Have some amazing animal photographs to share? Non-professional photographers around the world are invited to enter the International Amateur Photographer of the Year award (APOY). Amateur Photographer Magazine champions the best in image-making with this annual competition, which takes place over ten themed rounds and offers the chance to win some fantastic prizes throughout the year. The competition is now open, with the third category, ANIMAL KINGDOM, open for entries until 20 July 2026.
Always one of our most popular rounds, this category reflects photographers’ appreciation of and love for the animal world. You’re not restricted to wildlife in this round – images of domestic animals and pets are also welcome. So whether you’ve photographed the migration of wildebeest across the Serengeti and tigers in Ranthambore National Park or your pet dog enjoying a romp in the local woods, we want to see your shots that celebrate mammals, birds, insects – everything.
You don’t have to spend huge sums of money on trips to safari locations in order to capture an original shot. There is endless scope for photographing wildlife subjects in towns and cities, and even our own back gardens. Try telling a story about the way in which a creature lives by showing it in context – be that an opportunistic urban fox foraging around dustbins, or a seagull stealing chips from a hapless tourist. Or go the other way, and fill the frame with the head of a majestic lion, or even your pet cat.
Entry is free to photographers aged 13-21 in the Young Amateur Photographer of the Year competition.
Your guest judge: Tesni Ward
Your guest judge for Round Three, Animal Kingdom, is Tesni Ward, an award winning, professional wildlife photographer and OM SYSTEM ambassador based on the outskirts of the Peak District. While the majority of her work focuses on British wildlife, she also photographs projects across the world and has aspirations to promote conservation and education through her images.
How to enter
For the main APOY 2026 award, you can enter up to 5 images in each of the 10 rounds. 1 free entry per round can be obtained via a unique code published in Amateur Photographer magazine during the period in which that round is open. Without the code, you’ll be able to enter a maximum of 4 images per round.
For the Young APOY 2026 award, eligible photographers can enter up to 4 free images per round.
APOY prizes
The winner of each round of APOY 2026 will receive:
- 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.
The overall winner after ten rounds wins £1,000 to spend at Park Cameras and a £100 voucher for Bob Books.
Young Amateur Photographer of the Year
Now a well-established part of APOY, the Young Photographer of the Year competition encourages our up-and-coming snappers. Entrants should be 21 years old or younger by the competition’s final closing date of 1st February 2027. All the categories are the same as for the main contest – simply select the Young APOY option on Photocrowd when you upload your images. Entry is free. Each round winner and two runners-up in each round wins prizes, with the overall winner after ten rounds receiving vouchers from Park Cameras and Bob Books.
Young APOY Prizes
- 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.
The overall winner of Young APOY will receive a £250 voucher to spend at Park Cameras and a £100 voucher for Bob Books.
The camera club award
Do you belong to a camera club or photographic society?
You can accumulate precious points for your society when you enter Amateur Photographer of the Year. The winning club after all ten rounds receives a beautiful new website build from Amazing Internet, worth £1,500.
Plan your APOY 2026 Entries
| Theme | Opens | Closes |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
Follow AP on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and Irys.
