Our annual photography competition Amateur Photographer of the Year, will be launching its 2025 edition very soon! See below for information on categories and dates.
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 throughout the year, each with a different theme. The themes for the APOY 2025 competition will be: Black & White, People and Portraits, Close-Up and Details, Landscapes, Celebrating Colour, Night and Low Light, Animal Kingdom, Movement, Urban Life, and Open.
With each round you have the opportunity to win points which will determine your ranking on the APOY 2025 leaderboard. Shortlisted images receive 10 points, and images in the top 10 for each round will win between 30-100pts.
After the 10 rounds are complete, the photographer that has accumulated the most points throughout the year will be named Amateur Photographer of the Year 2025. Prizes will available to those who win each round, as well as an overall prize to the final APOY winners. More information and prize details will be shared very soon.
Key APOY dates
The first round Black & White will be launching on 6th May 2025 – so there is plenty of time to plan your entries and your APOY competition year!
| Theme | Round Open | Round Close |
| Black & White | 06 May 2025 | 26 May 2025 |
| Peopl and Portraits | 27 May 2025 | 23 June 2025 |
| Close-up and Details | 24 June 2025 | 21 July 2025 |
| Landscapes | 22 July 2025 | 18 August 2025 |
| Celebrating Colour | 19 August 2025 | 15 September 2025 |
| Night and Low Light | 16 September 2025 | 13 October 2025 |
| Animal Kingdom | 14 October 2025 | 10 November 2025 |
| Movement | 11 November 2025 | 08 December 2025 |
| Urban Life | 09 December 2025 | 05 January 2026 |
| Open | 06 January 2026 | 02 February 2026 |
The Young Amateur Photographer of the Year category and the Camera Club competition both return for 2025.
Young Amateur Photographer of the Year
At the end of the 10 rounds, the photographer with the most combined points will be crowned the Young Amateur Photographer of the Year 2025.
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 2nd February 2026. Minimum age to enter is 13 years old.
Camera Club competition
Members of UK camera clubs and photo society’s are invited to enter their club name when submitting images. You can accumulate points for your club, and the club that amasses the most points after all ten rounds are complete will be named the winners.
Why enter APOY?
- Prizes (TBC) up for grabs!
- 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!
Related news:
