This year brings a range of opportunities for photojournalists and photographers around the world. From prestigious international competitions to specialized grants and awards recognizing bravery and commitment to visual storytelling, open calls encompass different photography genres and approaches.
These initiatives aim to highlight both emerging and established talent, providing financial support and visibility to participants. Among the focuses are photographers ages 18 to 33, the aftermath of conflicts, and female visual journalists.
There are also grants and contests for various creative approaches, such studies in contemporary photography and the best images captured with Apple devices.
These opportunities not only offer financial incentives but also allow photographers to expand their impact, showcase their work internationally, and become part of professional networks committed to using imagery as a means of expression and advocacy.
Opportunities are listed chronologically, with the closest deadline appearing first.
Young photojournalists, aged 18 to 33, can participate in the 11th edition of the Andrei Stenin International Photojournalism Contest.
This contest is organized by the international news agency Rossiya Segodnya (the parent company of Sputnik) under the sponsorship of the Russian Commission for UNESCO. It is named in honor of photojournalist Andrei Stenin, who died in Ukraine in August 2014.
The contest has five categories: 'Top News,' 'Sports,' 'My Planet,' 'Portrait. A Hero of Our Time,' and 'View from Above.'
The first, second, and third places in each category will receive 125,000, 100,000, and 75,000 rubles (approximately $1,250, $1,000, and $750). Additionally, there will be a Grand Prize, whose winner will receive 700,000 rubles ($7,000).
The winning entries will be part of an exhibition that will tour both Russian and international cities. In previous years, it has traveled to Mexico City, Buenos Aires, Montevideo, Bogotá, and Madrid.
The application deadline is Feb. 28. The award ceremony will be held in September or October 2025 in Moscow.
The Audubon Society Awards are one of the world's most respected nature photography competitions. This contest rewards the best photos and videos of birdlife.
Recognizing that many bird species migrate between the Southern and Northern Hemispheres, Audubon has opened this year's awards to participants from Chile and Colombia, in addition to the United States and Canada.
Audubon will distribute eight awards. The Grand Prize grants $5,000 to the best overall photograph, while the Youth Award (for contestants aged 13 to 17) offers a six-day stay at the Hog Island Audubon Camp in the state of Maine in the United States, to learn about birds and conservation. The Video Award grants $2,500 for the best footage of birds in their natural behavior.
Additionally, there are five special categories, each with a prize of $1,500: Female Bird Prize (photos of female birds), Plants for Birds (images of birds interacting with native plants), Birds Without Borders (migratory birds along their route in the Western Hemisphere), Birds in Landscapes (photos showcasing the relationship between birds and their environment), and Conservation (images reflecting challenges and solutions for bird conservation).
Applications will be open until March 5 at 12 p.m. Eastern Time (2 p.m. in Chile and 12 p.m. in Colombia).
The photography contest organized by "The Artist Gallery," a digital photo gallery, offers photographers worldwide the chance to compete in the Street Photography category. Participation is open but requires an entry fee, and the submission process is entirely online.
Jaqueline Darsen from Argentina was the winner of the LENS Visual Arts School Scholarships with her project “Dominique & Dakota. (Photo: Jaqueline Darsen)
The contest offers cash prizes: first place receives 15% of the total entry fees collected, second place 10%, and third place 5%. Additionally, winners will receive recognition in a blog about their careers and have the opportunity to be featured in the gallery’s monthly print magazine, which has international distribution.
Participants in this contest are also automatically entered into the competition for the title of "Photographer of the Year" at no additional cost.
Participants must ensure they meet the technical and thematic requirements of the contest: no artificial intelligence usage, only JPG images, and no watermarks. Basic image editing is allowed, but not manipulation that adds or removes elements from the original scene.
The deadline for submissions is March 6.
Since the launch of Getty Images grants in 2004, the company has donated over $2.6 million to photojournalists and creative photographers.
Currently, the Getty Images Creative Grant "Disability in Focus: Navigating the Workplace" is open, providing financial support and mentorship to artists committed to authentic representation of people with disabilities.
“The goal is to highlight people with disabilities in the workplace, portraying their roles as active participants in the workforce, leaders within their industries, and collaborators driving progress and innovation,” according to the call for applications.
The first-place winner receives $10,000, second place $7,000, and third place $3,000.
Photographers of any nationality can apply. They must submit a project proposal summary in English and a link to their portfolio.
