KLPA 2026 Portrait Photography Prize
KLPA 2026 Portrait Photography Prize is now open for entries!
The KLPA 2026 Portrait Photography Prize, a leading international portrait photography competition that spotlights the art of travel portraiture through its theme “A Stranger’s Face”.
Short description
The KLPA 2026 Portrait Photography Prize is a leading international portrait photography competition that spotlights the art of travel portraiture through its theme “A Stranger’s Face.”
This award is widely recognized among travel photographers and portrait specialists as an opportunity to gain visibility, professional recognition, and career advancement in the field of portrait photography.
For their 18th edition, KLPA seeks portraits taken during your recent travels.
The competition focuses on portraits created in travel contexts, encouraging images that reveal personality, environment, and narrative depth. It highlights documentary portrait photography, environmental portraiture, and candid travel portraits that capture the diversity of people and places around the world.
Organiser are looking for portraits that speak to the viewer on many levels, open conversations, and present an element of intrigue and uniqueness. Portraits may be posed or spontaneous, and can be photographed indoors or outdoors in any of the typical photography genres. Portraits that connect the viewer and the subject at a deeper level. Quite often, the photographer's approach and methodology are more evident than the camera and lens used. Suitable captions also assist the jurors in placing meaning and context to your portraits.
Through this year theme, the prize promotes cross-cultural understanding and celebrates the power of photography to connect viewers with unfamiliar faces and lived experiences.
The KLPA Portrait Photography Prize supports creative excellence, visual journalism, and fine art portraiture while offering international exposure through exhibitions and partnerships.
Who may enter?
This competition is open to international photographers at all levels, no restrictions on nationality or professional status.
Prize:
The 1st Prize winner will receive €2,000, 2nd Prize winner will receive €1,000, 3rd Prize winner €500 , and the top 40 entries will be exhibited in Malaysia in September 2026 and shown at partner festivals. Additionally, a Zontiga prize for Malaysian entrants offers book vouchers, printing vouchers and a reusable camera for top three works.
Entry fees:
You can submit up to 10 images per entry with tiered fees of €15 for 1 image, €30 for 2 images, €45 for 3–6 and €65 for 7–10 images. Concessionary free entries are available for some photographers from countries without credit/debit card access.
