conveying a story about the planet and its inhabitants.
- Sidney Nolan Trust Residency Prize: A two-week residency at The Rodd, the former home of Sir Sidney Nolan, for a UK-based practitioner.
- David Wolf Kaye Future Potential Awards: Two awards for practitioners aged 25 or under as of February 3, 2027: one for still photography and one for moving image. The main award listing states that each receives £1,000 toward a future project plus mentoring.
- Photoworks Digital Residency: At least one participant will receive £400 and collaborate with Photoworks on a digital presentation of their work.
- New Scientist Editors Award: Mentoring from the New Scientist editorial team, with potential publication in its Aperture section or as an online video article.
- QUAD Exhibition Award: A feature exhibition for one artist selected by the QUAD Curatorial Team, presented alongside work from the Earth Photo 2027 shortlist.
Shortlisted artists will also appear in the Earth Photo 2027 online gallery, receive partner promotion and may be considered for exhibitions and New Scientist‘s weekly Aperture feature. Award winners receive further exhibition, publication and Royal Geographical Society opportunities.
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Categories or Themes
While Earth Photo is open to all genres, including documentary, fine art, and photojournalism, the organizers are particularly interested in work that addresses specific themes. Entrants can submit photographs or short films exploring:
- Human Connections: Identity, climate and relationships with the natural world.
- Development and Justice: The balance between development, sustainability and justice.
- Ecosystems: The natural and social value of environments and ecosystems.
- Biodiversity and Emergency: Conservation, biodiversity and the climate emergency.
- Indigenous Knowledge: Resilience, knowledge and adaptation to change.
These subjects are starting points rather than fixed categories, allowing photographers to interpret the wider theme through different genres and visual approaches.
Dates and Entry Fees
Earth Photo 2027 is free to enter, with shortlisted artists moving quickly into the exhibition preparation stage after notification.
| Submission deadline | February 3, 2027 at 5pm GMT |
| Applicants notified | March 11, 2027 |
| High-resolution images and work details due | March 25, 2027 |
| Royal Geographical Society exhibition | July 5–August 24, 2027 |
| Prize giving and exhibition launch | July 15, 2027 |
| Summit Photo | July 16–18, 2027 |
Entry Fee: Free. Each entrant may submit up to 10 photographs or films.
How to Enter
Submissions are accepted via the ArtOpps online portal.
- Quantity: Up to 10 works may be submitted by each entrant.
- Format: Still photography or moving image, including short films between 5 seconds and 5 minutes.
- Requirements: Entrants provide a CV of up to 500 words, a short artist statement of up to 100 words, and a caption or statement of up to 100 words for each submitted image or film.
- Still Images: Initial entries must be high-quality JPEG files no larger than 5MB.
- Films: Moving-image entries are submitted through a viewing link such as YouTube or Vimeo.
Projects should generally have been created within the previous five years. Earlier photographs may be included where relevant to a long-form documentary project, archive or vernacular photography series.
About the Jury
The Earth Photo 2027 jury will be chaired by Louise Fedotov-Clements. The remaining jury members have not yet been announced.
All submissions are first reviewed by the Earth Photo team, which creates a longlist. Jury members then review that longlist through an online voting system and make recommendations. The Earth Photo team considers those votes when determining the final shortlist, while final award recipients are selected in collaboration with the relevant award judges and partners.
Why Enter Earth Photo 2027?
Earth Photo distinguishes itself by combining environmental storytelling with a substantial physical exhibition programme. The 2027 exhibition opens at the Royal Geographical Society in London before touring to partner locations across the UK. Confirmed venues include the Sidney Nolan Trust, National Trust properties, Belvoir Castle, Dunster Castle, Heligan Gardens, Hever and National Trust Waddesdon, with further partners expected to be announced.
Furthermore, among the best photography contests focused on the environment, Earth Photo offers several routes beyond a single overall award. A project may be recognised through cash funding, mentoring, a digital residency, editorial collaboration, a physical residency or a dedicated exhibition. Whether the work centres on nature photography or documentary responses to environmental and social change, the programme is structured around both storytelling and continued presentation of selected work.
Rules and Copyright
We reviewed the official rules of the Earth Photo 2027 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 open call accepts international photographers of all ages, and both individuals and collectives may apply. Entrants may submit up to 10 still photographs or films. Submitted work should generally have been made within the previous five years, although older material can form part of relevant long-form documentary, archive or vernacular projects.
Documentary and journalistic work should remain faithful to its subject. Digital editing is permitted, but deliberately misleading or untruthful manipulation can result in disqualification. Entrants are responsible for obtaining any necessary permissions from people depicted in their projects.
Copyright and Image Usage
Photographers retain copyright to their entries. By entering, they grant Earth Photo a non-exclusive licence to reproduce, publish, communicate and exhibit submitted work worldwide in connection with Earth Photo. This includes judging, exhibitions and touring, catalogues or books, online galleries, press, marketing, promotion and associated merchandising.
Earth Photo may also provide entries to online and print publications for editorial or image-based promotion relating to the programme, with photographer credit. Sponsors may reproduce exhibition entries in their own marketing and publications when the use relates to Earth Photo. Where a separate commercial opportunity such as third-party licensing may generate a benefit from a selected image, Earth Photo states that permission will be sought from the photographer in advance.
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For more information and to participate in the contest, visit: the official website.
