Applicatios Invited for Commonwealth Youth Photography Competition 2026

About the Organization

The Royal Commonwealth Society (RCS) is a network of individuals and organisations committed to improving the lives and prospects of Commonwealth citizens across the world. Through youth empowerment, education and high-level advocacy, the Society champions the importance of literacy, equality and inclusion, the environment and connected communities across the Commonwealth’s 56 member nations.

About the Award

The Commonwealth Youth Photography Competition 2026 is a celebration of young talent, global connection, and the natural world that binds us all.​

Organised by the Royal Commonwealth Society, the Commonwealth Secretariat and the City of London Youth Natural Environment Board, this competition invites young people from across the 56-nation Commonwealth family to share their vision through the lens.

This year's theme, Waves of Change, invites you to explore our oceans and waterways: their majesty, their vulnerability, and the communities whose lives depend on them. We're looking for images that move people. Images that tell stories words can't.

Open to all Commonwealth nationals and residents aged 18–30.

Prizes

There are four competition categories, each with one winner.

• From the four category winners, one will be selected as the overall winner and awarded a cash prize of £1,000. The three remaining category winners will each receive £250. 
• Follow @royalcwsociety on Facebook, X, and Instagram for regular updates and to be the first to hear about prizes for the Commonwealth Youth Photography Competition 2026.

Eligibility

Entrants aged eighteen (18) years of age or older

How to Apply

This competition is open to all young people aged 18–30 who are citizens of or resident in, a Commonwealth nation. Whether you're an experienced photographer or picking up a camera for the first time: your perspective matters.

• STEP 1: Check you're eligible. You must be aged 18–30 and a citizen of or resident in a Commonwealth nation at the time of submission.
• STEP 2: Create your entry. Take a photograph that responds to one of the 4 Categories. Your image must be your own work and not previously published or entered in another competition.
• STEP 3 : Sign up for the competition platform and complete the entry form. Fill in our online entry form, upload your image, and tell us in no more than 300 words what your photograph means to you and how it connects to your chosen category.
• STEP 4: Submit before the deadline. Entries close on 8 June 2026 (World Oceans Day).  Late entries cannot be accepted.

For more information please check the Link

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