World Food Photography Awards 2027

The World Food Photography Awards 2027 celebrate photographs about food in the widest sense. That includes beautiful plates and studio still lifes, but also harvests and fishing boats, markets and street stalls, kitchens and family tables, drinks and vineyards, and the people who grow, cook and serve what we eat.

The competition has 25 categories, so it welcomes very different photographers: commercial food photographers and stylists, documentary and travel photographers, wedding photographers, mobile phone photographers and young people under 18. The overall winner receives £5,000, chosen from among the category winners as the single most striking image of the year.

Finalists are shown in an exhibition in central London at the Mall Galleries, with a selection at Fortnum & Mason on Piccadilly, and all finalists are invited to the awards evening. Several categories are linked to charities and organisations working on hunger and food security, such as the World Food Programme and UK for UNHCR.

Who Can Enter the World Food Photography Awards 2027?

Photographers anywhere in the world. Adults must be 18 or over; the Young category is for photographers aged 17 or under on the closing date. Organisers, their families, judges and sponsors cannot enter.

It is particularly relevant to:

• Commercial and editorial food photographers
• Food stylists
• Documentary, travel and agricultural photographers
• Wedding and event photographers
• Mobile phone photographers
• Photography students and young photographers under 18

What Can You Enter?

There are 25 categories in 2027. Most accept single images; Food Stylist and the M&S Food Rising Star are portfolio categories of five images.

The categories include:

• Food Portraiture
• Food at the Table
• Food for the Family
• Food for Celebration
• Food in Action
• Food in the Field
• Food for Sale
• Bring Home the Harvest
• Cream of the Crop
• Cake
• World of Drinks
• Louis Jadot Wine Photographer of the Year
• Wedding Food Photographer
• Women Photographers
• Food Influencer
• On the Phone
• Innovation
• Food Stylist
• M&S Food Rising Star
• World Food Programme Food for Life
• UK for UNHCR Food as Home
• James Beard Foundation Award
• Production Paradise
• A Feast of Flowers, a new one-year-only category
• RPS Student and Young (under 18)

Judges may move an image to a more suitable category.

Entry Fees

• Adults: £35 for up to six entries, then £7 per additional image
• On the Phone: £7 per image, of which £2 is donated to Action Against Hunger
• Food Stylist and M&S Food Rising Star: £35 per portfolio of five images
• Young (under 18): free, up to five entries
• RPS Student: free, up to five entries, for current or recent photography students

What Do Selected Entrants Receive?

• Overall winner: £5,000
• Louis Jadot Wine Photographer of the Year: £1,000
• Award for Innovation: a £1,400 bursary and a four-week residency
• Category winners: trophies and recognition at the awards evening
• Finalists: exhibition in London and an invitation to the awards evening

Winners of some categories, such as World of Drinks, Food Stylist, RPS Student and Young, cannot also be the overall winner.

Submission Requirements

File Specifications

• JPG/JPEG or PNG
• No more than 1,920 pixels on the longest side
• Up to 20 MB per upload
• No borders, watermarks, signatures or text on the image
• No photographer names or identifying details in file names

High-Resolution Files

Shortlisted photographers must supply high-resolution files suitable for printing at A2 size, often at short notice, so keep the originals easy to reach.

Important Rules

• Standard editing is allowed: exposure, contrast, white balance, saturation, sharpening, cropping, dust removal and similar adjustments.
• Focus stacking and exposure blending are allowed where category rules permit.
• Generative AI must not be used to create, replace, extend or reconstruct any part of the image, including generative fill and AI backgrounds.
• Images that were shortlisted in earlier editions, or that won Overall Winner in any previous competition, cannot be entered.
• Do not share your entered images on social media before the shortlist is published.
• You must have permission from any people shown in your images.
• Photographers keep their copyright and grant the organisers a licence to exhibit and publish the images.

When Will Entrants Be Notified?

Shortlisted photographers are contacted by email at the end of February 2027. The judges assess the shortlist in March, and the winners are announced at the awards evening on 18 May 2027. The judges' decisions are final.

Things to Consider

• Look beyond the plate. Categories about farming, markets, family meals and food security often produce the most memorable winners.
• Use the six-image bundle. At £35, spreading six images across categories is the best value.
• Check your file size. Images must be no larger than 1,920 pixels on the longest side.
• Stay off social media. Posting your entries before the shortlist can break the anonymity rule.
• Keep high-resolution files ready. If you are shortlisted, you need print-quality files quickly.
• Under 18 or a photography student? You can enter up to five images free.

Enter the Competition

Interested in submitting your work?

Enter the World Food Photography Awards 2027

For the complete category list, fees and terms, visit the official World Food Photography Awards website.

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

Last verified: October 2, 2026