The application deadline is March 7.
The Aftermath Project is open to photographers worldwide and aims to support photo projects that tell the other half of a conflict’s story: learning to live again, rebuilding destroyed lives and homes, restoring civil societies and creating new pathways to peace.
Proposals can address the aftermath of various types of conflicts, not just international wars.
The winner receives $25,000 to fund their project, while four finalists will each receive $5,000.
The final application deadline is March 14, and the organization plans to announce the grant winner and finalists by the end of that month.
The Anja Niedringhaus Courage in Photojournalism Award, established by the International Women's Media Foundation (IWMF), was created to honor the life and work of Associated Press photographer Anja Niedringhaus (1965-2014), who was killed in Afghanistan and had previously won a Pulitzer Prize.
The award is open to women, non-binary, and gender-nonconforming journalists.
The candidate must work as a full-time journalist, with journalism as their primary profession. Both independent journalists and those affiliated with media organizations can apply.
Applicants do not need to be covering conflict zones to participate. The jury will evaluate photo quality, portfolio composition, storytelling ability, working conditions, and the reflection of Anja Niedringhaus’s values, such as resilience and perseverance in documentation.
“The Award recognizes the importance of visual journalism that inspires us to act and compels us to understand the world better,” the IWMF website says.
The winner will receive $20,000 and an exhibition of their work.
Applications close on March 14.
LENS Visual Arts School in Spain has opened applications for the 2025 Photography and Film Scholarships. The scholarship covers 100% of the tuition costs for the online or in-person master’s in contemporary photography. The second-place winner will receive a 50 percent discount on the total cost of the master’s program.
To apply, candidates must submit a single photography project consisting of 10 to 15 images that form a coherent series.
The application is open to anyone of legal age, regardless of nationality or place of residence. The winners must enroll in the MAPA master’s program in October 2025, in person or online. The scholarship is non-transferable and cannot be exchanged for money.
A jury will oversee the selection process, and its decisions will be final.
The application deadline is March 15 at 1 p.m. CET (Spain time).
Last year’s winner was Jaqueline Darsen from Argentina with her project “Dominique & Dakota,” which explored her reunion with her sister and niece, who suffers from severe health issues.
The iPhone Photography Awards is a competition that annually honors the best photos taken using Apple products.
Submitted photos cannot be edited with Photoshop or any other editing software, but they can be edited using iPhone applications.
The 14 categories include Abstract, Animals, Architecture, Children, Urban Life/Street Photography, Landscape, Lifestyle, Nature, People, Portrait, Series (3 images), Still Life, Travel, and Other.
The first-place winner in each category will receive a gold bar.
Additionally, the competition will award the Photographer of the Year and a Grand Prize.
To participate, photographers must pay an entry fee ranging from $5 USD for one photo to $75 USD for 25 photos.
The application deadline is March 31.
The Inter-American Press Association (IAPA for its initials) has opened its annual call for media outlets and journalism professionals from North America, Latin America, the Caribbean, and Spain to submit their work for the 2025 Excellence in Journalism Awards.
The competition includes 14 categories, one of which is photography, sponsored this year by La Prensa Gráfica of El Salvador.
Eligible photographs must have been published between June 1, 2024, and May 31, 2025, in newspapers, weeklies, magazines, news agencies, or digital media.
The winner will receive a prize of $2,000 USD.
Photojournalist Sebastian Castañeda was one of the winners of POY Latam 2023 with his coverage of Cyclone Yaku that affected northern Peru. (Photo: POY Latam/Sebastian Castañeda)
The deadline for submissions is May 31, 2025. The award ceremony will take place in October during the 81st IAPA General Assembly in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.
POY Latam is a biennial photo competition created in 2011 by Pablo Corral Vega and Loup Langton to celebrate excellence in documentary and artistic photography from Ibero-America.
In 2023, the contest received 70,000 images from 1,500 photographers across all Ibero-American countries. The 2025 call for entries will open in April.
The judging process for POY Latam is unique. It is streamed live to ensure total transparency and openness.
Applicants must be citizens of an Ibero-American country or have been legal residents in the region for at least one year.
The competition categories include Everyday Life, News, Human Rights, Portrait, Sports, Our Perspective, Long-Term Projects, Reinterpreting Archives, Environment, Identity & Gender, Transmedia, and Photobooks.
Additionally, awards will be given for Photographer of the Year and Ibero-American Photojournalist of the Year.
