Global Call to All Street Photographers!
Are you ready to elevate your street photography from hidden gems in your portfolio to celebrated art on a global stage? The LensCulture Street Photography Awards invite you to submit your most captivating photos and series, offering you a unique platform to showcase the vibrant, pulsating life of your streets from around the world.
Street photography is not just an art — it’s an encounter, an ongoing dialogue with the unpredictability of everyday moments. It’s the early morning rush, the late-night stillness, and every artful shard of light and shadow in between. This is your opportunity to transform ordinary instants into profound visual narratives that resonate with audiences far and wide.
Why enter? Imagine your work seen and appreciated by millions of people worldwide. Hundreds of entries will be highlighted in our online gallery and in our daily social media feeds — before the official judging begins! Top winners will be exhibited in a group show at Photo London, and featured prominently on LensCulture’s platform that reaches photography lovers in over 150 countries globally.
Show us how you see the streets of your world!
Martin Parr is a British photojournalist, photobook collector, and documentary photographer. He is best known for his photographic projects which offer a critical examination of various elements of modern life, especially in suburban and provincial life in England.
In 1994, Parr became a full member of Magnum Photos. He has published nearly 50 books and has been featured in over 80 exhibitions around the world, including the Barbican Arts Center in London. Parr’s retrospective exhibit was chosen to be an important monthly display in 2007 for Photography Asia. He also received the Royal Photographic Society’s Centenary Medal in 2008 for his significant contributions to photography and an Honorary Fellowship by the Royal Photographic Society that same year. In 2008, Parr became Manchester Metropolitan University’s Honorary Doctor of Arts in acknowledgement of his contributions to the university’s school of art and also for his photography.
Born in Bogotá, Colombia, Carol Körting worked as a freelance photographer before studying photo editing at the Ostkreuz Schule für Fotografie in Berlin, Germany. She has served as photo editor for the renowned Leica Fotografie International Magazine (LFI) and its online platform for over a decade, during which time she has produced and edited countless photographic projects.
As a professional portfolio reviewer, Körting was part of a team of jurors at numerous photography competitions. In addition, she gives talks, workshops and presentations on photo editing.
Sandra M. Stevenson is an award-winning Writer / Visual Editor / Curator in the photography department at The Washington Post. As a Deputy Director of Photography, she manages a team of picture editors who work on International, Climate, and Health + Science.
Prior to joining The Post, Sandra was an associate deputy director of photography at CNN, where she managed picture editors who curated the home screen, edited stories and newsletters, as well as special projects.
Maura Friedman is a senior photo editor at National Geographic where she collaborates with photographers on stories across print, digital, and social video.
She has served as a juror and reviewer for organizations including American Photography, Visa Pour L’Image, the New York Times Portfolio Review, the Indian Photo Festival, and more.
Previously, Maura worked as lead photo editor at the Urban Institute, a multimedia reporter at the Chattanooga Times Free Press, and an independent visual journalist producing photo and video stories across the Southeast United States.
Gulnara Lyabib Samoilova is an American photographer with 45 years of experience in documentary, street, and fine art photography. She graduated from the International Center of Photography in 1994 and worked as a staff photo editor and photojournalist at the Associated Press, 1994-2003.
Throughout her career, Gulnara has received numerous awards for her photographs, including first prize from World Press Photo. Gulnara's work is part of collections at the Museum of the City of New York, Houston Museum of Fine Arts, and New York Historical Society.
She is the founder of Women Street Photographers, an online and in-person global community, as well as an artist residency in New York City. Additionally, she is the author of the best-selling book 'Women Street Photographers' (2021, Prestel) and a portfolio book ‘Daydreaming’ (2023, Peanut Press). With her vast experience and expertise, Gulnara has organized and curated over 30 successful exhibitions in four continents, including the groundbreaking Women Street Photographers and Leica Women Foto Project Festival in New York City. This three-day event features group and solo exhibitions, grants, panel discussions, seminars, talks and photo walks. In addition to her curatorial work, Gulnara is also an inspirational speaker, guest judge (Lens Culture, Lucie Photo Book Prize, UNESCO) and portfolio reviewer ( Arles Les Rencontres de la Photographie and PhotoNola).
Hideko Kataoka is a photo editor and curator.
Hideko was appointed director of photography at Newsweek Japan in 2001. As such, she oversees and directs photography for the magazine's printed and digital editions and special issues. In 2004, she created the 'Picture Power' section, a weekly photo essay that captures underreported topics from around the world.
Hideko has been a lecturer in photojournalism and documentary photography at Tokyo Polytechnic University since 2013 and a member of the External Review Committee at Tokyo Photographic Art Museum since 2016. She participates in portfolio reviews and has served as a juror at international photography festivals and competitions, such as World Press Photo, FotoFest, and many others. She is also the founder and director of Miiraii Creative.
Johanna has worked with books and photography at Thames & Hudson for more than 35 years in various roles including book and book cover designer, picture editor, art director, Design Director leading the substantial in-house design team and as a commissioning editor for various photography and popular culture titles.
Some of her favourite commissioned titles for Thames & Hudson include Street Photography Now by Sophie Howarth and Stephen McLaren, Made in Dublin by Eamonn Doyle, the sadly out of print but highly sought-after Cardiff by Dark by Maciej Dakowicz, and Hong Kong Front Door Back Door by Michael Wolf. A book of her own street photography Columbia Road (in the UK) After the Flower Market (in the USA) was published by Hoxton Mini-Press.
When not making books or helping others do the same, Johanna is an active member of the photography and design community, being one of the original founders of Offspring Photo Meet: London’s Portfolio Reviews and festival. She has been a judge for the Sony World Photography Awards. A juror for D&AD Next Photographer, and also Head of the Jury for book design. She has reviewed portfolios at numerous international photo festivals including Houston FotoFest, Fotografiska Stockholm, Format International Photography Festival, Derby and Arles Rencontres.
Jim Casper is the editor-in-chief of LensCulture, one of the leading online destinations to discover new contemporary photography from around the world. As an active member in the contemporary photography world, Casper loves to meet with photographers and talk about photography. He curates art exhibitions, publishes books, conducts workshops, serves as an international juror, nominates photographers for key awards, and is an advisor to arts and education organizations.
Winning photographers will be exhibited in London
All winning photographers will be exhibited at Photo London 2025, a photography fair which brings together the world's leading galleries, publishers and collectors, as well as an ambitious program of exhibitions, conversations, artist book signings and curated fair events. The top 10 winners will be featured with prints in the group show, and all other winning work will be presented on a large digital display.
An opening reception will be held for LensCulture artists, invited media, photo editors and industry insiders for a night of art appreciation and networking during London’s largest international art fair dedicated to photography.
Forget everything you’ve learned on the subject of photography for the moment, and just shoot. Take photographs – of anything and everything, whatever catches your eye. Don’t pause to think.”
More Awards & Benefits
Winning Series Published on LensCulture
Top Series winners will have their work published on LensCulture, benefiting from the platform’s engagement with a global audience. Our features provide significant, ongoing exposure for your work, leveraging LensCulture’s high search rankings and site traffic.
Featured at International Photo Festivals
Winning works will be screened at photo festivals and events worldwide. In the past, our winners, finalists, and jurors’ picks were screened at festivals in the US, the UK, Italy, France, Spain, Japan, The Netherlands, Australia, Malaysia, Hungary, Serbia, and more.
Visibility With Industry Insiders & Creative Professionals
All it takes is one set of eyes to change the course of your career. If our jury ranks your submission highly, you will be included in LensCulture Discoveries, our directory of top-rated photographers. We provide this directory to key decision-makers including editors, book publishers, gallery owners, festival directors, creative directors, curators, and online media publishers.
