The 16th edition of the international photo contest URBAN Photo Awards is here!

The international photography contest URBAN Photo Awards returns for its sixteenth edition:

URBAN Photo Awards is an international contest that takes place from the beginning of April to the end of May and culminates in the last weekend of October, through its concluding event: Trieste Photo Days, where cultural events and artists from all over the continent converge. This year, Trieste Photo Days will be held from October 24th to 26th.

URBAN Photo Awards returns in 2025 as an international platform for photographers; each edition welcomes world-renowned authors as judges and special guests.  It is one of the few contests able to cross the boundaries of the web and offer participants real visibility: URBAN is committed to discovering talent and promoting photographic quality, giving professionals and enthusiasts the opportunity to emerge on an international scene. 

Having become an international competition in constant expansion, the contest attracts thousands of participants every year and collects tens of thousands of photographs in competition.

The first important names in the judging commission for 2025 have already been confirmed, and they can’t wait to see your work! The President will be Matt Black (documentary photographer, member of the Magnum Photos agency), followed by Paolo Verzone (member of the VU Photo Agency, known for long-term documentary photography projects) and Denis Curti (artistic director of Le Stanze della Fotografia in Venice and photography critic for the pages of Corriere della Sera). They will be responsible for evaluating the Projects & Portfolios, Single Photos, and projects intended for the Book Award, respectively.

 The curtain rises on our international photography competition, ready to celebrate the beauty and diversity of photography. As usual, there are several categories in which photographers can enter their work.

 Among the categories of the photography competition, there are some sections of particular prestige, such as Projects & Portfolios, Book Award, and Urban Photo Arena; the latter reserved for young photographers under 35 years of age: it represents an opportunity to showcase their talent, and the event also offers networking opportunities, making it the perfect occasion to gain visibility.The Projects & Portfolios section is for photographers who want to present a series of photos on a single theme, creating a structured photographic project with a coherent visual narrative. Portfolios must demonstrate the photographer’s ability to tell a story through a sequence of images, where each image adds value to the narrative and integrates with the others.

Of great significance is also the URBAN Press Award, which will recognize a photographer chosen from the Projects & Portfolio section. The winner will have the opportunity to be published by the best photography press and magazines worldwide, such as Cuartoscuro (Mexico), Il Fotografo (Italy), OPENEYE (France), FOTO cult (Italy), Street Photography Magazine (USA), and Art Doc Photography Magazine, among many others, thus receiving international recognition, branding and promotion opportunities.

 Special Prize “Gaze on Existence”

This special section, in honor of the jury president Matt Black and his distinctive documentary photography. The section will be open to Projects/ Portfolios intended to be part of a prestigious exhibition curated by Matt Black himself. The exhibition will include 3-5 portfolios selected by him, along with one of his prestigious projects, and will be presented at Trieste Photo Days 2025.

There are many prizes to be won, not only for the Winners, but also for HonorableMentions and Remarkable Rewards. Among the participants in the four categories that make up the Single Photo section, an overall winner will be chosen, who will be awarded the title of Photographer of the Year 2025 and our most prestigious prizes.

Also this year, the “Early Birds” promotion is active for Single Photos, Projects and Portfolios, Book Award, and the Gaze of Existence Special Prize, valid for those who register from April 4th to April 30th, 2025. 

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