Our Competitions
Our competitions are some of the very best in the world, and there's more to come... Join the communityCompete & repeat
With a judging team consisting of highly skilled, respected and influential photographers who are all qualified to the highest level through our accreditation programme, our two competition cycles that run each year offer something for everyone.
Regardless of genre, our competitions are a place for the very best of your above-professional-standard work to rise to the top and sit as titled pieces of work. This, as we’re sure you already know, is marketing gold.
Most who enter do so to compete with themselves, bettering their skill and scores over time to develop into skilled craftspeople who can create incredible works on a regular basis. Whether you choose to enter one of the two cycles or both, you’ll be in good company.
Our competitions are explained in brief below:
Monthly International Digital Competition
New from 2024, the monthly competition runs for 10 months each year and aims to balance consistency and exceptional professional work across our photographers. Every member can enter 1 image per month free of charge. Additional entries are available if desired.
Each member competes for points to achieve the award of Photographer of the Year in this digital-only competition, presented at the Annual Awards Evening.
Every month, results are released with images scored to sit in three recognised categories Bronze, Silver and Gold, which are supplied badges for marketing purposes, a sample of these can be seen below.
Entering the monthly competition is a good way to get your images in front of the WPC selection team, who select our UK team for the World Photographic Cup.
Annual International Print Competition
The international competition is a significant event each year and is open to all BIPP members and non-members worldwide. The culmination is a 20×16 print competition but the competition is divided into two rounds:
- The first round is a digital submission, and
- The second round is a print submission
The first round submissions are assessed by a panel of experts, and the selected entries move onto the second round. In the second round, participants are required to submit a printed version of their work, which is judged by the same panel.
The winners are announced at the BIPP annual awards evening where the winning images for the categories and overall are titled as Photograph of the Year. The event is an excellent opportunity for photographers to showcase their work, gain recognition, and network with other professionals in the industry.
Please note: As is standard in the industry, an entrant is only “award-winning” when they are delivered a title ending in “of the Year”. For example, Photographer of the Year or Photograph of the Year. Monthly result badges are recognitions of the standard of work seen and are counted towards titles given in the annual ceremony.
Our competition-based benefits
If we narrow in our sights on the member benefits from our competitions, the list is below:
For Competition & Success
A range of benefits which exist for your social connections, community vibe and people to people interaction.
World Photographic Cup
The BIPP puts forward a British team through a selection process which is influenced by the results of the Monthly Digital Competition. To be visible for selection to the British team, entering the monthly competition is a great start.
FEP Membership
As a BIPP member, you also gain a membership with the Federation of European Photographers, providing even more benefits and ties to the wider international community.
The Annual Awards Ceremony
Held in the United Kingdom, the annual event is not one to miss. Our annual awards ceremony paired with talks and seminars, an exhibition and judges feedback – it’s not one to miss.
Mentoring
A cornerstone of the membership, any member can request mentoring from some of the very best photographers operating within their niche, or they can request un-linked mentors for a new perspective. All qualifications usually begin with mentoring.