Food Photography Competition 2026 – Enter for Just £1

September 4, 2026 Colin Jones

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Showcase Your Culinary Artistry

Food isn’t just something we eat. It can be colourful, creative, beautiful, cultural and incredibly photogenic.

The Food Photography Competition 2026 celebrates the creativity, colour and artistry of food photography, and we’re looking for mouth-watering images that make viewers stop, look and perhaps even feel hungry!

From beautifully styled dishes and restaurant creations to fresh ingredients, drinks, desserts and imaginative food concepts, this is your opportunity to showcase your best food photography.

Whether you’re photographing for an editorial, creating images for a restaurant or food brand, capturing a beautifully prepared dish or simply experimenting with lighting, styling and composition, we want to see what you can create.

Make Food the Star

A great food photograph can transform a simple dish into something irresistible.

Think carefully about lighting, styling, colour, composition, textures and backgrounds to make your subject look as appealing as possible.

You don’t necessarily need an elaborate setup. Sometimes the simplest dish, photographed beautifully, can make the strongest image.

We’re looking for photographs that demonstrate creativity and make the food the star of the frame.

Food Photography Competition Ideas

There are countless ways to approach food photography, and we’re encouraging photographers to think creatively.

🌎 Flavours of the World

Celebrate the incredible diversity of international cuisine and traditional dishes from around the globe.

Think vibrant street food, family recipes, regional specialities and signature dishes from different cultures.

Your photograph could transport the viewer to another part of the world simply through the food on the plate.

🥕 From Farm to Table

Show the journey of food from its origins to the final dish.

This could include fresh ingredients, farmers’ markets, food production, growing and harvesting, sustainable farming or the transformation of raw ingredients into a finished meal.

Look beyond the plate and tell the story behind the food.

🍰 Sweet Delights

Desserts, pastries and confectionery offer endless opportunities for creative photography.

From colourful cakes and delicate pastries to chocolate, ice cream and beautifully presented desserts, show us your sweetest images.

Think about colour, texture, shape and detail — and make us want to reach through the screen!

👨‍🍳 Behind the Scenes

Food photography doesn’t always have to be about the finished dish.

Take us behind the scenes and capture the energy, action and skill involved in preparing a meal.

Chefs at work, food preparation, ingredients being prepared, busy kitchens and the tools of the trade can all make compelling photographic subjects.

💡 Think Creatively

Don’t be afraid to experiment.

Consider unusual angles, interesting compositions, dramatic lighting, contrasting textures and unexpected backgrounds.

Look for ways to give your photograph personality and make it stand out from the crowd.

The most memorable food photographs aren’t always the most conventional.

Enter the Food Photography Competition for Just £1

Entry to the Food Photography Competition is just £1 GBP per image.

You can enter as many images as you like, giving you the opportunity to showcase a selection of your best food photography.

Once you have completed the entry form, you’ll be guided to the payment option for additional images.

Whether you have one image you’re particularly proud of or a whole collection of food photographs, we’d love to see them.

Enter your best food photography and let your images do the talking.

Competition Prizes

🥇 Overall Winner

One year Free Digital Membership of any of our Societies.

The prize includes:

Entry to all of our membership-only competitions
Unrestricted access to our members’ photography forum
Access to our members-only Facebook group
A listing on our photographers’ directory
The opportunity to work towards qualifications and distinctions through submission of images
12 months of our online magazine, Professional Imagemaker

🥈 2nd Place

Six months Free Digital Membership of any of our Societies.

This includes access to membership-only competitions, the photography forum, members-only Facebook group, photographers’ directory and the opportunity to work towards qualifications and distinctions through image submissions.

🥉 3rd Place

Six months Free Digital Membership of any of our Societies, with the same membership benefits.

No cash alternatives will be given.

Who Can Enter?

The competition is open to all photographers.

You don’t need to be a professional food photographer to take part. Whether you’re an experienced commercial photographer, a food blogger, an enthusiast experimenting with lighting or simply someone who loves creating beautiful photographs of food, we’d love to see your work.

Food Photography Competition Rules

Before entering, please make sure your images meet the following requirements:

Enter as many images as you like.
The work must be that of the entrant.
Please state the competition name in the file or ZIP file name.
No entry will be eligible if it has been made under the supervision of an instructor or as a class assignment.
Images submitted must be no larger than 2000 pixels wide.
All entrants must be able to supply a high-resolution image at 300dpi.
No distinguishing marks may appear on the images.
Copyright remains with the photographer. The Society recognises that the entrant, as the author of the photograph, retains complete and full ownership of the copyright in each submission.
Entries can be used by The Societies for publicity purposes and may be included in our digital magazine, Professional Imagemaker, as well as other promotional activities.
The competition closes 30 November 2026.
The judge’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.

Ready to Make Us Hungry?

Whether your speciality is fine dining, street food, desserts, ingredients, drinks or something completely unexpected, we want to see your interpretation of food photography.

Enter the Food Photography Competition for just £1 per image and showcase your culinary artistry.

📅 Competition closes 30 November 2026.

👉 Enter now and show us your best food photography.