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Articles Photography 7 min read

Photography Opportunities

Photography Competitions That Teen Artists Should Explore

A curated list of respected photography competitions and showcases that can help teen photographers push their work further.

Competitions can help teen photographers do three useful things: finish projects, edit their work harder, and learn how their images read outside of their own classroom or friend group.

Not every contest is equally valuable. The better opportunities give young artists a reason to build a focused portfolio, develop consistency, and think more seriously about theme, sequence, and presentation.

Photography Competitions That Teen Artists Should Explore

Reference List

Recommended places to keep exploring.

Sony World Photography Awards Youth Competition

International

Sony World Photography Awards Youth Competition

A high-visibility youth competition that rewards strong single images and gives teen photographers a serious benchmark.

Visit Competition
Photographer’s Forum High School and College Contest

Student-focused

Photographer’s Forum High School and College Contest

A long-running student photography competition that can help young artists build early publication credits.

Visit Competition
Travel Photographer of the Year: Young TPOTY

Travel and documentary

Travel Photographer of the Year: Young TPOTY

A strong option for students making travel, culture, or documentary-oriented work with a clear sense of place.

Visit Competition
National Geographic Slingshot Challenge

Impact storytelling

National Geographic Slingshot Challenge

A meaningful opportunity for young creators whose photo or media work connects to environmental and social themes.

Visit Challenge
Scholastic Art & Writing Awards

Prestige student arts program

Scholastic Art & Writing Awards

One of the most recognized student arts programs in the United States, valuable for photographers building a serious pre-college portfolio.

Visit Awards
YoungArts

National arts recognition

YoungArts

A major opportunity for advanced teen artists looking for national recognition and a high bar for artistic rigor.

Visit YoungArts
Congressional Art Competition

Regional + national exposure

Congressional Art Competition

A public-facing competition that can be especially useful for students building confidence and visibility with strong standalone work.

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Photographic Society of America Youth Showcase

Youth image makers

Photographic Society of America Youth Showcase

A relevant option for students who want to place their work in a broader photographic community and track improvement over time.

Visit PSA
IPPAWARDS

Mobile photography

IPPAWARDS

A smart benchmark for students working on phones who want to see how strong mobile composition and editing hold up internationally.

Visit Competition

Before You Enter

Edit more ruthlessly than feels comfortable. A smaller set of images with a clear point of view usually beats a larger, uneven submission.

Read the prompt carefully and pay attention to formatting requirements, image sizing, captions, and deadlines. Administrative misses sink strong work all the time.