SEARCA Photo Contest 2026

The 20th SEARCA Photo Contest invites Southeast Asian photographers to 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

1. Submit entries through the official SEARCA Photo Contest website from 16 July to 30 September 2026, 11:59 p.m. (GMT+8).
2. 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 of the photo (max 400 characters)
   • Sub-theme entered
   • Place where the photo was taken (including country)
   • Complete date photo was taken
3. Entries must be:
   • Digital, colored, in JPEG format
   • At least 3,000 pixels wide (horizontal) or 3,000 pixels tall (vertical) at 300 dpi

Good to know

• Contestants can submit an unlimited number of entries.
• Photos must be original, not previously published or awarded, and not heavily manipulated.
• AI-generated or misleading staged images are ineligible.
• If a photo includes an identifiable child/minor, written or verbal consent from the parent/guardian is required.
• Winners will be notified by email and must provide bank details for prize remittance.