May 30, 2024
APOY Black & White winners revealed! Christ the Redeemer takes top spot
The results of the first round of our prestigious Amateur Photographer of the Year competition are in! See the winners here.
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APOY
Our annual photography competition International Amateur Photographer of the Year 2026 is now open for entries – over $32,000 / £24,000 worth of prizes to be won!
Amateur Photographer of the Year (APOY) is the UK’s most prestigious photography competition for amateur photographers.
The competition is open to all amateur photographers* and once again we have teamed up with Photocrowd, who will be hosting the competition on a simple and intuitive platform.
The competition has 10 rounds, each with a different theme. The themes for the 2026 competition will be: Street, Black & White, Animal Kingdom, Celebrating Colour, Architecture, People & Portraits, Landscapes, Close-up & Macro, Night & Low Light, and Open (anything goes!).
APOY 2026 is now open – submit here!
Get one additional free entry in each round of APOY 2026 using a code printed in the latest issue of Amateur Photographer magazine. Starting from 5th May issue Purchase a print or digital copy here.
Our Young Amateur Photographer of the Year category and Camera Club award are back, more information can be found below.
* For the purposes of this competition, ‘Amateur’ in this context means photography is your hobby, and not your primary source of income.
Headline sponsor: DxO
We are delighted to welcome DxO as our headline sponsor for this year’s competition!
Plus, Park Cameras, BOB Books, Amazing Internet and The School of Photography
Also joining us for 2026, are Park Cameras, Amazing Internet, BOB Books, and The School of Photoography, who are contributing some fantastic prizes!
Why enter APOY?
- A whopping £24,000 worth of prizes! See details below.
- Your work will be seen by a panel of experienced judges
- Get your photographs in front of a wider audience
- Gain exposure in Amateur Photographer magazine and online, through our website and social media!
Young Amateur Photographer of the Year
Our Young Photographer of the Year category is open to those aged 13-21, entry for this category is FREE and all rounds are the same as for the main competition.
Entrants should be 21 years old or younger by the competition’s final closing date of 1st February 2027. Minimum age to enter is 13 years old.
The Camera Club award
Do you belong to a camera club? You can accumulate points for your society when you enter APOY. Select your camera club when entering.
If you are a member of a camera club, tell us your UK camera club when you fill out our simple agreement form before you enter your first image.
After all ten rounds are complete, the club with the most points will win the overall title.
What could I win?
APOY 2026
Amateur Photographer of the Year round winners:
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- Free DxO software (DxO PhotoLab 8 and DxO FilmPack 7) worth £340
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- A £300 voucher to spend on anything at Park Cameras
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- An annual subscription to The School of Photography worth £120
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- A £50 voucher for Bob Books.
The two runners-up in each round will receive a free DxO Nik Collection licence worth £146 and a £25 voucher for Bob Books.
The top ten entries from every round will also be published in AP.
Amateur Photographer of the Year Grand Prize winner:
The overall winner after ten rounds will be crowned Amateur Photographer of the Year and wins £1,000 to spend at Park Cameras and a £100 voucher for Bob Books.
Young APOY 2026
Young Amateur Photographer of the Year round winners:
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- Free DxO PhotoLab and FilmPack licences worth £340
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- A £100 voucher to spend at Park Cameras
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- An annual subscription to The School of Photography worth £120
- A £50 voucher for Bob Books.
The two runners-up in each round will receive a free DxO Nik Collection licence worth £146 and a £25 voucher for Bob Books.
Young Amateur Photographer of the Year grand prize winner:
At the end of the 10 rounds, the photographer with the most combined points will be crowned the Young Amateur Photographer of the Year 2026 and receive a £250 voucher to spend at Park Cameras and a £100 voucher for Bob Books.
Camera Club winners
The winning club after all ten rounds receives a beautiful new website build from Amazing Internet, worth £1,500.
Learn more about our sponsors and prizes here.
Plan your APOY 2026 entries
Below is a list of all this year’s rounds, including opening and closing dates:
| Theme | Opens | Closes |
| Street | 5 May 2026 | 25 May 2026 |
| Black & White | 26 May 2026 | 22 June 2026 |
| Animal Kingdom | 23 June 2026 | 20 July 2026 |
| Celebrating Colour | 21 July 2026 | 17 August 2026 |
| Architecture | 18 August 2026 | 14 September 2026 |
| People & Portraits | 15 September 2026 | 12 October 2026 |
| Landscapes | 13 October 2026 | 9 November 2026 |
| Close-up & Macro | 10 November 2026 | 30 November 2026 |
| Night & Low Light | 1 December 2026 | 4 January 2027 |
| Open | 5 January 2027 | 1 February 2027 |
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May 21, 2024
Urban Life: submit your street photos to APOY 2024
Round Three of Amateur Photographer of the Year 2024 is now open for entries! The theme is Urban Life, so let's see your best street, people and architecture photos.
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April 23, 2024
Animal Kingdom: Submit your best Animal photos to APOY 2024!
Round Two of Amateur Photographer of the Year 2024 is now open for entries! The theme is Animal Kingdom. Three of last year's entrants share their tips for entering this round
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April 5, 2024
How to win APOY from 2023 winner Daniel Sands
The winner of APOY 2023 was Daniel Sands. Here, he shares his thoughts about his success, and adds some advice for this year’s entrants
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March 27, 2024
Amateur Photographer of the Year 2024 is now open for entries!
We are delighted to announce our annual photography competition is back for 2024 and is now open for entries! We invite amateur photographers from all over the world to enter the competition.
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December 14, 2023
Amateur Photographer of the Year 2023 winners announced!
After 10 rounds throughout the year, the final Amateur Photographer of the Year 2023 winners have been revealed
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December 14, 2023
See the incredible winning low light images from APOY!
The winners of final APOY 2023 round, Round Ten, Low light, are in! We share the top ten images with comments by the judges
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November 16, 2023
APOY Action winners announced!
The winners of APOY 2023 Round Nine, Action are in! Here are the top ten images uploaded to Photocrowd with comments by the judges
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November 1, 2023
APOY 2022 winner Tommaso Carrara reveals all about winning low light image
Peter Dench discovers how Amateur Photographer of the Year 2022 winner Tommaso Carrara took his impactful award-winning low-light photo
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October 19, 2023
APOY 2023 Wildlife winners revealed!
The winners of APOY 2023 Round Eight, Wildlife, are in! Here are the top ten images uploaded to Photocrowd with comments by the AP team and our guest judge.
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October 17, 2023
Final round of APOY 2023 now open! Submit your Low Light images
Round Ten of Amateur Photographer of the Year 2023 is now open! The theme is Low Light. Submit your best photos to our APOY 2023 competition