Deadline: September 6
International 212 Photography Competition 2026 (9th Edition)
- September 6, 2026, 23:59 GMT+3
- Open to photographers and artists using the photographic medium on a regular basis worldwide
- No age or nationality restrictions
- Photographers/artists who have had a major exhibition in a gallery or cultural institution of international importance are not eligible (designed to discover emerging talent)
- Collective submissions by two or more artists are acceptable provided the authors work together regularly and have built a body of work together
- Entries must be original works submitted by the entrant
- Overall Winner: 212 Photography Prize of €5,000 + publication in 212 Magazine
- 10 Shortlisted Photographers: Work exhibited during the 212 Photography Istanbul Festival 2026
- All entrants gain the opportunity for recognition from an international panel of photography professionals and international exposure
The International 212 Photography Competition is the annual global photography competition presented by the 212 Photography Istanbul platform, now in its ninth edition. The competition accepts photographs taken at any time, any place, with any camera, inviting photographers to submit a selection of 5 to 10 of their strongest images, ideally selected from 1 or 2 distinctive series. The evaluation consists of two rounds: in the first round, the organizing team conducts an initial review and selects 10 participants to be presented to the jury; in the second round, an independent international jury evaluates the shortlist and selects the final winners. The competition is genre-agnostic, aiming to discover the year's most promising emerging photographers. 212 Photography Istanbul is a fully independent body that also produces an international biannual arts and culture magazine, 212 Magazine. Funded by 212 STUDIO, a premier boutique photography and production agency in Istanbul, it aims to provide an inclusive creative space for ideas and perspectives to mix, fostering social, artistic and cultural exchange from the region and around the world.
