LensCulture Competitions

Photo competitions are one of the best ways for our editorial team to discover new talents from around the world in addition to new work from established photographers. Winning photographers and highly-rated projects are given international visibility through the global reach of our magazine and social media platforms. Many of our award-winning photographers have been discovered by magazine editors, creative directors, curators, gallerists, book publishers, festival directors, photo agencies and more.

We make our calls for entries in 15 languages so we can reach out to photographers all over the world. This worldwide reach attracts the attention of influential experts in the world of photography — people want to serve on our juries to be among the first to see fresh and exciting work.

Here, you too can discover the winners, finalists, juror’s picks, student spotlights plus many of the other highly-rated submissions from each competition. Inspiring, thought-provoking, informative, culturally rich — dig in to discover some great photography from around the globe.

Portrait Awards

Our Portrait Awards strive to discover the best and most interesting portrait photography from all over the world. We’re eager to see innovative new approaches as well as stunning traditional work—our goal is to discover the new photographic portrait of the 21st century.

When

January – February

See previous winners

Magnum Photography Awards

In partnership with the legendary photo agency Magnum Photos, the Magnum Photography Awards recognize and celebrate the best in global contemporary photography. Photographers at all levels, ages, and cultures are eligible to participate in this worldwide celebration of talented image-makers.

When

April - May

See previous winners

Street Photography Awards

Street photography is one of the most striking and universal genres in the whole medium. These awards seek out the globe’s finest street photographers who capture exceptional moments of life in all of its vibrant forms. We’re hoping to find the next great practitioners and share their vision with the world.

When

June - July

See previous winners

Emerging Talent Awards

Emerging photographers often make the freshest, most exciting work—but it’s hard to gain attention when you are relatively new or don’t have an international profile. These awards showcase outstanding emerging photographers and are dedicated to discovering fresh, original work.

When

September – October

See Previous

Exposure Awards

Our largest awards of the year recognize and celebrate excellence in the visual language of photography. They showcase the world’s best contemporary photographers—including all genres of photography, and from diverse cultures on every continent.