Siena International Photo Awards 2027 (SIPA)

The Siena International Photo Awards (SIPA) are an annual photography competition based in Siena, Italy, open to professional and amateur photographers worldwide. The 2027 edition has ten categories, from travel and portraits to photojournalism, street photography, storytelling and short documentary film. Winners are honoured at a ceremony in Siena and exhibited during the Siena Awards Festival. Entries close on 7 January 2027.

The same organisers run the Creative Photo Awards and the Drone Photo Awards, each with its own entry period.

Categories

Single images:

• Journeys & Adventures
• Fascinating Faces and Characters
• The Beauty of Nature
• Animals in their Environment
• Underwater Life
• Sports in Action
• Documentary & Photojournalism
• Street Photography

Series and film:

• Storytelling: a story of 5–9 images, judged in three sections: General News, Daily Life and Contemporary Issues, and Nature and Conservation Issues
• Short Documentary Film: films of up to five minutes, in genres such as photojournalism, sport, daily life, travel and wildlife

Who Can Enter the Siena International Photo Awards?

Professional and amateur photographers of any nationality. You must own the copyright, and every person shown must have agreed to be portrayed. It suits:

• Travel, portrait and street photographers
• Photojournalists and documentary storytellers
• Nature, wildlife and underwater photographers
• Filmmakers making short documentaries

Fees

The official site invites photographers to enter for free. Any fees for further images or categories are shown in the online entry system before you pay, so check them when you register.

Prizes and Exhibition

Winners receive the Pangea Prize crystal statuette, presented only to those attending the ceremony in Siena. The winning images are shown in the group exhibition "People Sharing All the World" during the festival and may join travelling exhibitions. Selected images appear in the "Beyond the Lens" book series.

Editing and AI Rules

Optimising images is allowed: slight crops, brightness, contrast and colour adjustments, and removing dust spots. Key elements of the composition cannot be added or removed, and jurors can reject images they consider over-manipulated. Finalists must provide RAW or original camera files. AI-generated images are not accepted.

Rights

Photographers keep the copyright. The organisers can use entered images free of charge to promote the competition and festival, including catalogues, websites and official merchandise, always with a credit.

Choosing Your Category

Each category has its own focus, so read the descriptions before you upload. Journeys & Adventures looks for the discoveries and experiences of travel, while Fascinating Faces and Characters asks for people shown in the context of their lives and cultures. Animals in their Environment favours wildlife that conveys a sense of place rather than close-up portraits. Documentary & Photojournalism covers news and social issues in single images, and Storytelling suits a sequence that builds a narrative over five to nine photographs. If an image could fit two categories, enter it where its strongest quality will be judged: its story, its subject or its setting. Short documentary films should tell a complete story in five minutes or less.

Before You Enter

Keep your original camera files safe, as finalists must send RAW or original files. Remember that the prize is presented only at the ceremony in Siena, so consider whether you could travel to Italy in October if you win.

Things to Consider

• Ceremony attendance needed to collect the prize.
• RAW files required from finalists.
• Promotional use of entries.
• Deadline: 7 January 2027.

Enter the Awards

Ready to send your best images to Siena?

Enter the Siena International Photo Awards

Categories, rules and the entry system are on the official website.

Looking for more open calls? Browse all competitions and opportunities on Good Stuff Weekly.

Last verified: November 3, 2026