This list of photography awards is an index to articles that describe notable awards given for photography. It does not include photojournalism, which is covered in the list of journalism awards. The list is organized by the region and country of the organization that gives the award, but some awards are open to international competitors.
| Country | Award | Venue / sponsor | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | Scotiabank Photography Award | Scotiabank | Canadian photography award |
| United States | Graphis International Photography Awards | Graphis Inc. | Honors creative excellence in numerous categories including portraiture, still life, fashion and beauty, sports, product, entertainment, fine art and more. |
| United States | Infinity Awards | International Center of Photography | Various categories |
| United States | $5,000 Excellence in Teaching Award; Personal Award; Social Award; Environmental Award; Excellence in Multimedia Storytelling Award | CENTER Santa Fe | Supporting dedicated photographers and lens-based artists through education, exhibition, sponsorship, and partnerships. |
| United States | Larry Sultan Photography Award | Pier 24 Photography | Six- to ten-week residency at the Headlands Center for the Arts in Sausalito, California |
| United States | Prestige Grant | Getty Images | Commercial photographers to realise a dream project |
| United States | W. Eugene Smith Grant | W. Eugene Smith Memorial Fund | Photographer with an innovative and intriguing sight of humans dealing with social, economical, political or environmental issues |
| United States | Ansel Adams Award for Conservation Photography | Sierra Club | Photographers who have used their talents in conservation efforts |
| United States | IPhone Photography Awards | IPPAWARDS | Photographers using an iPhone or iPad, various categories |
| United States | Inge Morath Award | Magnum Foundation, Inge Morath Foundation | Woman photographer under thirty years of age, to assist in the completion of a long term documentary project |
| United States | International Photography Awards | Lucie Awards | International Photographer of the Year, Discovery of the Year |
| United States | Lange-Taylor Prize | Duke University | To encourage collaboration between documentary writers and photographers |
| United States | Lucie Awards | Lucie Foundation | Various categories |
| United States | Robert Capa Gold Medal | Overseas Press Club | Best published photographic reporting from abroad requiring exceptional courage and enterprise |
| United States | Hall of Fame Induction and Awards | International Photography Hall of Fame | Various categories [1] |
| Country | Award | Venue / sponsor | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | China International Press Photo Contest | China Photojournalists Society | Photojournalism |
| Dubai | Hamdan International Photography Award | Crown prince Hamdan of Dubai | Largest monetary prize among photography awards |
| India | National Photography Awards | Ministry of Information and Broadcasting | Lifetime Achievement Award, Professional Photographer of the Year and Amateur Photographer of the Year |
| Iran | Sheed Award | Sheed Award | Social documentary photography |
| Israel | Local Testimony | Eretz Israel Museum | Photographers from Israel and the Palestinian Authority |
| Israel | Shpilman International Prize for Excellence in Photography | Israel Museum | Outstanding contributions for field of photography as contemporary art |
| Japan | Photo City Sagamihara | Photo City Sagamihara | Various categories |
| Japan | Domon Ken Award | Mainichi Shimbun | Established photographer for a published book of documentary photographs |
| Japan | Higashikawa Prize | Town of Higashikawa, Hokkaido | Various categories |
| Japan | Tokyo International Foto Awards | TIFA | commends and promotes outstanding photography from all corners of the globe. TIFA connects photographers with the creative community in Tokyo |
| Japan | Ina Nobuo Award | Nikon Salon | Most outstanding exhibition held in a Nikon Salon |
| Japan | Kimura Ihei Award | Asahi Shimbun Company | New photographers whose work has been exhibited or published during the previous year |
| Japan | Miki Jun Award | Nikon Salon | Best photo show at the Nikon Salon by an artist under 35 years old |
| Japan | Miki Jun Inspiration Award | Nikon Salon | Exhibition by photographers under the age of 35 |
| Japan | Photographic Society of Japan awards | Photographic Society of Japan | Various categories |
| Japan | Society of Photography Award | Society of Photography | People, organizations and companies who have helped photography |
| Country | Award | Venue / sponsor | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Austria | Camera Austria Award | City of Graz | Contemporary photography |
| Denmark | Fogtdal Photographers Award | Palle Fogtdal | Danish photography |
| Europe | European Publishers Award for Photography | Several European publishers | Work on a particular subject that had not previously been published as a book |
| France | Prix de la Photographie | Px3 | photography award |
| France | Carmignac Gestion Photojournalism Award | Fondation Carmignac | Investigative photographic report on a region of the world where fundamental rights are threatened |
| France | ICRC Humanitarian Visa d'or Award | Visa pour l'Image | Professional photojournalist who has covered a humanitarian issue related to an armed conflict |
| France | Niépce Prize | Association Gens d'Images | Professional photographer who has lived and worked in France for over 3 years |
| France | Paris Photo–Aperture Foundation PhotoBook Awards | Paris Photo, Aperture Foundation | First PhotoBook, PhotoBook of the Year, and Photography Catalogue of the Year |
| France | Prix Nadar | Association Gens d'Images | Photography book edited in France |
| France | Discovery Award; Author's Book Award; Historical Book Award; Photo-Text Book Award; Dummy Book Award | Rencontres d’Arles | Summer photography festival in Arles |
| Germany | German Society for Photography Awards | German Society for Photography | Various categories |
| Germany | World Street Photography Awards | World Street Photography | Street photography: Free style, Urban Geometry, Street Portraits, Decisive Moment, Shades and Lights, Reflections, Juxtaposition and Without Humans |
