Photo Journalism Prize 2026
The Photo Journalism Prize is an international award honoring editorial and documentary photography. It was founded by Hossein Farmani, the same publisher who created the Lucie Awards.
The 2026 edition runs across 11 categories including Conflict, Daily Life, Documentary, Human Rights, and News. Total prize fund is €9,000: first €5,000, second €3,000, third €1,000. AI-generated work is not accepted.
The jury is built from working photojournalists and major-publication photo editors: James Nachtwey, Steve McCurry, Paolo Pellegrin, and Ron Haviv (co-founder of the VII Foundation) on the photographer side; Alex Pollack (Director of Photography, National Geographic), Sarah Gilbert and Jim Powell (Photo Editors, The Guardian), Pia Peterson Haggarty (Photo Director, Lonely Planet), and Natasha Egan (Executive Director, MoCP) on the editorial side, alongside curators, professors, and visual editors.
Eligibility is open globally to photographers 18+. Submission is through the prize website with 1–10 images per entry. Fee is tiered €20–€25. The 2026 deadline was April 30; results announced June 15, 2026.
Jury: Jim Colton, Editor at Large, ZUMA Press Wire · James Nachtwey, Photojournalist · Steve McCurry, Photojournalist · Ron Haviv, Co-Founder, VII Foundation · Natasha Egan, Executive Director, MoCP · Alex Pollack, Director of Photography, National Geographic · Magdalena Herrera, Art Director & Photo Editor · Alexia Singh, Senior Lecturer, London College of Communication · Elizabeth Krist, Visual Thinking Collective · Mike Davis, Visual Storytelling Consultant · Pia Peterson Haggarty, Photo Director, Lonely Planet · Sarah Gilbert, Features Photo Editor, The Guardian · Sandra M. Stevenson, Writer & Visual Editor · Jim Powell, Photo Editor, The Guardian · Tara Pixley, Professor of Journalism, Loyola Marymount University · Paolo Pellegrin, Photojournalist · Alison Nordstrom, Independent Curator & Historian of Photography · Ismail Ferdous, Photographer & Filmmaker · Svetlana Bachevanova, Director, FotoEvidence
Organized by Photo Journalism Prize