Exhibition in New York | Solo exhibitions online | International press exposure | Cash grants

Enter the Street Photography Awards 2025

LensCulture invites you to enter the Street Photography Awards and share how you see the world. From fleeting gestures to monumental scenes, your images can echo far beyond the instant they were captured.

Selected photographers will receive international recognition, career-changing opportunities, cash awards, a group show in New York, and a place among the voices shaping street photography today. Every vision matters—submit your work and join a global community celebrating the art of seeing.

There is a free entry option for single images—we believe everyone deserves the chance to be discovered.

Be Seen by Our International Jury

Carol Körting

Leica Fotografie International

Germany

James Wellford

National Geographic

United States

Stacey Baker

Apple

United States

Paul Schiek

TBW Books

United States

Sandy Ciric

Getty Images

United States

Elena Boille

Internazionale

Italy

Manolis Moresopoulos

Athens Photo Festival

Greece

Laura Sackett

LensCulture

United States

Winning photographers will be
exhibited in New York

Winning photographers will be exhibited at a gallery in New York during The Photography Show (Spring 2026), the eminent photo fair that brings together hundreds of galleries, publishers and collectors, as well as an ambitious program of exhibitions, conversations, artist book signings and curated fair events.

An opening reception will be held for LensCulture artists, invited media, photo editors and industry insiders for a night of art appreciation and networking during New York’s largest international art fair dedicated to photography.

The marvels of daily life are exciting; no movie director can arrange the unexpected that you find in the street.”

—Robert Doisneau

Get the opportunity to grow your career with our awards & benefits

  • Winning Series Published on LensCulture

    Top Series winners will have their work published on LensCulture, benefiting from the platform’s engagement with a global audience. Our features provide significant, ongoing exposure for your work, leveraging LensCulture’s high search rankings and site traffic.

  • Featured at International Photo Festivals

    Winning works will be screened at photo festivals and events worldwide. In the past, our winners, finalists, and jurors’ picks were screened at festivals in the US, the UK, Italy, France, Spain, Japan, The Netherlands, Australia, Malaysia, Hungary, Serbia, and more.

  • Visibility With Industry Insiders & Creative Professionals

    All it takes is one set of eyes to change the course of your career. If our jury ranks your submission highly, you will be included in LensCulture Discoveries, our directory of top-rated photographers. We provide this directory to key decision-makers including editors, book publishers, gallery owners, festival directors, creative directors, curators, and online media publishers.

  • Permanent Exhibition in LensCulture Online Gallery

    LensCulture has become a key resource for discovering new photography work all over the world. All winners, finalists and jurors’ picks for this award will be prominently featured in the permanent online gallery on our site.

  • International Press Exposure

    Award winners receive press coverage in publications and media outlets around the world — the kind of exposure that can lead to viral, global recognition of your work. Winners, finalists and selected entrants have been featured in major publications including BBC, The Guardian, The Washington Post, Internazionale, VICE, The Times of London, Huffington Post, Spiegel Online, The British Journal of Photography, and The Telegraph.

    Be sure to check out our latest feature in The Guardian, a beautiful image gallery sharing the work of the 2022 LensCulture Street Photography Award winners with the world.


The Guardian Photo Contest and Competition
The Timelightbox Photography Contest and Competition
BJP Photography Contest and Competition
The Telegraphy Photography Contest and Competition
The New York Times Photography Contest and Competition
Speigel Photography Contest and Competition
Hufftington Post Photography Contest and Competition

Cash Awards & Recognition

  • Series prize winners

    1st Place: $3,500
    2nd Place: $2,000
    3rd Place: $1,000

  • Single image prize winners

    1st Place: $2,000
    2nd Place: $1,000
    3rd Place: $500

  • Jurors’ Picks

    Each juror will select an individual Juror’s Pick to receive special distinction, including quotes from the experts praising each of the selected series or single images.

