Once again, Amateur Photographer Magazine is championing the best in image-making with the launch of this year’s International Amateur Photographer of the Year award (APOY), where the best non-professional photographers in the world compete over ten rounds to win some fantastic prizes. The competition is now open for entries from photographers around the world, with the first category: STREET. Photographers aged 13-21 are invited to enter Young Amateur Photographer of the Year for free.
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.
There is a chance to win amazing prizes during every single round of APOY. We are excited to announce DxO as our headline sponsor, with prizes for each round winner and the overall winner. Our other sponsors are Park Cameras, Amazing Internet, Bob Books and School of Photography. Together, they are giving away £24,000 worth of vouchers, software and products. In addition, we are excited to reveal that there will be a touring exhibition and book featuring the winners of each round and a selection of runner-up images. We are also pleased to announce that all our prizes are available to every entrant, wherever in the world they may be based*.
You might submit images to only one or two rounds, or you might set yourself the challenge of entering them all – it’s up to you. Once again, we are also running our Young APOY competition, open to photographers aged between 13 and 21 by the closing date. And we are delighted once more to encourage camera club members to enter and accumulate points for their society. See more details below…
Prizes
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 APOY prizes
The winner of each round of Young APOY receives:
- 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.
Camera club prizes
The winning club after all ten rounds receives a beautiful new website build from Amazing Internet, worth £1,500.
Key dates
Below are the key dates for each category opening and closing. Throughout the year we will reveal the winners of each category. Following all 10 rounds, the photographers who have accumulated the most points will be revealed in March 2027 and be named the overall International Amateur Photographer of the Year and Young International Amateur Photographer of the Year winners.
| 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 |
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 2025 award, eligible photographers can enter up to 4 free images per round.
Why enter APOY?
- Prizes up for grabs with every round!
- 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!
International Amateur Photographer of the Year 2026 sponsors
DxO PhotoLab
DxO PhotoLab delivers outstanding image quality with its powerful RAW engine, intelligent corrections, precise optical calibration, and advanced AI-driven tools like DeepPRIME noise reduction. DxO FilmPack complements PhotoLab by bringing the timeless aesthetic of film photography to the digital workflow. It integrates seamlessly with PhotoLab or can be used as a standalone application.
Visit shop.dxo.com/en
Park Cameras
For over 50 years Park Cameras has forged a reputation as one of the top independent photo retailers in the UK. Park Cameras offers a massive selection of cameras, lenses and accessories, and they provide honest and friendly expert advice to customers, both online and in-store. Visit parkcameras.com
Amazing Internet
Amazing Internet, a multi-award-winning company, designs, builds and hosts amazing websites for creative people and companies. It has specialised in creating websites for photographers since 1999 – and whether you need a simple template-based site for £60 per year or a fully bespoke site, they’ve got you covered. AmazingInternet.com
Bob Books
Bob Books is one of the UK’s most well-respected firms for designing and printing photo books. Choose from an exceptional range of premium photo papers and binding styles. Through its online bookshop, Bob Books supports photographers by ensuring they can self-publish and showcase their work. Visit www.bobbooks.co.uk
School of Photography
The School of Photography is an award-winning online video-based learning platform covering all genres, at all levels. It offers student critiques, monthly assignments, competitions, Q&As, and Webinars as well as thousands of video tutorials. It reaches photographers all over the world. Visit: theschoolofphotography.com
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