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The Walk of Water Photostory Contest: Out of Sight explores the connections between water, human health, and ecosystems that often remain invisible. Organized by Onewater with UNESCO’s World Water Assessment Programme (WWAP), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and other partners, this sixth edition offers $9,000 in cash prizes, international exhibitions, and publication opportunities. The contest joins Deartline’s selection of free photo contests, with a submission deadline of November 30, 2026.
The theme, “Out of Sight”, focuses particularly on wastewater: the systems that treat it, the people monitoring it, and the consequences of pollution for communities and ecosystems. Participants from around the world can submit photographic stories consisting of 5–10 images accompanied by a written narrative.
The competition includes a $6,900 Global Wastewater Award and a $2,100 Youth Wastewater Award for photographers aged 25 or under. For photographers exploring photography competitions to enter, the Walk of Water Photostory Contest offers an opportunity to develop meaningful documentary photography projects around important but often overlooked subjects.
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Prizes
The Walk of Water Photostory Contest: Out of Sight offers $9,000 in cash prizes across two award groups, with winning stories also featured on the Onewater website.
Global Wastewater Award: $6,900
- 1st Prize: $3,000.
- 2nd Prize: $2,000.
- 3rd Prize: $1,000.
- Three Merit Awards: $300 each.
These awards recognize stories revealing the hidden world of wastewater, including treatment, resource recovery, pollution, and monitoring systems that protect public health.
Youth Wastewater Award: $2,100
- 1st Prize: $900.
- 2nd Prize: $750.
- 3rd Prize: $250.
- Merit Award: $200.
Open to photographers aged 25 or under on December 1, 2026, the Youth Award covers the full “Out of Sight” theme. All prize recipients receive a feature on Onewater’s website.
Exhibitions and Publication
Outstanding stories, including those beyond the wastewater-focused awards, will be presented in the 2027 Walk of Water exhibitions and published through international media partners. These opportunities also connect the contest with other photography competitions offering exhibitions.
Other Free Contests
Categories or Themes
The central theme, “Out of Sight”, explores how water influences human health, ecosystems, and everyday life. Suggested subjects include:
- Wastewater Management: Treatment, reuse, resource recovery, and sanitation solutions.
- Ecosystem Health: Rivers, wetlands, lakes, and coasts supporting biodiversity and communities.
- Wastewater Surveillance: Monitoring and laboratory analysis that help detect emerging health threats.
- Water Pollution: Sewage, pathogens, antimicrobial resistance, and environmental contamination.
- Water and Well-Being: Cultural traditions, recreation, spirituality, and mental health.
- Safe Water and Sanitation: Drinking water, hygiene, and access to sanitation.
- Sports and Active Living: Water-related activities and sustainable management at sporting events.
These subjects offer opportunities for photojournalism, environmental photography, and conservation storytelling. Stories may also document cultural traditions, the experiences of people, and their relationship with the natural world.
Dates and Entry Fees
The Walk of Water Photostory Contest: Out of Sight 2026 follows this schedule:
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Submissions open | October 1, 2026 |
| Submission deadline | November 30, 2026, at 23:59 CET |
| Winners announced | January 2027 |
| Walk of Water exhibitions | 2027 |
Entry Fees:
- Entry fee: Free.
As one of the free photography competitions featured on Deartline, the contest allows photographers to submit complete visual stories without entry fees.
How to Enter
Each submission must include:
- Photographs: 5–10 JPG images, at least 10 megapixels, with a longest side of 3,872 pixels or more. sRGB is recommended.
- Written narrative: 2,500–8,000 characters explaining the story.
- Captions: Numbered descriptions of 30–300 characters per photograph.
- Signed photo license: Co-signed by a parent or guardian for entrants under 18.
Entries must be submitted through the official contest platform before the deadline.
About the Jury
The international jury includes Cristina Mittermeier, conservation photographer and co-founder of SeaLegacy; Gabriel Eckstein, professor of law at Texas A&M University; Fabeha Monir, CEO and co-founder of Agency Perspective; photographer Pablo Tosco; and Daniel Cooney of UNEP.
Other members include George Wainaina, Asit K. Biswas, Colin Herron, Michela Miletto, and Shijiao Qiao. Entries are evaluated on storytelling, originality, photographic quality, writing, thematic relevance, and their connection between water, ecosystems, and human health.
Why Enter the Walk of Water Photostory Contest: Out of Sight?
Some of the most important stories about water unfold beyond public attention. Wastewater treatment, environmental monitoring, and sanitation systems have direct consequences for human health, yet the people and processes behind them are rarely photographed. Walk of Water Photostory Contest: Out of Sight gives photographers an opportunity to make these connections visible.
The photostory format allows participants to develop a narrative that goes beyond a single striking image. A project might follow a community restoring a river, document the work of a wastewater laboratory, or explore the cultural importance of clean water. Through international exhibitions and publication opportunities, selected stories can reach audiences involved in environmental protection, water management, and public health.
For photographers exploring Deartline’s photography contests and challenges, the competition combines cash awards, free participation, and opportunities to share meaningful documentary projects. Its focus on overlooked issues offers a distinct setting for visual stories that connect environmental challenges with human experience.
Rules and Copyright
We reviewed the official rules of the Walk of Water Photostory Contest: Out of Sight 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 competition is open worldwide to individuals and organizations of all ages. Entrants under 18 require a parent or guardian to co-sign the photo license. Each participant may submit up to three original stories and receive no more than one prize.
Participants must respect the dignity and privacy of photographed people, securing appropriate consent, particularly for identifiable children. Generative AI images and AI-based content alterations are prohibited. Standard adjustments to exposure, color, cropping, and dust removal are permitted, provided no picture content is added or removed.
Copyright and Image Usage
Photographers retain copyright and may sell or license their work elsewhere. Contest information refers to the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0) license, which allows sharing and adaptation with attribution under its terms.
The signed photo agreement also grants Onewater, its convenors, partners, and sponsors a permanent, worldwide, royalty-free, non-exclusive license to use and adapt submitted work. This covers exhibitions, promotion, fundraising, commercial activities, and water-related environmental or social initiatives. Authorized partners and institutions may also use the material under the agreement.
Images and texts may be edited without changing their original meaning. Photographer credit is required, and submitted work cannot be used for AI training.
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For more information and to participate in the contest, visit: the official website.