  • Finalists

    25 Finalists and their work will be highlighted and featured on the winners’ page, and in the worldwide promotions, along with the Winners and Jurors’ Picks.

More Awards and Benefits
  • Winning Series Published on LensCulture
  • Featured at International Photo Festivals
  • Visibility With Industry Insiders & Creative Professionals
  • Permanent Exhibition in LensCulture Online Gallery
  • International Press Exposure

Cash Awards & Recognition

Series prize winners

1st Place: $3,500
2nd Place: $2,000
3rd Place: $1,000

Single image prize winners

1st Place: $2,000
2nd Place: $1,000
3rd Place: $500

Jurors’ Picks

Each juror will select an individual Juror’s Pick to receive special distinction, including quotes from the experts praising each of the selected series or single images.

Finalists

25 Finalists and their work will be highlighted and featured on the winners’ page, and in the worldwide promotions, along with the Winners and Jurors’ Picks.

Benefits for All Who Enter

Benefits6 Winners8 Jurors' picks25 FinalistsEditors’ Picks(1)Every Entrant
$10,000 in Cash Awards
Solo Feature Published on LensCulture(2)
Exhibition in New York
Visibility with LensCulture Insiders
Featured in International Photo Festival Projections
International Press Exposure
Massive Exposure to our Global Audience of 3 Million
LensCulture Portfolio Account(3)
Opportunity to be in LensCulture Discoveries online directory of top-rated photographers(4)
Share your Work with the Global Photography Community
Opportunities for Immediate Exposure
(1)Editors’ Picks: During the competition, LensCulture’s editors will curate hundreds of entries for immediate exposure to our global audience through the competition gallery and our Instagram and Facebook pages, all updated daily.(2)Solo Feature for series winners.(3)LensCulture Portfolio Account: Available for all Series entries and 5+ Single entries.(4)All highly-rated photographers are automatically included in LensCulture Discoveries online directory.

Submission Reviews

Enter 5+ single images or a series into this competition and you can add a professional written review of your submission for an additional $25. This is a unique opportunity to receive valuable and specific feedback on your work from one of our experienced industry professionals.

"This review was extraordinarily insightful and immensely helpful. Truly, I didn’t anticipate this level of attention... I am extremely encouraged." —Fred Zafran

Closed for entries.

Be persistent.

Many successful photographers enter the same work in several competitions before they finally win. This is an effective strategy to have your work seen by many different jurors and build your career. Persistence is the key to getting your work seen by influential experts worldwide - it only takes one person to make a positive impact on your creative journey!

Success Stories

For 20 years, LensCulture has been committed to supporting photographers of all levels move forward creatively and professionally. In that time, we have heard from hundreds of photographers who were able to achieve breakthroughs in their careers through participation in the LensCulture community.

“Since winning 1st place in the LensCulture Street Photography Awards, my work has been featured and published by multiple outlets internationally, including National Geographic Traveler, and have also received a lot more interest in my photography workshops that I teach. I really appreciate the extra exposure that LensCulture has brought to my work.”
Jonathan Jasberg
Winner, Street Photography 2023
“My success with LensCulture has led my work to be featured in exhibitions, festivals, and magazines. I've also had wonderful networking opportunities and contact with photographers I revere (which has been mind-blowing). Mostly, I've enjoyed growing my circle and meeting other lens-based storytellers who've learned about my work thru LensCulture.”
Argus Paul Estabrook
Winner, Street Photography 2022
“Winning a place in the LensCulture Street Photography Awards is one of the most prestigious recognition I think I could ever get in my photography journey. It certainly encourages me to keep developing my current body of work that is commended by respectable jurors.”
Jason Au
Juror’s Pick, Street Photography 2021

We respect artist’s rights

All photographers retain full copyrights for their own work. Period. Winners, Jurors' Picks and Finalists grant LensCulture limited, restricted use of winning photos only to promote the photographers themselves and in connection with marketing the Awards competition itself. Details can be found in the Competition rules.