RPS International Photography Exhibition 168

The International Photography Exhibition is the world’s longest-running contemporary photography exhibition. Photographers and image-makers, of all ages, can submit their work to the RPS International Photography Exhibition.

Submissions are encouraged from new, emerging and established photographers worldwide. If you would like to be kept informed about the open call for the 168th edition of the International Photography Exhibition please subscribe to our RPS newsletter.

Peters_Kate_PaulinaLenoir_Cloud — **CREDIT:** Kate Peters

Call for Entries / IPE 168

Photographers and image-makers, of all ages, can submit their work to the RPS International Photography Exhibition. Submissions are encouraged from new, emerging and established photographers worldwide.

The IPE presents a unique opportunity to exhibit in a Royal Photographic Society group touring exhibition around nationwide venues, alongside a prize fund to support future photographic projects.

Exhibition selection is anonymous throughout, including the award recipients, with a changing guest selection panel for each edition. The process is both rigorous and fair, where digital image and print work form part of the selection process. Each IPE edition is a unique celebration of photography today.

The information on this page includes all you need to know to submit your work to the International Photography Exhibition, including details of our Awards, key dates and an extensive FAQs.

Call for entry for the International Photography Exhibition is open until 15 December 2026

Submit your images online

The RPS International Photography Exhibition is supported by

Yuan_Tianhu_Raffles City and Qiansimen Bridge — **CREDIT:** Tianhu Yuan

Entry Overview

Entry Information & FAQ's

1. Anyone of any age can submit their images to the IPE - this includes student, amateur, professional and non-professional photographers and image-makers worldwide.

2. The IPE is an open-call exhibition; therefore all subjects and approaches can be submitted, including alternative photographic processes and experimental work. There are no predefined categories, allowing for a completely open submission. Read our FAQs for details on artwork size.

Entrants can submit four images from a series of work or four single images. One free single image entry is available to everyone.

3. Register online to submit your images. After the closing date, 15 December 2026, the online selection takes place and all shortlisted entrants are invited to submit prints for the final stage of selection. Entrants remain anonymous throughout the online and print selection process.

Enter your images

Duffield_Thomas_Poppy — **CREDIT:** Thomas Duffield

Entry Guide & FAQs

Please find a step-by-step guide on submitting your images to the International Photography Exhibition and a list of frequently asked questions.

CONTACT US
For further enquiries contact the
Exhibitions Team

IPE 168 How to Enter & FAQs

Hay_Mat_Felipe Barrera Aguirre, traditional Chinampero farmer and agroecology teacher — **CREDIT:** Mat Hay

Key Dates & Submission Fee

Early-bird prize draw deadline:
Monday 19 October 2026

Closing date for entries:
Tuesday 15 December 2026

All entries must be finalised and submitted on the submission site Wednesday 16 December 2026

The International Photography Exhibition presents an opportunity to exhibit in the world's longest running photography exhibition. You will also be eligible for several significant awards:

1. IPE Award / £1000 and 1-year free membership to the RPS

2. Under 30s Award / £1000 and 1-year free membership to the RPS

3. Exhibition Tour / 100 photographs will be selected for the touring exhibition at RPS partnering venues

4. Solo Exhibition / 2-week solo exhibition at RPS partnering venues, awarded by the RPS. The RPS will support the selected photographer to develop and deliver the exhibition.

5. RPS Journal Features / Four opportunities for a photographer to feature in the award-winning RPS Journal, selected by the Editor

6. Selectors Spotlight / Five photographers will receive a statement by one of the guest selectors about why they selected the work. This will be included in the exhibition

7. IPE Journal Edition / All selected photographers will receive a digital copy of the IPE edition of the award-winning RPS Journal

8. International Recognition / Shortlisted photographers will be celebrated across our online and digital channels, including opportunities for Instagram take-overs

9. Digital Spotlight / We will share stand-out entries during the entry period across RPS digital channels

Bruno_Jasmine_Untitled I — **CREDIT:** Jasmine Bruno

Exhibition's History

The International Photography Exhibition has been held almost every year since 1854 and is the longest running exhibition of its kind in the world.