Permanent Exhibition in LensCulture Online Gallery
LensCulture has become a key resource for discovering new photography work all over the world. All winners, finalists and jurors’ picks for this award will be prominently featured in the permanent online gallery on our site.
International Press Exposure
Award winners receive press coverage in publications and media outlets around the world — the kind of exposure that can lead to viral, global recognition of your work. Winners, finalists and selected entrants have been featured in major publications including BBC, The Guardian, The Washington Post, Internazionale, VICE, The Times of London, Huffington Post, Spiegel Online, The British Journal of Photography, and The Telegraph.
Be sure to check out our latest feature in The Guardian, a beautiful image gallery sharing the work of the 2022 LensCulture Street Photography Award winners with the world.
Cash Awards & Recognition
Series Prize Winners
1ST PLACE - $3,500
2ND PLACE - $2,000
3RD PLACE - $1,000
Single Image Prize Winners
1ST PLACE - $2,000
2ND PLACE - $1,000
3RD PLACE - $500
Jurors’ Picks
Each juror will select an individual Juror’s Pick to receive special distinction, including quotes from the experts praising each of the selected series or single images.
25 Finalists
25 Finalists and their work will be highlighted and featured on the winners’ page, and in the worldwide promotions, along with the Winners and Jurors’ Picks.
Benefits for All Who Enter
Benefits | 6 Winners | 8 Jurors’ picks | 25 Finalists | Editors‘ Picks(1) | Every Entrant |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
$10,000 in Cash Awards | ⬤ | ||||
Winning Series Published on LensCulture(2) | ⬤ | ||||
Photo Londo Exhibition | ⬤ | ⬤ | |||
Visibility with LensCulture Insiders | ⬤ | ⬤ | |||
Featured in International Photo Festival Projections | ⬤ | ⬤ | ⬤ | ||
International Press Exposure | ⬤ | ⬤ | ⬤ | ||
Massive Exposure to our Global Audience of 3 Million | ⬤ | ⬤ | ⬤ | ⬤ | |
LensCulture Portfolio Account(3) | ⬤ | ⬤ | ⬤ | ⬤ | ⬤ |
Opportunity to be in LensCulture Discoveries online directory of top-rated photographers(4) | ⬤ | ⬤ | ⬤ | ⬤ | ⬤ |
Share your Work with the Global Photography Community | ⬤ | ⬤ | ⬤ | ⬤ | ⬤ |
Opportunities for Immediate Exposure | ⬤ | ⬤ | ⬤ | ⬤ | ⬤ |
Submission Reviews
Enter 5+ single images or a series into this competition and you can add a professional written review of your submission for an additional $25. This is a unique opportunity to receive valuable and specific feedback on your work from one of our experienced industry professionals.
Free Entry — Open to All Photographers
LensCulture is committed to inclusion and accessibility. We stand by our mission to discover the most imaginative, creative photographers in the world regardless of location, age, race, socioeconomic background, or experience level. In order to make our platform as accessible as possible we’re proud to offer FREE ENTRY for any photographer submitting a SINGLE IMAGE entry for this award.
Free
$35 USD
$45 USD
Are you currently an enrolled student?
Get a 30% discount on your entry fee. Start your submission and select the option to register as a student. Your discount will then be automatically applied to your entry.
Note on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Photography
For the purpose of this award, LensCulture will not accept any purely AI-generated work. It is acceptable to modify and edit your own original photography using AI tools, but you must clearly indicate in your project statement how you have applied AI to your submission, and the extent of the modifications. All awards will be given at the discretion of the jury. Learn More.
Be persistent.
Many successful photographers enter the same work in several competitions before they finally win. This is an effective strategy to have your work seen by many different jurors and build your career. Persistence is the key to getting your work seen by influential experts worldwide - it only takes one person to make a positive impact on your creative journey!
Success Stories
For 20 years, LensCulture has been committed to supporting photographers of all levels move forward creatively and professionally. In that time, we have heard from hundreds of photographers who were able to achieve breakthroughs in their careers through participation in the LensCulture community.