World Press Photo Contest 2025 for Professional Photographers

The annual World Press Photo Contest recognizes and celebrates the best photojournalism and documentary photography produced over the last year.

The 2025 World Press Photo Contest works with 6 worldwide regions – Africa; West, Central, and South Asia; Europe; North and Central America; South America; and Asia Pacific and Oceania. Entries will be judged in the region in which they have been taken, for example a single photograph taken in Canada would be entered into North and Central America in the Singles category.

Categories of Press Photo

There are three format-based categories: Singles, Stories and Long-Term Projects. These categories welcome entries that witness or document news moments, events and/or aftermaths, as well as social, political and environmental issues or solutions. These format-based categories encompass all thematic categories from previous contests – such as general news, spot news, contemporary issues, environment, nature, sports, portraits – therefore entries on a wide range of themes may be submitted to the appropriate format-based category.

Singles

• Single frame photographs.
• All singles must have been shot in 2024.
• All singles will be eligible for the World Press Photo of the Year.

Stories

• Stories can contain between 4 and 10 single frame photographs.
• All photographs entered into the stories category must have been shot in 2023 or 2024. At least four photographs in a story must have been shot in 2024.
• All photographs shot in 2024 that are included in the story will be eligible for the World Press Photo of the Year.

Long-Term Projects

• Projects on a single theme containing between 24-30 single frame photographs.
• An entry must contain photographs from at least three different years, and a minimum of six photographs must have been shot in 2024.
• All photographs shot in 2024 that are included in the project will be eligible for the World Press Photo of the Year.

Check : Technical Image Press Association (TIPA) Photo Contest 2025 (€3,000 prize)

Prizes of Press Photo

As a winner, your work will be:

• Included in the annual traveling exhibition seen by over 4 million visitors, shown around the world in over 80 cities.
• Published on their website and social platforms with over 2 million followers.
• Included in the annual yearbook, available in six languages with a worldwide distribution of more than 30,000 copies.

You will also receive:

• €1,000 for each of the winners and an additional €10,000 for the World Press Photo of the Year winner.
• FUJIFILM GFX cameras and lenses will be awarded to the World Press Photo of the Year winner and two runners up.
• An invitation to the Winners’ Program in Amsterdam for all winners.
• A physical award for all winners.

Also Check : Canadian Journalism Foundation Bursary 2024 for BIPOC Student Journalists

Eligibility

• Open to professional photographers working in the field of journalism and/or documentary photography. Every entrant needs to provide a document with a valid date that confirms their current professional status.
• Team entries of two or more photographers are allowed. Proof of professional status must be provided for each team member.
• The photographer(s) must be the author(s) of the photographs submitted in their name.
• The photographer(s), agent or representative entering on their behalf, must be the copyright holder(s) or have been authorized by the copyright holder(s) to submit the photographs.
• Photographs can be submitted whether or not they have been published.

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