World Sports Photography Awards Open 2027 Entries

Photographers worldwide are invited to submit their best sports images for the annual competition.

Updated on Oct. 27, 2026 in Photography

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The World Sports Photography Awards officially opened entries for 2027 on September 9, inviting professionals to submit their best work across 24 categories. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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The World Sports Photography Awards officially opened for 2027 entries on 09 September 2026. The competition invites photographers to submit their work for a chance to be recognized across 24 distinct sports categories.

Why it matters

These awards highlight the drama and physicality of sport, offering a global platform for both established and rising professionals. The platform seeks to celebrate exceptional imagery that captures the raw emotion of athletic competition.

Photographers may submit up to 10 images for free, provided the work was captured between December 2025 and November 2026. The Canon Emerging Talent award has been updated to include photographers under the age of 25.

The players

World Sports Photography Awards

This organization hosts an annual competition designed to celebrate the drama, emotion, and physicality of sporting events through professional imagery.

Canon Emerging Talent

This specific award category aims to recognize and support the work of young photographers under the age of 25.

The details

Entries are reviewed by an international panel of experts from the sports, media, and creative sectors. Only images captured within the specified eligibility window are accepted, ensuring that all submissions reflect the most recent sporting achievements.

Timeline

  1. December 2025 - November 2026 is the eligible timeframe for submitted images.

  2. 09 September 2026 was the official opening date for 2027 award entries.

  3. 23 November 2026 is the deadline for all competition submissions.

Culture Shift

The World Sports Photography Awards reflects the broader trend of global digital photography competitions by consolidating entries from over 100 nations into a single evaluation process. This shift emphasizes the accessibility of digital submission platforms over traditional print-based portfolios.

Aspiring photographers can enter the competition for free by visiting the official website to upload their work. Participants must ensure their selected images fall within the required date range to remain eligible for judging.

The takeaway

Photographers should carefully review the eligibility window to ensure their images were captured between December 2025 and November 2026. Utilizing the maximum allowance of 10 entries provides the best opportunity to showcase a range of work across the 24 available sports categories.

What happens next

The 2027 competition will officially close for all submissions on 23 November 2026.

Further reading

Discover more about the latest industry trends and competitions in our Photography section.

More information

For submission guidelines and category details, visit the official world sports photography awards website.

Live Poll

Do you believe photography competitions provide meaningful career growth for young, emerging photographers?