Need some focus on your photography. Need inspiration, impetus or just a topic idea? Then a competition could be the answer.

So for all of you who fancy giving it a go, and either don’t know what’s open or don’t get around to it, here is a list to help get you started, in order of closing date.
Please let me know of any others you are aware of in the comments below as I update the page regularly. I must just add, that some of them provide feedback on your entered images and they are worth entering just to receive that.

Lens Culture
Monthly calls for entries, with winners receiving online exposure, cash prizes and exhibition in New York.  Entry Fees: 1 entry free, extras $10 each, 5 images for $35; series of up to 10 images $45; written review of your work $25..
None open at moment.

Life Framer
Monthly calls for entries, with winners receiving online exposure and $2000 in cash prizes.  Entry Fees: 1 image $20; 3 images $30; 6 images $40 OR $100 for 12 months membership gives 10 entries to each month’s topic.
closes 31 January ’26: Animal Kingdom
closes 28 February ’26: Relationships

Independent Photography Award
Monthly award, with cash prizes and display at exhibition.
Entry fees: 1 image $15; 3 images $30; 6 images $40
closes 31 January: Black & White
closes 28 February: Visual story
closes 31 March: Street

AAP Magazine: weekly competition
Closes Sunday of every week.
Free entry of up to 10 images. Chosen images will be featured on AAP website, social media and newsletter.

Booooooom Photo Awards 2026
Closes: 9 Jan 2026
Categories: Portrait, Nature, Street, Colour, Student category. 
Free to submit 1 entry, or $20 for 10 entries in 1 category

Siena International Photo Awards 2026
Closes 9 January 2026
Categories: Journeys & adventures;  Fascinating faces and characters;  Beauty of nature;  Animals in their environment;  Sports in actions story-telling;  Documentary & photojournalism;  Street photography;  Underwater life;  Short documentary film
1 image free to enter; 3 images (including the free one) € 30; Each additional image € 10; Story-Telling € 35; Videos € 35

Street Macadam B&W Awards: Daily Life
Closes 11 Jan 2026
Entry fees are $11 USD for 1 image, $28 for 3 images and $38 for 5 images.
Prizes include cash (1st place gets 15% of the money collected from the contest registration fees; 2nd place gets 10%; 3rd place gets 5%), blog and social media.

The Artist Gallery Awards: Open theme
Closes 16 Jan 2026
Entry fees are $11 USD for 1 image, $28 for 3 images and $38 for 5 images.
Prizes include cash (1st place gets 15% of the money collected from the contest registration fees; 2nd place gets 10%; 3rd place gets 5%), blog and social media.

Monovisions
Closes early 18 Jan 2026; final 17 May
Categories: Abstract; Architecture; Conceptual; Fine Art; Landscapes; Nature and Wildlife; Nude; People; Photojournalism; Portrait; Street Photography; Travel
Single $20, series $25. (Extra $5 each after early deadline)

Carlotta Gallery Open Call: Asia
Closes 20 Jan 2026.
Submission to online gallery. No entry fee, but “hanging” fee if selected.

LCE Photographer of the Year 2026
Closes 21 Jan 2026
Free to enter – maximum of one entry per category.
Categories: Action; After dark; Birds; Creative; Events; Landscape; Macro; Pets; Portrait; Street; Travel; Wildlife

BBA One Shot Award
Closes 26 Jan 2026
Entry fee: €19

AAP Awards 2026
Closes 27 January 2026. (Early Bird ends 8 January)
Entry fees: 3 entries $35 ($30 in Early Bird), extra entries $5. Max 57 entries.

Dublin Street Photography Festival 2026
Closes 31 Jan 2026
Categories: Single Image or Single Street Portrait; Series of 5-10 images.
Entry fee: €15 for a single image (or €30 for 3); €35 for a series.

Carlotta Gallery Open Call: Colours
Closes 10 Feb 2026.
Submission to online gallery. No entry fee, but “hanging” fee if selected.

The Artist Gallery Awards: Architecture
Closes 13 Feb 2026
Entry fees are $11 USD for 1 image, $28 for 3 images and $38 for 5 images.
Prizes include cash (1st place gets 15% of the money collected from the contest registration fees; 2nd place gets 10%; 3rd place gets 5%), blog and social media.

