20th SEARCA Photo Contest 2026

The 20th SEARCA Photo Contest 2026 invites Southeast Asian photographers to visually document the people and systems that keep food nourishing, safe, accessible, resilient, and future-ready.

What it offers

• First Prize: USD 1,000 and a Certificate
• Second Prize: USD 800 and a Certificate
• Third Prize: USD 500 and a Certificate
• SEARCA Center Director's Choice: USD 500 and a Certificate

Who can apply

• Open to all Southeast Asian nationals, except SEARCA staff and their immediate family members.

What you'll do

Capture images under these sub-themes:

• Nourishing Families and Communities
• Markets, Movement, and Access
• Safe Food, Healthy Lives
• Innovation for Future Food Security
• Climate-Ready Food Systems
• Women in Food and Agriculture

How to apply

• Submit entries via the official SEARCA Photo Contest website from 16 July to 30 September 2026, 11:59 p.m. (GMT+8).
• Each entry must include:
  • Photographer's full name, age range, and sex at birth
  • Photographer's country of citizenship
  • Photographer's professional status
  • Brief description (max 400 characters)
  • Sub-theme entered
  • Place and date photo was taken
• Entries must be:
  • Digital, colored, in JPEG format
  • At least 3,000 pixels wide (horizontal) or 3,000 pixels tall (vertical) at 300 dpi
  • Original, unpublished, and not previously winning or submitted to other contests
  • Not AI-generated, heavily manipulated, or misleading staged images
  • With consent if featuring identifiable minors

Good to know

• Contestants can submit unlimited entries if they meet specifications.
• Photos will be judged on relevance (40%), technical quality (30%), and impact/storytelling/authenticity (30%).
• Winners notified by email; prizes remitted after bank details are provided.