2025 Portrait Award

Win $2700 Cash Awards & International Exposure

Can you tell a story with a single glance? – in May, we invite all photographers to share portraits that narrate compelling tales, whether captured in the controlled environment of a studio, the vibrant chaos of the street, or the rich landscapes of travel.

Win $2700 in Cash Prizes
International Exhibition
+870k Instagram Feature
Free Online Portfolio

Deadline: May 31, 2025

Submit Photos

color portrait of a young Irish traveller boy and his rooster by Bob Newman

color portrait of a young girl in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India by Ronan Buckley

color fashion studio portrait of man by Petra W. Barathova

color portrait of nenet girl in yamal peninsula by Alessandro Malaguti

color portrait photo of mother and daughter in Tibet by Mikael Wardhana. People Award

color portrait of a young boy with sky reflection by Junko Akita

color close up portrait of young girl with freckles by Elina Nova

color fashion studio portrait of a male model by Carly Zavala

Portrait of two Nenets children, two little Nenets by Alessio Pannini

black and white fashion studio portrait by François-Xavier Pelissier

Portrait of man in India by Enzo Mistretta

color landscape and portrait photo of a nomadic woman in Ladakh region, India by Wasim Malik

color portrait photo of Tibetan monk by Peter Aronson

1 Contact Information

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1 IMAGE

($15 per image)

$15

3 IMAGES

($10 per image)

$30

6 IMAGES BEST VALUE

($6.7 per image)

$40

2025 Portrait Award

Judge

color portrait photo of photographer Luisa Dörr

Luisa Dörr

Brazilian portrait photographer

Prizes

1^st Prize

$1000
2^nd Prize

$600
3^rd Prize

$400
All 7 finalists

$100

Exhibition

London, United KingdomUK

Exposure

+870K Instagram
+180K Facebook

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• 1500 pixels (minimum on longest side).
• 6 MB maximum.

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Question or problem?
Contact our team: support@independent-photo.com

“I have followed The Independent Photographer for a while and have always found it to be such great inspiration, it feels incredible to be on it myself. This is all very exciting!”

Tessla Stuckey, 1st Prize, Open Call Award
"My experience with TIP has mainly been one of learning. The feedback received upon being shortlisted in the finalists and editor's picks over the years, gives valuable insight into your own work."

Vikram Kushwah, 3rd Prize, Color Award
"It was an honor to be selected as competition winner. I really appreciated the judge’s comments and the way all photographs are displayed on the website."

Madoka Ikegami, 1st Prize, People Award
“The work selected for the various themes and featured on the website is outstanding. Uploading images to the competition was very straightforward and took no time at all.”

Gabriele Casini, 1st Prize, B&W Award
"I am beyond grateful for this opportunity, thank you all so much for including me in your amazing platform, exhibition, book. It is extremely encouraging to say the least.”

Giulia Savorelli, 2nd Prize, Color Award
"I was very impressed by the professionalism and quality of The Independent Photographer. I am excited to see the next talents from all upcoming competitions."

Catherine Matthys, 1st Prize, Travel Award
"Each competition shows a beautiful gallery of talent and work, artfully selecting worthy images in each category. The judge's honest and well-worded critique was a truly welcomed prize."

Conrad Golovac, 3rd Prize, Emerging Talent
"TIP provides a platform viewed by many industry experts allowing your work to be seen by all kinds of publications. Their social media promotion is excellent and their reward payment service is efficiently prompt."

Justin Keene, 3rd Prize, Portrait Award
"The submit process was easy and smooth. The feedback from the judge was spot on and thoughtful. On top of that, the prize money helped me to expand further my work. Thank you!"

Alessandra D'Innella, 1st Prize, Color Award
“This achievement is a significant milestone in my career. Winning this competition, judged by Steven McCurry, is a surreal moment that will forever be etched in my life's journey.Thank you once again for this incredible honor."

Shyjth Onden Cheriyath, 3rd Prize, Travel Award
"It was an honor to be chosen as winner. The prize money will allow the purchase the printer & scanner that I've been wanting. This opportunity has not only given me exposure, but it has allowed me to continue to work. Thank you."

Marcus Maddox, 1st prize, Open Call Award
“It was an honour for me to win the competition. It helps during periods when I doubt my artistry and it provided motivation to continue photographing.”

Martina Holmberg, 1st Prize, B&W Award

4.7 on Trustpilot

CASH PRIZES & GLOBAL EXPOSURE

$2,700 CASH AWARDS EVERY MONTH. Fuel Your Passion: Each month, winners and finalists collectively receive $2700 in cash to help support their creative journey. To date, our competition has granted over $200,000 in awards, helping the careers of +230 international photographers.

FREE PORTFOLIO FOR ALL PARTICIPANTS. Craft Your Portfolio: Create your own permanent, fully editable portfolio hosted directly on The Independent Photographer. Upload, organize, and showcase your photos effortlessly with your personalized mini website - No coding skills required!

DIRECT EXPOSURE & GLOBAL VISIBILITY Global Recognition: Winners, finalists, and editors' picks will showcase their talent to the world through our extensive social media presence and renowned magazine. Winners will take center stage at our London exhibition, attended by enthusiasts from across the globe.

Win $2700 Cash Awards & International Exposure

1 Contact Information

2 Select Option

3 Upload Photos

“I have followed The Independent Photographer for a while and have always found it to be such great inspiration, it feels incredible to be on it myself. This is all very exciting!”

Tessla Stuckey, 1st Prize, Open Call Award

"My experience with TIP has mainly been one of learning. The feedback received upon being shortlisted in the finalists and editor's picks over the years, gives valuable insight into your own work."

Vikram Kushwah, 3rd Prize, Color Award

"It was an honor to be selected as competition winner. I really appreciated the judge’s comments and the way all photographs are displayed on the website."

Madoka Ikegami, 1st Prize, People Award

“The work selected for the various themes and featured on the website is outstanding. Uploading images to the competition was very straightforward and took no time at all.”

Gabriele Casini, 1st Prize, B&W Award

"I am beyond grateful for this opportunity, thank you all so much for including me in your amazing platform, exhibition, book. It is extremely encouraging to say the least.”

Giulia Savorelli, 2nd Prize, Color Award

"I was very impressed by the professionalism and quality of The Independent Photographer. I am excited to see the next talents from all upcoming competitions."

Catherine Matthys, 1st Prize, Travel Award

"Each competition shows a beautiful gallery of talent and work, artfully selecting worthy images in each category. The judge's honest and well-worded critique was a truly welcomed prize."

Conrad Golovac, 3rd Prize, Emerging Talent

"TIP provides a platform viewed by many industry experts allowing your work to be seen by all kinds of publications. Their social media promotion is excellent and their reward payment service is efficiently prompt."

Justin Keene, 3rd Prize, Portrait Award

"The submit process was easy and smooth. The feedback from the judge was spot on and thoughtful. On top of that, the prize money helped me to expand further my work. Thank you!"

Alessandra D'Innella, 1st Prize, Color Award

“This achievement is a significant milestone in my career. Winning this competition, judged by Steven McCurry, is a surreal moment that will forever be etched in my life's journey.Thank you once again for this incredible honor."

Shyjth Onden Cheriyath, 3rd Prize, Travel Award

"It was an honor to be chosen as winner. The prize money will allow the purchase the printer & scanner that I've been wanting. This opportunity has not only given me exposure, but it has allowed me to continue to work. Thank you."

Marcus Maddox, 1st prize, Open Call Award

“It was an honour for me to win the competition. It helps during periods when I doubt my artistry and it provided motivation to continue photographing.”

Martina Holmberg, 1st Prize, B&W Award

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