| Germany | David Octavius Hill Medal | Deutsche Fotografische Akademie | Photography |
| Germany | Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize | Deutsche Börse, The Photographers' Gallery | Contemporary photography |
| Germany | Deutscher Fotobuchpreis | Hochschule der Medien | Visual-led book publishing originated in Germany |
| Germany | Dr. Erich Salomon Award | German Society for Photography | Lifetime achievement award for photojournalists |
| Italy | Castelfiorentino Award | Banca di Cambiano - Fondazione Teatro del Popolo | Two categories: Open and Student. Contemporary Photography |
| Italy | Romano Cagnoni Award | Romano Cagnoni Foundation | Supporting photographers who investigate, with depth and participation, topics related to the human condition |
| Italy | Siena International Photo Awards | Siena International Photo Awards | Photojournalism, wildlife photography, street photography, nature photography |
| Italy | "Werner Bischop - Flauto d'argento" (Silver flute) Photo Award | Photo Clubs: Werner Bischof and Avellino Photo | Photojournalism, social reportage and civil commitment |
| Netherlands | Foam Paul Huf Award | Foam Fotografiemuseum Amsterdam | Young, talented photographer under the age of 35 |
| Netherlands | LensCulture Awards | LensCulture magazine | Various categories |
| Netherlands | Lex van Rossen Award | Eurosonic Noorderslag | Young European music photographers |
| Netherlands | No Man's Art Slum Photography Contest | No Man's Art Gallery | Photography in an underprivileged neighborhood in the world |
| Netherlands | Oskar Barnack Award | World Press Photo | Professional photographers whose unerring powers of observation capture and express the relationship between man and the environment in the most graphic form in a sequence of a minimum of 10 up to a maximum of 12 images |
| Netherlands | World Press Photo of the Year | World Press Photo Foundation | Photojournalism |
| Russia | Moscow International Foto Awards | MIFA | The mission of the Moscow International Foto Awards is to recognize, reward and expose talented photographers from around the world and introduce them to the creative community in Russia |
| Spain | PHotoEspaña | International Festival of Photography and Visual Arts of Madrid | Work by Spanish and international image-makers. Several categories |
| Sweden | Hasselblad Award | Hasselblad Foundation | Photographer recognized for major achievements |
| Sweden | Hasselblad Masters Award | Hasselblad | Exceptional accomplishment through photography |
| Sweden | Lennart Nilsson Award | Karolinska Institute | Outstanding contributions to scientific photography |
| Switzerland | Prix Pictet | Pictet Group | Photography of the highest order applied to current social and environmental challenges |
| Turkey | Istanbul Photo Awards | Anadolu Agency | news photography contest |
| United Kingdom | Photography Prize | Worshipful Company of Painter-Stainers | Final year student at the annual Royal College of Art Degree Show |
| United Kingdom | AOP Awards | Association of Photographers | Professional, Assisting Photographer & Student photography |
| United Kingdom | British Wildlife Photography Awards | British Wildlife Photography Awards | Images of wild species and habitats taken in the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, or the Channel Islands |
| United Kingdom | Jerwood/Photoworks Awards | Photoworks | Emerging photographers in the UK who make their own photography, or those who use photographs, archives or found photography |
| United Kingdom | John Kobal Foundation Award | John Kobal Foundation | Portrait Photography |
| United Kingdom | Royal Photographic Society | Royal Photographic Society | Various awards and medals |
| United Kingdom | Tim Hetherington Visionary Award | Tim Hetherington Trust | Innovation in visual storytelling |
| United Kingdom | Astronomy Photographer of the Year | Royal Observatory, Greenwich | Astronomy photography |
| United Kingdom | Cherry Kearton Medal and Award | Royal Geographical Society | Traveller concerned with the study or practice of natural history, with a preference for those with an interest in nature photography, art or cinematography |
| United Kingdom | Food Photographer of the Year | The Food Awards Company | Excellence in food photography |
| United Kingdom | Photo London | Somerset House | Various awards |
| United Kingdom | Portrait of Britain | British Journal of Photography | Portraits showing the diversity of British people |
| United Kingdom | Sony World Photography Awards | World Photography Organisation | Variety of photographic genres |
| United Kingdom | Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize | National Portrait Gallery, London | Photographic portrait prize |
| United Kingdom | Travel Photographer of the Year | Travel Photographer of the Year | International travel photography award |
| United Kingdom | Wildlife Photographer of the Year | Natural History Museum, London | Wildlife photography |
| United Kingdom | The Architectural Photography Awards (APA) | World Architecture Festival | Annual international architectural photography award |
| Country | Award | Venue / sponsor | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | Australian Photographic Portrait Prize | Art Gallery of New South Wales | Photographic art prize, discontinued in 2007 |
| Australia | Bowness Photography Prize | Monash Gallery of Art | Excellence in photography |
| Australia | Head On Portrait Award; Head On Landscape Award | Head On Photo Festival | |
| Australia | National Photographic Portrait Prize | National Portrait Gallery |
Photojournalism is journalism that uses images to tell a news story. It usually only refers to still images, but can also refer to video used in broadcast journalism. Photojournalism is distinguished from other close branches of photography by having a rigid ethical framework which demands an honest and impartial approach that tells a story in strictly journalistic terms. Photojournalists contribute to the news media, and help communities connect with one other. They must be well-informed and knowledgeable, and are able to deliver news in a creative manner that is both informative and entertaining.
