Mastering photography can significantly benefit students when applying to top U.S. high schools and universities. If you can showcase your innovative thinking and artistic vision to admissions officers, your application will stand out. The academic world also recognizes many photography competitions. For example, the well-known Scholastic Art & Writing Awards includes photography as a separate category in its art competition, and its awards are highly prestigious.
Scholastic Art & Writing Awards
The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards welcomes students in grades 7-12 (ages 13 and above) to participate. The high school award symbolizes the pursuit of excellence and will help students stand out in university and scholarship applications.
Deadline: Submission deadlines for the competition vary by region, ranging from December 2024 to January 2025. To help students locate their deadlines, we’ve compiled an overview of the submission deadlines by popular states and regions across the U.S. and Canada for both art and writing categories.
Below are the requirements for the Photography category:
- Description: Images captured by either an analog or digital camera.
- Submission Requirements: Black and white photographs, color photographs, digital or analog photographs, photograms, other experimental photography, etc., are all accepted.
- Entry Requirements: Students can submit up to 16 works.
- Work type: 2D Work (Height x Width)
Official Website:
https://www.artandwriting.org/awards/
Sony World Photography Awards – Youth Category
The World Photography Organisation is a leading global platform dedicated to developing and promoting the culture of photography.One of its major projects is the Sony World Photography Awards, established in 2007. This competition is one of the world’s largest and most prestigious photography contests, attracting thousands of visitors to its global exhibitions each year.
Sony World Photography Awards Youth Competition invites young photographers from 12 to 19 years old to submit photographs for monthly changing themes, such as Composition and design, Culture and travel, Landscape, Open Call, Portraits, Street Photography, and Wildlife and nature. Photographers can submit up to 3 images per month. The winner will receive Sony digital imaging equipment, and recognition on Sony platforms.
The Youth Competition is a special category within the awards.
Medium: Photographs, submitted as digital files. Participants can submit up to 3 free images related to the competition theme.
Competition Timeline: June 1, 2024 – January 3, 2025
Competition Website: https://www.worldphoto.org/sony-world-photography-awards/youth
Rocky Mountain School of Photography High School Photo Contest
The Rocky Mountain School of Photography hosts an annual High School Photo Contest for young photographers. It is regarded as one of the best photography competitions exclusively for high school students in the U.S.
Eligibility: Open to high school students aged 14-18 residing in the United States or Canada.
Deadline: Starting January 1, 2025
Official Website: https://www.rmsp.com/photo-contest
Regardless of your skill level, these competitions are a great opportunity for high school students to showcase their talent and passion for photography!
