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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!

International APOY 2026 logo

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

Young APOY 2026 logo

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:

    • Free DxO software (DxO PhotoLab 8 and DxO FilmPack 7) worth £340

    • A £300 voucher to spend on anything at Park Cameras

    • 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.

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:

    • Free DxO PhotoLab and FilmPack licences worth £340

    • A £100 voucher to spend at Park Cameras

    • 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