The International Center of Photography (ICP) is a photography museum and school at 84 Ludlow Street on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in New York City. ICP's photographic collection, reading room, and archives are at Mana Contemporary in Jersey City, New Jersey. The organization was founded by Cornell Capa in 1974. It is located at 84 Ludlow Street, within the Lower East Side.
Mary Ellen Mark was an American photographer known for her photojournalism, documentary photography, portraiture, and advertising photography. She photographed people who were "away from mainstream society and toward its more interesting, often troubled fringes".
Lucian Perkins is an American photojournalist, who is best known for covering a number of conflicts with profound compassion for his photograph's subjects, including the war in Afghanistan, Kosovo and the 1991 Persian Gulf War. It has been said that Perkins has a developed style that not only portrays the hopes and weaknesses of the people in his photographs but in an unconventional manner. Perkins currently works at The Washington Post, where he has worked for the past 30 years and resides in Washington, D.C.
The Pulitzer Prize for Photography was one of the American Pulitzer Prizes annually awarded for journalism. It was inaugurated in 1942 and replaced by two photojournalism prizes in 1968: the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography and "Pulitzer Prize for Spot News Photography", which was later renamed Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Photography in 2000.
The Robert F. Kennedy Awards for Excellence in Journalism is a journalism award named after Robert F. Kennedy and awarded by the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights. The annual awards are issued in several categories and were established in December 1968 by a group of reporters who covered Kennedy's campaigns. Winners are judged by more than 50 journalists each year, led by a committee of six independent journalists. The awards honor reporting "on issues that reflect Robert F. Kennedy's concerns, including human rights, social justice and the power of individual action in the United States and around the world. Entries include insights into the causes, conditions and remedies of injustice and critical analysis of relevant public policies, programs, attitudes and private endeavors." The awards are known as the "poor people's Pulitzers" in media circles.
Fashion journalism is a component of fashion media, with a focus on writing and photojournalism. Fashion journalists write about and critique fashion events and trends as well as cultivate and maintain relationships with stylists and designers. Fashion journalists are either employed full-time by a publication, or submit articles on a freelance basis. Fashion photography, which supplanted fashion illustration in the 1900s, is a type of photojournalism used in fashion journalism. The Internet has given rise to several outlets for amateur fashion journalism, such as blogs and vlogs.
Pictures of the Year International (POYi) is a professional development program for visual journalists run on a non-profit basis by the Missouri School of Journalism's Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute. POYi began as an annual competition for photojournalism in 1944. POYi promotes the work of documentary photographers and magazine, newspaper, and freelance photojournalists.
Altaf Qadri is a Kashmiri photojournalist presently working with the Associated Press.
Nina Berman is an American documentary photographer, filmmaker, author and educator. Her wide-ranging work looks at American politics, militarism, environmental contamination and post violence trauma. Berman is the author of three monographs: Purple Hearts – Back From Iraq; Homeland; and An autobiography of Miss Wish.
Yannis Kontos is a Greek documentary photographer, professor of photography and commercial photographer. He has covered major events for over a decade in more than 50 countries. His work has been published in newspapers, magazines, and books.
Yannis Behrakis was a Greek photojournalist and a Senior editor with Reuters.
MediaStorm is a Los Gatos, CA based film production and interactive design studio. The company produces online news stories using high-quality photography, audio, interactivity, and video, and consults on interactive web projects. Seattle Post-Intelligencer said that "telling powerful stories through powerful images, MediaStorm has earned a reputation for engaging multimedia news."
Carol Guzy is an American news photographer. Guzy worked as a staff photographer for the Miami Herald from 1980 to 1988 and The Washington Post from 1988 to 2014. As of April 2022, Guzy is a contract photographer for ZUMA Press.
Kuni Takahashi is a photojournalist.
Richard F. "Rick" Shaw is the director of Pictures of the Year International (POYi), a photojournalism program, and an educator in visual journalism at the Missouri School of Journalism. He is a former manager and senior editor at several daily newspapers in the United States.
Renée C. Byer (1958) was born in Yonkers, New York.
Mads Nissen is a Danish documentary photographer and winner of 2015 and 2021 World Press Photo of the Year and 2023 World Press Photo Story of the Year.
Muhammed Muheisen is a two-time Pulitzer Prize winning photographer and the recipient of numerous international awards. He is a National Geographic photographer and the founder of the Dutch non-profit organization Everyday Refugees Foundation.
Felipe Dana is a Pulitzer Prize-winning Brazilian photojournalist for the Associated Press (AP).
