Travel Photographer of the Year has opened its 24th annual competition for entries! It’s a chance for photographers around the globe to showcase their best and most inspiring travel images on an international stage. Amateur and professional photographers of all ages and from anywhere in the world are invited to submit their photos until 12th October 2026.
Travel encompasses many aspects of life so whether you photograph people, landscapes, wildlife, underwater, street-life or any other element of travel photography. TPOTY 2026 has a range of categories for both portfolios and single images, and reflect the breadth and diversity of travel photography. Entrants will be competing not only for a selection of prizes, but also for the international exposure and acclaim that comes from achieving success in these awards. TPOTY winners gain media exposure and feature in UK and international exhibitions.
Entry fees start at £14, and for early bird entrants there are two options: Enter before 1st July and you’ll automatically receive an EarlyBird 10% discount*. There’s also a special TPOTY Pass which gives unlimited entry up until 16th July. In addition, TPOTY is offering a number of multiple entry ‘packages’ with substantial savings of as much as 50% over individual category fees. *(EarlyBird discount does not apply to TPOTY Pass).
Entry is FREE for young photographers aged 18 and under, and this year’s Young TPOTY theme is ‘Discovering the World’.
Submissions must be made online at www.tpoty.com.
The awards are judged by a 15 strong international judging panel of enormously respected and talented judges, who give their time and expertise freely to judge the awards. To avoid any bias the judging is done blind and the names of the entrants and their images are not known until after the judging is complete. The awards are about photography so AI-generated images are not permitted.
Categories and prizes
TPOTY 2026 has four portfolio categories: ‘Adventures & Journeys’, ‘Cultures, Traditions & Celebrations’, ‘Landscapes – Natural & Urban’ and ‘Wildlife, Sealife, Birdlife’. There are also four One Shot single-image categories: ‘In Nature’, ‘People of the World’, ‘Street’ and ‘Travel in Black & White’.
The Overall Winner – the Travel Photographer of the Year 2026 – will be the entrant who submits the best two portfolios across any of the four portfolio categories, and entry to this is automatic and free. In addition for younger photographers, there is Young Travel Photographer of the Year, which is open to photographers aged 18 and under and has awards in two different age groups.
Travel Image of the Year will be awarded to one of the winners of the four One Shot categories or one of the four Best Single Image in a Portfolio winners. And for anyone who fancies themselves as a judge, there will also be the People’s Choice award – which attracts thousands of votes – for the general public to choose their favourite image from the finalists.
This Rising Talent Award returns this year with another opportunity for the winning amateur or semi-professional photographers to be mentored as TPOTY support them with developing their photography.The winners of the last year’s Rising Talent Award are about to head off to Sri Lanka for 9 days of intensive mentoring – courtesy of Sri Lanka Tourism and Jetwing Hotels. They will be mentored by leading American travel photographer Elia Locardi, fine art photographer and visual storyteller Krystal Chryssomallis and travel photographer and mentor Chris Coe. They’ll also be mentored by two of Sri Lanka’s top wildlife photographer. It’s a unique, not to be missed opportunity.
With support coming from Radiant Imaging Labs, Eye for the Light, Genesis Imaging (now Genesis Metro) and The PhotoCloser, as well as Sri Lanka Tourism and Jetwing Hotels, the awards offer some excellent prizes including nearly £10,000 in cash bursaries, photographic equipment, magnificent exhibition quality prints, portfolio reviews, photo tuition and mentoring.
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