Submissions open until February 6, 2026
Always aiming to showcase and promote the work of photographers and photojournalists and to familiarize the public with contemporary photojournalism and its contribution when history is being written, APW contributes in its own way to encouraging and elevating photographers’ work and supporting their ability to remain dedicated to their craft and vision.
The judge will change every year. For 2026, the acclaimed sports photographer Angelos Zymaras will evaluate and select the best sports photograph.
Interested participants are invited to submit up to three (3) sports photographs, together with a caption and a short biography, to info@apw.gr
Submission of entries opened on Tuesday, January 20, and ends on Friday, December 6 at 23:59 (Greece time).
The winner will be announced on Sunday, March 1, during the Athens Photo World Awards ceremony, as part of the two‑day digital projections at Technopolis of the City of Athens.
Participation in the competition for the Athens Photo World 2026 Sports Photography Award is free of charge.
Athens Photo World 2026 Sports Photography Award
The competition is open to photographers and photojournalists who live and work in Greece and/or Cyprus, regardless of nationality or other criteria, except for members of the APW organizing team, interns, external collaborators, sponsors, or immediate family members of any of the above.
IMPORTANT: The photographer’s name must appear in the initial submission email BUT MUST NOT appear in the file name, the caption, or any other information related to the submitted photographs.
Participants may submit up to three sports photographs produced in Greece (domestic and international events hosted in Greece) or abroad, depicting any sport or sports‑related daily-life moment, taken between January and December 2025.
The photograph must be an original creation and not a composite. Only single‑exposure, single‑frame images will be accepted. Multiple exposures, diptychs/triptychs, stitched panoramas, or images produced either in-camera or through editing software will not be accepted.
By participating, photographers guarantee that they are the rightful copyright holders of the submitted photographs and possess all rights arising from their intellectual property.
If requested, the participant must certify and guarantee that the submitted photographs do not violate any third‑party rights or intellectual property. In case of a proven copyright dispute between the participant and a third party, the submission will be considered invalid.
APW is not responsible for any copyright infringements that may arise from the submission of photographs.
Captions may be written in Greek and/or English.
Submitted files must be at least 2000 pixels on the long edge.
If the work is shortlisted for the final round, RAW files may be requested.
Photographs embedded in PDF or Word files will not be accepted.
To facilitate the submission process, sending files via SwissTransfer or WeTransfer is recommended.
After the submission deadline on Friday, December 6, 2026, at 23:59 Athens time (21:59 GMT), eligible photographs will be judged based on their relevance to the competition’s purpose through clarity of message, composition, and overall presentation.
The jury’s decision is final.
Any attempt by a participant to influence the result or undermine the competition will result in immediate disqualification.
If it becomes impossible to contact a participant despite reasonable efforts, APW reserves the right to award the prize to the next best submission.
By submitting photographs to APW competitions, participants agree to grant APW the right to use the photographs free of charge exclusively for promoting the competition across all media, social platforms, and press releases. APW guarantees to credit the selected photographer by full name whenever their work is used in promotional material.
APW reserves the right to modify or cancel the competition, or any of its arrangements, schedules, plans, or matters directly or indirectly related to it, at any time if extreme circumstances (e.g., earthquake, war, terrorist attack, pandemic) necessitate such a decision.
Personal information provided to APW by participants will be used exclusively for the purposes of this competition.
All participants have the right to access, delete, object to, or correct their personal data (such as names, addresses, etc.) by modifying their submission at any time.
Participation in the competition does not in any way constitute endorsement or support by APW of the participants’ views or objectives. Candidates must not advertise or otherwise claim such endorsement or support.
The name and logo of APW are the property of APW and may not be used in any way without prior consent from APW .
Any statement, advertisement, press release, or similar communication in any medium relating to a participant’s involvement in the competition must be approved in writing by APW.
