Top tips for a successful submission to the Sony World Photography Awards 2026
© Khai Chuin Sim, Malaysia, Shortlist, Open Competition, Travel, 2025 Sony World Photography Awards
Photography competitions can be a powerful stepping stone, opening doors to new audiences and career-defining opportunities. Recognition can place your work in front of industry leaders, lead to gallery or agency representation, unlock publishing opportunities, and see your images exhibited around the world.
Open to photographers at every stage of their journey, the Sony World Photography Awards invites entries from creators using any type of camera or device. Beyond the possibility of winning, the process itself offers a valuable moment to evaluate your work and clearly express the ideas behind it. With deadlines approaching quickly, take a moment to review our essential tips to help strengthen your submission.
- Take time to familiarise yourself with the Professional competition, which celebrates cohesive series of images rather than single photographs. You don’t need to be a full-time or working professional to enter - any strong series will be considered, whether that’s a documentary project or a carefully edited set of 5–10 landscapes. You can submit one photo project per category free of charge.
- If your work spans multiple genres or combines different approaches - such as portraiture alongside still life - the Perspectives category in the Professional competition was introduced specifically for these kinds of projects. It’s an ideal space for photographers whose work doesn’t fit neatly into one genre.
- Before submitting, make sure your images meet the technical requirements. Files must be in JPG format, saved at quality 10 or above, set to sRGB colour mode, and sized between 1–5MB.
- Please ensure your images are free from watermarks or logos. Any marked images will be automatically disqualified.
- Curious about what the judges are looking for? The category descriptions are a valuable resource and can help guide your selection and submission.
- Be sure to read the rules for each competition carefully, as they differ. For example, images entered into the Open competition must have been taken in 2025, while images submitted to the Professional competition must not have been published before 2025.
- Avoid leaving your entry until the last moment - planning ahead will give your work the attention it deserves. The Open and Youth competitions close on 6 January at 13:00 (GMT), with the Professional competition closing on 13 January at 13:00 (GMT).
- Finally, don’t let perfectionism stop you from entering. As long as your work meets the requirements, it’s always better to submit than to hold back. With free entry and a once-a-year opportunity, you truly have nothing to lose.