12th Fine Art Photography Awards 2025-2026
Closes 15 Feb 2026 (early deadline 12 October 2025)
Entry fees: Single entry 24€; Series 29€ (cheaper if before early deadline)

Carlotta Gallery Open Call: City Lights
Closes 20 Feb 2026.
Submission to online gallery. No entry fee, but “hanging” fee if selected.

Carlotta Gallery Open Call: Women
Closes 10 Mar 2026.
Submission to online gallery. No entry fee, but “hanging” fee if selected.

Brussels Street Photography Festival 2026
Entries close: 25 March 2026
Exhibition takes place 29 May – 1 June 2026

The Shape of a Moment
Closes 30 Jun 2026.
Exposure Gallery asks you to capture the mystery of the fleeting: those subtle intersections of light, emotion, and time that, for a second, reveal something essential.
Entry fees: 1 photo: USD 5; 3 photos: USD 10; 6 photos: USD 15; 12 photos: USD 20
Awards include exhibit in their galleries in Río Tercero, Argentina and Los Angeles in Sep 2026.

Some personal successes

Current and forthcoming exhibitions:
Focus: Shadow and Light exhibition at Black Box Gallery, Portland, Oregon, 1-25 January 2026
37th LIP Annual Exhibition at Espacio Gallery, Bethnal Green Road, London, 5-10 Feb 2026
Diptychs and Triptychs at The Glasgow Gallery of Photography, Glasgow, 5-28 February 2026

Recent exhibitions:
My Eyes. Our World. at Barbican Library, London, 3-29 October 2025
Solo exhibition – Urban Rhythm at Lauderdale House, London, 20 August – 1 September 2025
Vincent Van Gogh “En Route” Open Air exhibition, Nuenen, Netherlands, 6-28 Sep 2025
International Photography Exhibition of Nature at Glasgow Gallery of Photography, 10 May – 20 June 2025
Black and White exhibition at Black Box Gallery, Portland, Oregon, 1-25 Feb 2025
Construction: Disclosure, LIP’s 35th annual exhibition, at Espacio Gallery, Bethnal Green, London, 23-28 January 2024
Empty Places, Abandoned Spaces at Praxis Gallery, St Paul’s, MN, Dec 2023 – Jan 2024
Gibellina Photoroad Festival 2023, Sicily, as part of Mimi Mollica’s Fracture project
Lauderdale House photographic exhibition 2023, London, 19 July – 14 August 2023
Women in Photography at the Glasgow Gallery for Photography, 3-31 March 2023
Landscape Photography at the Glasgow Gallery for Photography, 3-31 March 2023
BBA One Shot Awards, BBA Gallery, Berlin, 3-18 February 2023
Re:Framed at the Barbican Library, October 2022
Urban Landscapes at the RogArt Street Campus in Glasgow, 19-30 August 2022
World Photography Week exhibition at Glasgow Riverside Campus 15-19 August 2022
Out of the Frame exhibition at RogArt Street Campus in Glasgow, 4-30 August 2022
Lauderdale House photographic exhibition 2022, London, August 2022
International Open Call Exhibition at The Glasgow Gallery for Photography, May-June 2022
She Clicks exhibition, After Nyne Gallery, London, September 2019

Recent awards:
British Photography Awards 2025: finalist for Best Architectural Photographer, full results due 3 Nov 2025
Vincent Van Gogh Photo Awards 2025– finalist
Lauderdale House Photographic Competition 2025 – Runner Up in Open category
Architectural Photo Awards 2025 – 3 images long listed
New York Center for Photographic Art: Architecture 2024 – Second Prize
Lauderdale House Photographic Competition 2024 – Overall Winner
Travel Photographer of the Year 2023 – finalist
British Photography Awards 2023 – shortlisted in Best Architecture Photographer 2023
BBA One Shot Awards 2023 – longlisted
Lauderdale House photographic competition 2023 – runner up in Open category
Monochrome Awards 2022 – honourable mention in Amateur Architecture Photographer
British Photography Awards 2021 – winner of Best Architectural Photographer 2021
Monochrome Awards 2020 – winner of Best Amateur Street Photographer 2020
Travel Photographer of the Year 2020 – finalist
Landscape Photographer of the Year 2020 – shortlisted

Recent publications:
Docu Special Edition: Debbie Smyth, Issue 171, 2025, ISSN 2984-1135
Portfolio published in AAP Magazine Issue 20 – Travel
– see one of my chosen images