Photo competitions offer a fantastic opportunity to showcase your work to an international audience, enhance your portfolio, and, ideally, advance your photographic career. At the same time, the winning images of many competitions often seem intimidating.
Maybe you’ve asked yourself: How am I supposed to capture a moment like this? I don’t live in breathtaking surroundings, I don’t have access to top models every week, and with a job and family, I definitely don’t have months to chase subjects in faraway countries.
After many years of working with competitions such as the Sony World Photography Awards, the International Photography Award, and the Hasselblad Masters, I’ve come to a surprising realization: you don’t need all that to be successful.
In my YouTube video “How to WIN Photo Contests: 5 Insider Strategies from a Hasselblad Master,” I share the five strategies that helped me make my pictures stand out from the crowd.
1. Find a Topic That Really Fascinates You
A great picture doesn’t start with spectacular technology or exotic destinations but with an idea that touches you personally. Only if you are passionate about your subject will you be able to create images that reach others emotionally.
Wind turbines have been with me for years. On my travels through Germany, they keep popping up on the horizon, huge, majestic machines that seem to turn silently through the landscape. At some point, I realized that they are not only visually interesting, but also an exciting symbol of technology, sustainability, and landscape change. And so I came up with the idea of developing a photographic series about wind turbines.
The first step was research. I specifically searched for the largest wind farms in my region, saved their locations on a map, and began to observe them in different light and weather conditions. It wasn’t just about aesthetics, but a real understanding of the subject—its presence, its impact, and its surroundings.
You can then apply this step in your own work:
Think about which topics have accompanied or fascinated you for a long time, even beyond current trends.
Research specific places, objects, or situations associated with this topic.
If you find a subject that really interests you, you will automatically invest more time, energy, and patience. And that’s exactly what you’ll see in your pictures later on. Instead of interchangeable motifs from Instagram hotspots, the result is a photographic story with personality, depth, and recognition value—a decisive advantage for every competition entry.
2. Form a Clear Visual Concept From Your Idea
A theme is not enough. You need a visual concept, a guiding vision that ties the series together.
My wind turbine project gained its direction during a chance encounter: a frozen winter landscape covered in fog, with turbines emerging like sculptures. At that moment, I knew this series would be about reduction, stillness, and sculptural presence.
How you can do the same:
Choose a specific mood, weather, or time of day that makes your subject unique.
Commit to a visual idea—minimalism, symmetry, or dramatic contrasts—and stick to it.
Let your project evolve over time until a consistent language emerges.
Juries don’t want ten random “nice shots.” They want a clear, coherent concept, and that’s exactly what will make your work stand out.
3. Develop a Recognizable Style and Stick to It
Your style is your signature. For me, inspiration came from fine art photographer Bastiaan Woudt, whose minimal, sculptural black-and-white work struck me deeply. At first, I thought it had nothing to do with my own colorful architectural landscapes. But then, on a foggy morning in a wind farm, I realized I could translate this clarity into my own world.
How to sharpen your style:
Decide on an editing look: black and white, muted palettes, or bold contrasts.
Limit your tools: one focal length, one aspect ratio, one consistent format.
Use repetition of form, light, or composition to create coherence.
A consistent style makes your series look intentional and professional, exactly what juries recognize as mastery.
4. Think in Series, Not in Single Images
One strong shot is not enough. Competitions are won with series that tell a story.
When editing my wind turbine project, I went from hundreds of files to five core “hero shots,” supported by secondary images that added rhythm without repetition. The hardest part was letting go of personal favorites that didn’t serve the series, but that discipline made the final edit far stronger.
Steps that help:
Narrow down to 5–10 key images that work both individually and together.
Balance variety with coherence; every picture should add something new.
Get external feedback from trusted photographers, curators, or friends.
Experiment with different sequences and formats before finalizing.
A series is more than the sum of its parts. It’s proof that you not only capture images, but also think and build narratives like an artist.
5. Tell the Story Behind the Pictures
Many underestimate this last step, but it’s crucial. Competitions rarely want images alone. They ask for a series title, an artist statement, sometimes even captions. This is where you can separate yourself from the pack.
Take the time to reflect:
What triggered this project?
Why does the subject matter to you?
What do you want viewers to feel?
Write these thoughts down and refine them into a personal, clear statement. Even your titles can add a new dimension, whether thematic, poetic, or playful. A well-crafted submission makes your work memorable long after the jury moves on to the next entry.
Pro tip: Look at the categories carefully. Landscape and portrait are always overcrowded. Sometimes, entering under architecture, sustainability, or still life increases your chances—if your work fits. Many strong projects fail simply because they’re submitted in the wrong category.
Conclusion: Build Stories, Not Snapshots
These five steps have guided me from idea to award-winning series. The essence is simple:
Start with a theme that truly touches you.
Turn it into a visual concept.
Stay consistent in style.
Think in series.
Tell the story behind your images.
That’s exactly how my project Eternal Echoes evolved, from casual walks near a wind farm into a series that went on to win international awards and exhibitions across the world.
You don’t need a huge team, a massive budget, or exotic destinations. What you need is curiosity, focus, and the courage to go deep into your subject. Do that, and your next competition win may be closer than you think.