Global Photography Competition for Single Images and Photo Series with Prizes Worth Over $5,000
Applicant criteria
- No specific age required
- Both
Opportunity criteria
Opportunity description
The reFocus Awards has opened entries for the World Photo Annual 2026, an annual international photography competition and awards program that celebrates outstanding photographic work and gives photographers the opportunity to gain international recognition.
The competition accepts both single images and photographic series, and is open to professional photographers, non-professional photographers, and students across 22 different categories covering a wide range of photographic genres.
Category winners compete for the main titles, including International Photographer of the Year for professional photographers and International Discovery of the Year for non-professional photographers, along with cash prizes and opportunities for international exposure and promotion.
Competition Categories
The competition includes 22 categories:
- Abstract
- Advertising & Commercial
- Aerial
- Architecture
- Conceptual
- Domestic Animals
- Event
- Fashion & Beauty
- Film / Analog
- Fine Art
- Landscapes
- Minimalism
- Nature
- People
- Photojournalism
- Portrait
- Sports
- Still Life
- Street
- Travel
- Underwater
- Wildlife
Benefits
The competition offers a range of prizes and benefits, including:
- Cash prizes totaling more than USD 5,000.
- The opportunity to compete for the title of International Photographer of the Year for professional photographers.
- The opportunity to compete for the title of International Discovery of the Year for non-professional photographers.
- Selection of a Photographer of the Year in each of the 22 categories.
- Silver and bronze awards within the categories.
- A People's Vote Award selected by the public.
- Honorable Mention and Nominee distinctions.
- Exhibition of selected work in a reFocus digital exhibition.
- International media coverage.
- A dedicated profile in the reFocus Artist Directory, including links to the winner’s website and social media accounts.
- Published interviews with selected winners in reFocus Magazine.
- A customized professional press release for selected winners.
- Certificates and digital award badges.
- A reFocus Trophy for selected major winners and category winners.
- Featured exposure in the winners’ gallery, on the reFocus website, newsletters, and social media channels.
Eligibility criteria
- The competition is open to international photographers.
- Participants may enter as professionals, non-professionals, or students.
- A photographer is considered professional if they regularly sell or publish their work, or rely on photography as a primary source of income.
- Images that have previously been published, exhibited, or awarded in other competitions may be submitted.
- There is no requirement for the image to have been taken within a specific time period.
- The same image may be entered in more than one category and will be judged independently in each category.
- AI-generated images are not accepted.
- Photographers retain the copyright to their images; ownership is not transferred to reFocus by entering the competition.
Image Requirements
- Files must be in JPEG or PNG format.
- The longest side must be at least 1,500 pixels.
- File size must be under 10 MB.
- Images must not contain a watermark or logo.
- Photographs taken with digital cameras, film cameras, or mobile phones are accepted.
- Images may be submitted in landscape, portrait, or square orientation.
- An entry title is required, while the description is optional.
- AI-generated images are not accepted.