The Istanbul Photo Awards 2026 is aimed squarely at professional news photographers who want their work to be seen, debated, and remembered. Organized by Anadolu Ajansı, the contest focuses on powerful stories from around the world, with images taken in 2025 and submitted online. It combines a strong emphasis on news photography with solid cash awards and international visibility, while remaining a truly free photo competition, with no entry fees at any stage.
Entries for Istanbul Photo Awards 2026 are open from 13 November 2025 to 9 January 2026. The competition features ten categories, pairing single-image and story entries in News, Sports, Nature & Environment, Portrait, and Daily Life. Across these categories, there are 30 prize-winning spots, including a $6,000 award for the Single News 1st prize, which is also named “Photo of the Year”.
With free entry, a clear focus on professional practice, and a strong news-driven brief, Istanbul Photo Awards 2026 is relevant for photographers working in conflict zones, social issues, sports arenas, environmental stories, or intimate portrait and daily life narratives. It will particularly appeal to those who regularly participate in photography challenges via platforms such as Deartline and who track major photojournalism contests around the world.
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The Istanbul Photo Awards Prizes
A total purse of $60,000 is distributed among the top talent. The most prestigious honor is the “Photo of the Year” title which is awarded to the winner of the Single News category. This image becomes the face of the awards for the entire year.
The specific prizes include:
- Photo of the Year: The winner receives $6,000.
- Category Winners: First place in each category receives $3,000.
- Runners-up: Second place in each category receives $1,500.
- Third Place: Third place in each category receives $1,000.
Winners also benefit from extensive publication in the official photobook and are featured in international exhibition tours that travel to major capitals.
Other Free Contests
The Categories of the Istanbul Photo Awards
Istanbul Photo Awards 2026 revolves around ten clearly defined categories, all grounded in news and documentary-style practice. Each one accepts either single images or stories and has specific limits on how many images can be submitted.
Single News focuses on individual, news-related photographs.
Story News is intended for news-related image series.
Single Sports covers sports-related imagery as single photographs.
Story Sports is designed for sports narratives told over ten images.
Single Nature & Environment is dedicated to individual images dealing with nature, climate, and environmental stories.
Story Nature & Environment allows series-based narratives about environmental issues and natural subjects.
Single Portrait focuses on portraiture as a single-image category, open to four different photographs per photographer.
Story Portrait extends portrait work into ten-image series, allowing the photographer to build a longer, more layered narrative around individuals or communities.
Single Daily Life is dedicated to everyday scenes and routines captured in a single frame.
Story Daily Life covers ten-image stories centered on everyday life, giving room to explore social, cultural, and intimate narratives in depth.
Istanbul Photo Awards Dates and Entry Fees
The timeline for Istanbul Photo Awards 2026 is clearly defined, giving professional photographers enough time to prepare and submit their work while keeping the focus on images created in 2025.
Application deadline: 9 January 2026
Announcement of winners: March – April 2026
Entry to Istanbul Photo Awards 2026 is fully free. There is no submission fee at any stage, which places the contest alongside other free photography competitions that still maintain a high professional standard.
However, participation is limited to professional photographers, defined by the organizers as those who earn or have earned most of their income from photography and who regularly publish or sell their work.
How to Enter
All entries are submitted online through the contest’s official website. Photographers must first register an account. Once registered, they can choose the relevant categories and upload their images in high-resolution JPG, JPEG, or PNG format, following the specified limits for single and story submissions.
Every image must include complete IPTC information, including title, description, creation date, city, and country, and all captions must be written in English. The same photograph cannot be submitted in more than one category. Files should be reasonably sized to avoid upload issues, and the organizers recommend a maximum of around 5MB per image.
About the Jury
The images submitted to Istanbul Photo Awards 2026 are evaluated by an international jury composed of professionals who are active in the world of news photography, including editors, experienced photographers, and industry figures with substantial field experience. The jury process is structured in two phases to ensure that both technical and editorial aspects are carefully reviewed.
Why Enter Istanbul Photo Awards 2026?
Istanbul Photo Awards 2026 is designed for photographers who work in the real world of news and documentary storytelling. The categories structure makes space for breaking news, long-term features, sports action, environmental coverage, intimate portraits, and daily life narratives. For professionals who follow best photography challenges online, it stands out as a contest that is both free to enter and tightly focused on journalistic standards. From a career perspective, the contest combines substantial cash awards with opportunities for visibility. Winning photographs are shown in exhibitions and compiled in a dedicated photobook that circulates globally.
With a clearly defined brief, a focus on images taken in 2025, and a professional-only entry rule, Istanbul Photo Awards 2026 is suitable for photographers already working with agencies, newspapers, magazines, or on independent projects. It is also relevant for those looking to benchmark their work against peers in other international photography contests that highlight news and documentary photography on a global stage.
Rules and Copyright
This section about the rules and image rights of the Istanbul Photo Awards 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.
Copyright and Usage:
Photographers retain the full copyright to their work. By entering, you grant Anadolu Agency a non-exclusive license to use the images for promoting the awards. This includes the annual photobook, exhibitions, and digital marketing. The organizers are committed to crediting the photographer in every instance.
Eligibility:
The contest is open to professional photographers only. This is defined as individuals who earn a significant portion of their income from photography. Freelancers are welcome. Images must be factual news records. Excessive manipulation that alters the truth of the scene is strictly prohibited and will lead to disqualification.
For more information and to participate in the contest, visit: the official website.
