Why contests are only half the picture
Contests reward single images on a deadline. Magazines, publishers and curated websites publish work all year and often reach the people who commission photographers. The guides list the places that accept submissions, what they look for, and exactly how to send your work.
A contest win is a moment. A feature in a respected magazine, a book with a good publisher or a regular slot on a well-read site can shape a career for years. The trouble is finding them: submission pages move, editors change, and many publications only open for a few weeks a year. Each guide gathers that information in one place and keeps it current, so you spend your time on the edit and the pitch rather than on searching.
What every entry includes
- Who the publication or account is, and the kind of work it features
- How to submit: form, email or portfolio review, with the link
- Whether there is a fee, and what you get for it
- Typical response times where they are published
- Notes on rights, exclusivity and payment where the publication states them
How to pitch well
Editors receive far more work than they can publish. Make their decision easy. Send a short, tight edit rather than everything you have, sized and named as they ask. Write two or three sentences on what the work is and why it fits their pages, and address the editor by name when it is published. Follow the guidelines to the letter: an ignored instruction is the fastest way to be passed over. If you have not heard back after the stated response time, a single polite follow up is fine.
Free, paid and included with Pro
The first five entries of every guide are open to everyone. Each full guide costs €9 once, and all guides are included with Pro along with every listing detail and the entry tracker. One guide is free when you leave a review, because honest reviews help other photographers decide.
Prefer competitions? Browse every open photo contest, the free ones, or contests by theme.