In the early years, the exhibition included work from some of the world's most eminent photographers including Julia Margaret Cameron, Roger Fenton, Edward Steichen and Paul Strand.

King_Chantel_andO’Hanlon_Jo_Synthesis 01. — **CREDIT:** Chantel King & Jo O’Hanlon

Inspiration from the archives

The IPE is selected from an open-call. This means that images across all genres, using different types, processes, and experimental techniques can be submitted.

Explore the collection from recent editions and be inspired to enter your work.

IPE 167 Inspiration Gallery

31974 78103 7 — **CREDIT:** Brendan Barry

IPE 167 Shortlist Announcement

With over 10,000 images submitted to the International Photography Exhibition 167 open call in 2025, we are delighted to announce the 318 shortlisted international photographers.

The guest selection panel shortlisted images from photographers in 41 countries.

Congratulations to all of the photographers shortlisted and we would like to wish them all luck in the next stage of the selection process.

Discover the shortlisted photographers and view a selection of the shortlisted images.

IPE 167 Shortlist

“My heart leapt and my eyes filled with tears upon reading my acceptance to the exhibition and receiving the IPE 167 Award. I am deeply honored and thrilled, thank you.”

Marcy Palmer is an American artist whose work explores themes of beauty, history, and social justice through the lens of nature and science. Marcy has an M.F.A. in Photography & Related Media from the School of Visual Arts and a B.S. in Studio Art from Skidmore College. Her work has been shown in various spaces in the US and internationally.

@marcy_palmer/ | marcypalmer.com

View Marcy Palmer award series

“I feel deeply grateful to receive this award. The RPS’s supportive and inspiring community has helped my work reach and be appreciated by a wider audience, which is more than I could have dreamed of. I am truly excited to see where this award will lead me, and how it will continue to fuel my creative journey.”

Léa Chen is a Taiwanese artist who is currently based in London. Focusing on the female perspective, her work explores themes of self-identity, memory, and trauma through personal experience.

Often seeking inspiration in nature, Chen’s work further investigates the intimate bond between humans and the land, while challenging social and cultural issues that are often left unspoken in society.

@takenbyleachen | leachenart.com

View Léa Chens awarded series

"It is a huge honour to have my work selected for the RPS IPE 166. I am deeply humbled and very grateful to receive the IPE Award, and so excited to exhibit Fugue in the company of wonderful photographers. I am profoundly moved to know that this project, which began so quietly and privately, has resonated with the esteemed jury, and that it will have the opportunity to be seen by others who might also connect to its themes. To have my work recognised and seen within the rich context and history of the RPS is a very great privilege."

Lydia Goldblatt is a British photographic artist. Her work has been widely exhibited, including the National Portrait Gallery, Somerset House London, the National Museum Gdansk and the GoEun Museum of Photography. Her first book, Still Here, is held in the collection of the V&A Museum National Art Library. Her second book, Fugue, has been published by GOST Books in 2024.

@lydiagoldblatt | lydiagoldblatt

View Lydia Goldblatt's series

" I am honoured to be named one of the two award winners at this year’s RPS International Photography Exhibition. This recognition from such a prestigious institution marks a significant milestone in my photographic journey. It’s a joy to see the series being appreciated and celebrated. Thanks to all the judges.”

Keerthana Kunnath is a visual artist based between London and India. Engaging with the visual
rhetoric of post-colonial Indian mainstream media, she deconstructs and reimagines narratives,
thereby challenging the entrenched societal norms. Kunnath’s work is deeply rooted in personal
and collective memories, exploring the intersections of intimacy, queerness, and community. Her
work is an investigation into the socio-cultural fabric, offering a lens into the intimate and the
universal, the personal and the political.

View Keerthana Kunnath awarded series

kee_kunnath | Keerthana Kunnath

"I feel highly honoured and deeply grateful to have been awarded the International Photography Exhibition Award. Also, I am grateful for the support and recognition from the RPS, which means so much to the project and myself. I am incredibly excited that a wider audience sees the pagoda and other oriental constructions."

Yuxing Chen, China

View Yuxing Chen awarded series