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.

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 giving 10 entries to each month’s topic.
closes 31 August: Humans

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 August 2026: Travel

Artist Gallery Awards: Travel
Closes 14 August 2026
Entry fees: $11 for one image; $28 for 3; $38 for 5; $59 for 10.

British Photography Awards
Closes 16 August 2026
Entry fees: £5 per image
Categories: Street; Pet; Wedding; Portrait; Drone; Sports; Documentary; Fine Art; Events; Food; Macro; Land; Bird; Water Life; Landscape; Selfie; Fashion; Architecture; Commercial; Low Light

Wanderlust Visions: travel photography
Closes 31 August 2026
Free entry. Prizes include cash prizes, a travel commission and exposure of your work
Includes still photos and videos. Photo categories: Culture; Wildlife; Landscape; People; Bradenton Area of Florida. Video theme: Into the blue

International Photography Contest
Closes 6 September 2026
Eyeshot’s Open Call for street and documentary photography. Single images and/or series
Entry fees: 1 image = €18; 3 = €27; 6 = €36; 9 = €45 12 = €54 15 = €60

World Street Photo Awards 2026
Closes: 10 October 26.
Results due: 8 November 26
Categories: Reflection; Weather; Geometry; B&W; Minimalism; Silhouette; Colour; Open; Decisive moment; Transport; Animals; Light & shadow; Night; Mobile; Movement; Abstract; Cinematic; Layers; Juxtaposition; Details.
Entry fees: 1 photo – €18; 2-4 photos – €15 per photo; 5+ photos – €13 per photo

TPOTY 2026
Closes 12 October 2026 (earlybird discount ends 1/7/26)
Portfolio categories: Adventures & Journeys; Cultures, Traditions & Celebrations; Landscapes – Natural & Urban; Wildlife, Sealife, Birdlife.
Single shot categories: In Nature; People of the world; Street; Travel in B&W.
Entry fees: Young Travel Photographer of the Year – FREE; Four-image portfolio – £28 per entry; 2 x Four-image portfolios – £36 when entered at the same time; Rising Talent Award – £30; One Shot – £14 per entry; 2 x One Shot – £20 when entered at the same time; TPOTY Pass – available only until 31st July with unlimited entries in any eligible categories – £99; ‘Two Plus Four’ 12-image combination of 4 One Shot entries and 2 four-image portfolios entered at the same time – £59; ‘Ten Image Combination‘ of between six and 10 One Shot images – £59 

Vincent Van Gogh Photo Award 2027: Spirit of Light
Earlybird closes: 30 Sep 2026. Fully closes: 30 March 2027.
Up to 3 photos per entry. No limit on number of entries.
Entry fees: 1 Photo € 18; 2 Photos € 30; 3 Photos: € 42.

LIP 38th Annual Exhibition
Closes: 25 Oct 2026.
Up to 6 photos per submission, fee of £30, open to LIP members only.

Pure Street Photography Awards 2027
Closes: 28 Feb 2027.
Entry fees: 1 image $17; 3 images $35; 6 images $60; 10 images $80.

Cewe Photo Awards 2027
Closes: 31 May 2027.
Free entry.
Enter up to 100 images, across any or all of 10 Categories: Nature and wildlife; Animals; Landscapes; People; Travel and culture; Architecture; Sport and action; Abstract; Street; Close-up and macro

Personal exhibitions and awards

Current and forthcoming exhibitions:
Lauderdale House photographic exhibition 2026, London, 29 July – 24 August 2026.

Some recent exhibitions:
Brussels Street Photography Festival, Brussels, May – June 2026.
RPS London Members Exhibition at Espacio Gallery, London, 9-14 Apr 2026.
Dublin Street Photography Festival 2026, part of digital display, 1 May 2026.
Focus: Shadow and Light exhibition at Black Box Gallery, Portland, Oregon, 1-25 Jan 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 Feb 2026
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:
Brussels Street Photography Festival 2026 – finalist
Dublin Street Photography Festival 2026 – short list
British Photography Awards 2025: finalist for Best Architectural Photographer
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