Storm Photos of the Year 2026 is now open, and it is looking for the single most unforgettable storm image of 2025. This contest, often nicknamed “The Stormys”, is built around one idea: storm photographers should be judged by people who understand what it takes to make these photographs. The entry window runs from February 1, 2026 to February 28, 2026, with winners announced on March 27, 2026 during a live YouTube award show.
The competition covers classic storm subjects and the broader world around them, from tornado structure and lightning to storm-driven stories and auroras. Prizes include cash awards (up to $600 in the main titles), trophies, a large 20×30 metal print for the top winners in the headline categories, and sponsor items such as app memberships and gear. In the context of the specialized weather photography contests featured on Deartline, it is a clear fit for photographers whose strongest work lives in severe weather, dramatic skies, and storm-adjacent storytelling.
Storm Photos of the Year 2026 also fits neatly into the broader list of opportunities tracked in our best photo challenges online. It is a paid-entry contest, and the rules emphasize authenticity and file accountability, including RAW-file requirements for finalists. For storm chasers and weather photographers who have been building a 2025 archive, the details below lay out what is being awarded, what to submit, and when.
Contents
Prizes
Storm Photos of the Year 2026 mixes cash awards with physical recognition and sponsor-backed extras. The contest lists prizes per award title as follows.
- Storm Photo of the Year
- First place:
- $600
- Trophy
- 20×30 metal print of the winning image
- One-year WeatherFront subscription
- WeatherFlow Tempest weather station
- Second place:
- $200
- Third place:
- $100
- First place:
- Storm Photographer of the Year:
- First place:
- $600
- Trophy
- 20×30 metal print of the winning image
- One-year WeatherFront subscription
- Second place:
- $200
- Third place:
- $100
- First place:
- Tornado Photo of the Year:
- First place:
- $500
- 20×30 metal print of the winning image
- Second place:
- $200
- Third place:
- $100
- First place:
- Lightning Photo of the Year:
- $400
- Trophy
- Photojournalism Award:
- $100
- ThinkTank camera bag
- Solar Storm or Aurora Award:
- $300
Because the prize list includes cash awards as well as sponsor items, this Storm Photos of the Year also aligns with photographers browsing cash prize photo contests and gear-focused opportunities such as equipment prizes.
Related Photo Contests
Categories or Themes
Storm Photos of the Year 2026 is organized into six award categories, each tied to photos captured in 2025.
- Storm Photo of the Year is the flagship single-image award, aiming to recognize the strongest storm photograph made during 2025, regardless of whether it features tornadoes, structure, rain curtains, mammatus, or other dramatic weather moments.
- Storm Photographer of the Year is portfolio-based. It focuses on a body of work and requires ten images captured across multiple dates, rewarding consistency and variety across the year.
- Tornado Photo of the Year centers specifically on tornado imagery from 2025, from photogenic structure to decisive moments that communicate scale, power, and atmosphere.
- Lightning Photo of the Year is for lightning-focused work from 2025, including unusual forms as well as classic cloud-to-ground scenes.
- Photojournalism Award widens the frame to storm-driven storytelling, including damage, people in storm environments, and images made in imperfect conditions where the story matters as much as aesthetics.
- Solar Storm or Aurora Award is dedicated to auroras and solar-storm photography from 2025, reflecting the recent surge in high-impact northern-lights imagery.
Dates and Entry Fees
The Storm Photos of the Year publishes a specific entry window and a public timeline for critiques and winner announcements.
- Contest Opens: February 1, 2026 (10:00 AM ET)
- Contest Closes: February 28, 2026 (11:59 PM ET)
- Selections critique video: March 13, 2026
- Finalists critique video: March 20, 2026
- Winners announced: March 27, 2026 during a live YouTube award show
Entry fees are structured by submission type.
- Single-image entries:
- Start at $10 for one image
- $5 for each additional image submitted in the same single-image category entry
- The portfolio category:
- $30 for a ten-image submission
How to Enter
Entries are submitted through the contest’s official entry system. Images must be JPG files and each submitted photo needs the date, location, and a short caption. For the portfolio award, ten images are required and at least seven different capture dates must be represented. Finalists must be prepared to provide the corresponding RAW files within 48 hours of a request.
About the Jury
The judging panel is made up of storm photographers and storm chasers, with an emphasis on technical quality, composition, editing, uniqueness, and the emotional impact of the scene. The published judges include Mike Olbinski, Jennifer Brindley, Dennis Oswald, and Mike Mezeul. The contest also describes a critique-forward approach, including video reviews for shortlist selections and finalists before winners are chosen.
Why Enter Storm Photos of the Year 2026?
Storm Photos of the Year 2026 is built for a very specific kind of archive: images made in difficult weather, often with real logistical risk and tight timing, where craft and restraint matter. The contest’s structure rewards both a single standout frame and a consistent year-long body of work, and its published schedule includes public critique videos and a live award show, which can give selected photographers meaningful visibility within a focused storm community.
For photographers who plan submissions across the year using a broader photo contest calendar, this contest is easy to slot into the season because it is tied to work from a single previous year and has fixed February dates. It is also a strong match for photographers who want their 2025 storm work evaluated by specialists who chase and photograph storms themselves.
Rules and Copyright
This section about the rules and image rights of the Storm Photos 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
Eligible images must have been taken in 2025, and entrants must be the creator of the photographs and hold full rights to them. The contest states that judges, site owners, and their family members are not eligible to enter. Images must be submitted as JPG files and include the capture date, location, and a short caption. For the portfolio award, ten images are required and at least seven different capture dates must be represented.
Finalists must provide RAW files (and may be asked for high-resolution JPGs) within 48 hours of a request. The rules also restrict certain types of edits, stating that composites, digital art, and stacking are not allowed, while panoramas and focus stacking are permitted. Lightning stacks are specifically not allowed.
Copyright and Image Usage
The contest emphasizes that photographers keep ownership of their images and that submitted work is intended to be used to promote the photographer and the contest. The rules describe sharing entries on the contest’s channels with credit to the artist, including watermarking images posted online and tagging photographers where possible. A license is described for using photos as exemplars of entries and winners and for contest promotion, while stating the images will not be used for unrelated commercial purposes.
For more information and to participate in the contest, visit: the official website.
