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World Sports Photography Awards 2027 is now open for its eighth edition, with Canon returning as official imaging partner. Entry remains free, photographers can submit up to 10 images, and eligible photographs must have been taken between December 2025 and November 2026. The submission deadline is November 23, 2026. For photographers comparing free photo contests, the awards offer a specialist international platform devoted entirely to sports without an entry fee.
The 2027 edition brings several adjustments to the category structure and continues the Canon Emerging Talent award introduced last year. This time, the age limit for that award has been lowered from under 30 to under 25. The organizers describe the main competition as covering 24 sports categories, and entries previously submitted to the 2026 edition cannot be entered again.
Judging is conducted anonymously by a published panel drawn from sports, media, photography, branding and the creative industries. A shortlist is scheduled for December 2026, with winners announced on January 14, 2027. Within Deartline’s broader photo contest list, this remains a focused sports photography competition with strict rules on image integrity and AI-generated content.
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Prizes
Prizes are provided by sponsors of the World Sports Photography Awards.
- Shortlisted Photographers: A shortlist will be announced in December 2026. Shortlisted entrants are contacted directly and have two weeks to provide a high-resolution file.
- Winners: Final results will be announced on 14 January 2027 and published through the awards’ website and social media channels.
- Canon Emerging Talent: The dedicated award returns for 2027, now recognizing photographers under 25 rather than under 30.
- Sponsor Prizes: Prizes are supplied by competition sponsors. Specific items or values for the 2027 edition have not yet been published.
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Categories or Themes
The organizers describe the World Sports Photography Awards 2027 competition as spanning 24 sports categories. Several have been reorganized since the previous edition, including the introduction of broader sections such as Combat Sports and Nautical.
- American Football
- Athletics
- Baseball
- Basketball
- Combat Sports
- Cricket
- Cycling
- Equestrian
- Football (Soccer)
- Golf
- Gymnastics
- Ice Hockey
- Motor Sports
- Nautical
- Other
- Racquet Sports
- Rugby
- Skate
- Swimming & Diving
- Tennis
- Urban & Extreme
- Venues, Views & Crowds
- Winter Sports
There is no limit to the number of categories an individual photographer may enter, provided the overall maximum of 10 submitted images is respected.
Dates and Entry Fees
- Entries Open: September 9, 2026.
- Deadline: November 23, 2026.
- Shortlist Announcement: December 2026.
- Winners Announced: January 14, 2027.
- Eligibility Window: Images must have been taken between December 2025 and November 2026.
Cost: Free to enter. The absence of an entry fee also places the awards among Deartline’s free photography competitions.
How to Enter
Entries must be submitted digitally through the official online platform; email submissions are not accepted. Photographers may upload up to 10 images in total and can distribute them across as many categories as appropriate. The photographer’s name and the date the photograph was taken must be included in the image metadata. Images entered in the previous competition are not eligible for the 2027 edition.
About the Jury
The awards publish a large international judging panel drawn from photography, professional sport, media and the creative industries. The current panel includes professionals such as Vernon Bryant of the Dallas Mavericks, Lee Martin of Getty Images, former NFL photography director Ben Liebenberg, Ewelina Ruminska of Canon Europe and Koji Aoki of the Japan Olympic Committee, alongside many other industry figures. Images are assessed on technical skill, diversity, originality and creativity of composition. Judging is anonymous and impartial, and judges with a personal interest or connection to a category cannot vote in that category.
Why Enter World Sports Photography Awards 2027?
The World Sports Photography Awards has a narrower focus than many large international competitions: every category is built around sport and the different ways it can be photographed. That gives specialists room to submit work from widely followed disciplines such as football, athletics or motorsport alongside images from less prominent sports, as well as photographs centered on venues, crowds and the wider atmosphere surrounding competition.
Scale is another relevant part of the picture. The 2026 edition received work from more than 4,200 photographers in 123 countries, covering over 60 sports. For 2027, entry remains free, up to 10 images can be submitted, and judging is anonymous before a published international panel drawn from photography, sport, media and the creative industries. The Canon Emerging Talent award also creates a separate opportunity for photographers under 25.
As an online photography contest, the awards can be entered entirely digitally and without an entry fee. More importantly, their specialist remit means photographers are being assessed within the visual language of sport rather than against unrelated photographic genres. For those whose strongest work is built around action, timing, atmosphere and sporting culture, that focus is arguably the competition’s most distinctive feature.
Rules and Copyright
We reviewed the official rules of the World Sports Photography Awards 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
- Each photographer may submit up to 10 images.
- Entries must be submitted digitally. Email entries are not accepted.
- There is no limit to the number of categories an individual entrant may enter.
- Black and white photographs are accepted.
- Software-created multiple exposures, stitched panoramas and photomontages are not permitted, although multiple exposures created in-camera are accepted.
- People or objects cannot be added, rearranged, reversed, distorted or removed. Cropping and removal of sensor dust or scratches on scanned negatives are permitted.
- Reasonable tonal, color, sharpening and limited local adjustments are accepted when they do not materially alter the content or context of the photograph.
- Synthetic or AI-generated images and generative fill are prohibited. AI-powered enlargement tools such as Adobe Super Resolution and Topaz Photo AI are also prohibited.
- Limited use of tools such as denoise, automatic adjustments and object selection for local adjustments may be accepted within the limits determined by the judges.
- Shortlisted photographers have two weeks to provide a high-resolution file when requested.
Copyright and Image Usage
Photographers retain copyright in their submitted images. By entering, however, they grant the World Sports Photography Awards, its sponsors, partners and media licensees a non-exclusive and irrevocable license covering all submitted images. The permission applies worldwide and allows reproduction, enlargement, publication and exhibition at any time in connection with the awards.
Permitted uses include the awards website, sponsor and partner websites, exhibitions, books, press material, social media and awards-related advertising. Images may also be sublicensed to media for editorial and promotional uses connected with the competition. No additional payment is due for these authorized uses, although the organizers state that reasonable efforts will be made to provide photographer credits. Merchandise or uses outside the permissions established by the terms require a separate agreement with the photographer.
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For more information and to participate in the contest, visit: the official website.
