The International Wedding Photographer of the Year Awards allows photographers from across the globe to showcase and enter their work in a wide variety of categories. When entering, the Photographer will select the category they believe best suits the image being entered. The image will be judged based on its merits within that category.
Important Dates
Early Bird Entries – 1st June – 30th August 2026 (11.59pm UTC-11)
Final Entires – 1st – 30th September 2026 (11.59pm UTC-11)
Finalists Announced – November (exact date tbc)
Winners Announced – Early December
Who Wins?
The 15 Highest scoring entries from each of the 11 Categories form the category finalists and will then be re-judged by the 6 judges as a new collection and the Winner of the International Wedding Photographer of the Year Awards will be the highest scoring image from those 165 entries.
The Runner Up will be the 2nd Highest scoring image from those 165 entries.
The Emerging Photographer of the Year will be the highest scoring entry by a photography with less than 5 completed years as a wedding photographer.
All Winners and Finalists will be listed on the website and receive official result watermark badges to utilise to promote their winning / finalist entries on their websites. Category winners receive trophies and prizes as outlined on the prizes page of the website.
Image by 2025 Runner Up Maddie Mae.
Our judging team brings decades of knowledge and wisdom.
They’ll each be viewing and judging every single entry to the Awards and we’ll be checking in with them throughout the Awards and linking up with them wherever we can to chat all things wedding photography and Awards.
We’re so pumped to have these wonderful humans on board.
View Judges
Categories
Black & White
Black & White
Break the Rules
Break the Rules
Couple Portrait
Couple Portrait
Dance Floor
Dance Floor
Emerging Artist
Emerging Artist
Engagement / Non-Wedding
Engagement / Non-Wedding
Epic Location
Epic Location
From Above
From Above
I-Do Crew
I-Do Crew
Lit!
Lit!
Single Capture
Single Capture
Solo Portrait
