Sony World Photography Awards 2027

The 20th edition of the Sony World Photography Awards, organized by the World Photography Organisation, includes Series, Single Image, Student, and Youth competitions. The official site states that the competitions are free to enter, with an optional paid route for additional Single Image entries beyond the first three.

Official Call / Opportunity Page URL: https://www.worldphoto.org/sony-world-photography-awards

Deadline: Student: 27 November 2026. Single Image and Youth: 5 January 2027. Series: 12 January 2027. The main timeline lists 16:00 GMT for each closing date.

Application Fee / Participation Fee: Series, Student, and Youth are free to enter. Single Image allows up to three images free; optional paid image bundles are available for additional entries.

Eligibility

• Series: open to anyone submitting a series of five to ten images per category.

• Single Image: open to anyone submitting eligible single images taken in 2026.

• Student: open to photography students aged 18-30 whose institution is registered with the programme.

• Youth: open to photographers aged 19 or under on the closing date.

Application / Project Requirements

• Series: five to ten images per category; ten categories are listed on the official site.

• Single Image: up to three free single-image entries; images must be taken in 2026 and meet the official JPEG, file-size, and sRGB requirements.

• Student: five to ten images responding to the 2027 brief 'Journeys.'

• Youth: up to three single images taken in 2026.

• Applications are submitted through a World Photography Organisation account.

Funding / Support / Benefits

• Series overall winner: USD 25,000, Photographer of the Year title, Sony digital-imaging equipment, international media exposure, and a solo presentation at the following year's London exhibition.

• Single Image overall winner: USD 5,000, Sony digital-imaging equipment, and international exposure; category winners and shortlists are also recognized.

• Student and Youth winners receive Sony digital-imaging equipment and benefits that include London exhibition/book inclusion, promotion, and, for the overall winner, travel and accommodation for the London ceremony as listed on the category pages.

Application Method

• Choose the relevant competition and submit through the official World Photography Organisation entry system.

Additional Conditions Stated by the Organizer

• The main competition timeline and category headlines display 16:00 GMT closing times. Some detailed rule text on the Student, Single Image, and Youth pages currently displays 13:00 GMT. These two times appear simultaneously on the official website.

• Applicants entering both Series and Single Image must use work from different bodies of work.