Start Here: The One Contest Most Photographers Should Enter First
Photography contests to enter are public competitions where photographers submit images to be judged in defined categories for prizes, publication, and exposure, often welcoming participants across all experience levels and genres over clearly announced open-call periods.
If you enter only one competition this month, make it Travel Photographer of the Year (TPOTY). It is open to photographers of all levels, with portfolio and one-shot categories that cover travel, people, landscapes, wildlife, and more. TPOTY stands out because it behaves like a complete training ground for emerging photographers: you can submit single winning shots or cohesive series, compete for titles like Travel Photographer of the Year and Rising Talent Award, and gain industry portfolio reviews and media exposure alongside cash prizes from £1,000 to £200. Young photographers aged 18 and under can even enter for free, which makes it one of the most accessible photography awards for beginners who want serious recognition. Many photographers say competitions were the stepping stone that helped them build a name, grow their audience or land their first big feature.
TPOTY’s timing also works in your favor: there is a TPOTY Pass deadline on July 16, with final submissions due October 12. Entering by the pass date keeps you accountable, gives you time to refine your portfolio, and positions you to ride the extended July–October window while other entrants are still organizing their files. Combined with multiple categories and special awards, TPOTY is the most balanced mix of prestige, access, and learning potential for most photographers.
Serious Exposure: PX3 and Why It Should Be Your Second Pick
Once you have TPOTY on your calendar, the next contest to target is Le Prix de la Photographie de Paris (PX3). It is open to photographers of all levels and offers both single-image and series entries with separate fee structures for professionals, amateurs, and students. Categories cover Advertising, Analog, Architecture, Book, Fine Art, Nature, Portraiture, and Press, so nearly any strong project can find a home. PX3 is ideal if you want gallery-style validation, because awards include exhibitions in Paris, Athens, Ostuni, and Budapest, plus publication in the PX3 Annual Book and extensive global exposure.
According to the contest organizers, PX3 offers up to €11,500 in cash prizes and multiple international exhibitions for winning work. For a photographer ready to move from local recognition to international visibility, that combination is rare. The deadline of July 22 locks PX3 firmly in the July contest entry window, which means you can plan a short but intense push: finalize your series in early July, submit to PX3 by the deadline, then refine the same body of work for TPOTY’s later final date. This efficient reuse of strong images turns one cohesive project into multiple shots at recognition across respected international photography contests accepting submissions across all skill levels.
Zero-Fee Wins: The Illume Awards and Weather Photographer of the Year
If budget is tight, you should still be entering photography awards for beginners that do not charge entry fees. Two standouts in the current open calls are The Illume Awards and RMetS Weather Photographer of the Year 2026. Both are open to photographers of all levels and carry no entry fee, making them low-risk, high-upside options.
The Illume Awards focus on sports and adventure imagery, with sports categories like Adventure, Aerial, Bike, Climb, Skate, Snow, Surf, and Trail, plus themed categories including Close-Up, Emerging, Innovation, Lifestyle, Masterpiece, Playground, RAW, and Spirit. Prizes include Leica cameras, Angelbird storage gear, a global exhibition tour, and a photobook feature. With a deadline of July 31, Illume is one of the best photography contests to enter if you shoot action, outdoor sports, or lifestyle work and want your images seen in a global touring exhibition.
RMetS Weather Photographer of the Year 2026 pivots to a different niche: weather and climate-focused images. Categories include Weather Photographer of the Year for striking weather in action, Mobile Weather Photographer of the Year for images captured on smartphones or tablets, and a Climate Award for powerful stories about our changing climate. There is also a Public Favourite Award decided by a global public vote. The prize pool totals £2,000, and winning images are shown by partners The Royal Meteorological Society, My Modern Met, and ITV Weather. With a deadline of August 20, it extends your summer contest calendar without crowding the July sprint.
How to Use These Contests as a Launchpad
These photography contests to enter between July 2026 and January 2027 were designed as open calls that welcome photographers and videographers of all levels, offering plenty of room for growth through repeated submissions. This accessibility matters because many photographers say competitions were the stepping stone that helped them build a name, grow their audience or land their first big feature. Entering TPOTY, PX3, Illume, and Weather Photographer of the Year in a single season gives you a practical structure: travel and storytelling work for TPOTY, fine art or documentary series for PX3, action and lifestyle for Illume, and atmospheric or climate-focused frames for the weather awards.
From July onward, the timing of these deadlines lets you think in batches rather than one-off entries. You can pull from your archive to rediscover your best images, refine them into contest-ready sets, and submit to overlapping calls without reinventing your portfolio each time. It is a small selection to spark inspiration, but there are countless others out there, so treat these four as your core calendar and add additional contests once you have a steady rhythm of submissions in place.
Buy if / Skip if
- Buy the Travel Photographer of the Year entry if you want one flagship competition that combines portfolios, one-shot categories, and meaningful titles like Travel Photographer of the Year with strong media exposure.
- Skip the Travel Photographer of the Year entry if you have no interest in travel, people, landscape, or wildlife subjects and only shoot genres that do not fit any of its portfolio or one-shot categories.
- Buy the Le Prix de la Photographie de Paris (PX3) entry if you want your work considered for exhibitions in multiple cities plus publication in an annual book focused on fine art and documentary photography.
- Skip the Le Prix de la Photographie de Paris (PX3) entry if you are not ready to assemble a coherent single image or series in categories like Advertising, Architecture, Fine Art, Nature, Portraiture, or Press.
- Buy the Illume Awards entry if you shoot adventure, sports, or lifestyle and want the chance at Leica cameras, storage gear, and a global exhibition tour without paying an entry fee.
- Skip the Illume Awards entry if you never photograph action, outdoor sports, or lifestyle subjects and cannot adapt your current portfolio to its adventure and themed categories.
- Buy the RMetS Weather Photographer of the Year entry if you love dramatic skies, storms, and climate narratives, especially if you want a smartphone category where mobile images compete on equal terms.
- Skip the RMetS Weather Photographer of the Year entry if you dislike shooting weather or climate stories and prefer studio-based or conceptual work that cannot be adapted to its weather and climate-focused brief.
