PARTICIPEZ A MAGHREB PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS 2026

LE PLUS GRAND CONCOURS PHOTO AU MAGHREB

No matter where you're from, do you have photos that evoke the Orient, Africa and especially the Maghreb ? Our competition will help you obtain exposure, win 1500$ and achieve international recognition.

Fin de la Early Deadline dans :

NOUVELLE ENTRÉE

MPA NYC 2026 - The Big Exhibition is coming soon

As a reminder, the conclusion of the Maghreb Photography Awards call for applications culminated in the publication of the results at the end of August 2025, with the recognition of six top winners: Zakaria Selmani, Chantal Pinzi, Marijn Fidder, Nabil Biyahmadine, Sara De Antonio Feu and Mouneb Taim in addition to around twenty finalists.

We therefore invite all lovers of african photography to come and meet us on Friday, November 28th during the opening reception which will start at 6 p.m. at the One Art Space gallery, which is located at 23 Warren St in the historic district of Manhattan in New York City in order to celebrate together the talent and creativity of the artists exhibited.

For exhibiting photographers who are automatically invited, and those who choose to travel to meet us in New York during the opening reception, we would like to point out that they will have the opportunity to come along with the people of their choice from their family or friends, with no restriction on numbers.

MPA NYC Exhibition Schedule and Key Dates :

- June 25: Hanging of prints and frames on the wall (not open to the public)
- June 26: Opening reception at 6 p.m. with the photographers in attendance
- June 27: Opening of the exhibition during regular public hours.
- June 28: Last day. Unhanging and removal of frames from the walls starting at 6 p.m.

In addition to the physical exhibition taking place in our gallery, we have invited a limited number of photographers, who received an honorable mention from our previous jury, to also participate with us on a 140cm diagonal 4k digital screen. Their photos will be displayed 8 hours a day during the 3 days of the event.

The names of the photographers whose work is exhibited in digital format will be revealed on May 31st.

MPA 2026 - MAGHREB PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS

A PIONEERING AND UNIQUE COMPETITION IN AFRICA :

The Maghreb Photography Awards is a contemporary photography competition centered on the theme of the “Greater Maghreb.” Its mission is to promote photography within the Mediterranean basin, with a particular focus on countries from the Maghreb. The competition is also open to Africa, as it is a continent of the future, rich in talent. African photographers native to the continent can also compete in the category “Best African Project of the Year.”

The call for entries opens every year at the beginning of May and runs for two months according to a well-defined schedule. The competition is based on the principle of per capita income in each country, which ensures that participation is entirely FREE of charge for all photographers native to or residing on the African continent.

A SIGNIFICANT CASH PRIZE + 2 MAJOR EXHIBITIONS :

In addition to a $1,500 grant awarded each year to the grand prize winners, the MPA also supports the work of the winners and finalists through photographic exhibitions at events, photo festivals, and prestigious institutions. Following the success of last year's exhibition at the Army Museum, organized in partnership with the renowned Biennale "Les Rencontres Photo de Bamako" in Mali, this year the two grand prize winners will be exhibited for a month at the "Rendez-Vous de la photo d’Essaouira #3", a photography event which takes place every year during the month of November/December at the initiative of the "Institut Français". The special mentions and finalists will ALL be exhibited in Tunisia during the month of October as part of an event to be organized in an emblematic location in Tunis. Some of the winners will also be exhibited at a photo festival to be held in September in Limassol, Cyprus.

SIX GRAND PRIZES ARE AWARDED :

The "Maghreb Photographer" of the Year (only for residents of the Maghreb)

You must be a native and resident of the Maghreb to compete in this category, in addition to submitting work produced in the Maghreb. Participation in this category is therefore free for the photographers concerned.

The best photo project "In the Maghreb" (open to all participants)

Open to all photographers regardless of nationality, with the sole condition: The work must be produced in the Maghreb or focused on a theme inspired by Maghreb culture or imagination.

The best photo project "Outside the Maghreb" (open to all participants)

Open to all photographers regardless of nationality, with the sole condition: A contemporary photography project produced outside the Maghreb must be submitted. Maghreb.

The "Maghreb Photo" of the Year (open to all participants)

Open to all photographers regardless of nationality, with the sole condition: That the photo submitted be taken in one of the five Maghreb countries (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Mauritania, Libya).

The "Non-Maghreb Photo" of the Year (all participants)

Open to all photographers regardless of nationality or subject matter. Only the merit of the photo as a performance and artistic work will be judged.

Best project "in Africa"

You must be a native AND resident of Africa outside the Maghreb to compete in this category, and must submit work produced in Africa (outside the Maghreb). Participation in this category is therefore free for African photographers.

D'autres prix sont attribués aux gagnants. Consultez la liste complète

Our prestigious jury will judge the best entries and reward the winning photographer who will see his work recognized by a magnificent prize totaling $2000, in addition to seeing his work exhibited in major photo festivals.

JURY DU CONCOURS

Inscriptions fermées dans :

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You have a photo project realized in one of the countries of the Arab Maghreb (Morocco, Mauritania, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya), or in an african country ? Do not hesitate, take part in our contest and give your project a chance to be rewarded by professionals and to have a world exhibition.

Do you have a photography project created in one of the Arab Maghreb countries (Morocco, Mauritania, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya) or in an African country? Don’t wait any longer—take part in our competition and give your project the chance to be evaluated and rewarded by a panel of professionals, adding a prestigious reference to your artistic CV.

The MPA creates rich opportunities to showcase the finest photographic works from the Maghreb and beyond, while introducing new photographic talents to the world. Together, we celebrate creativity, ambition, and brilliance.

Our annual competition is open to ALL photographers worldwide. The six main winners, along with the different category winners, will have their work highlighted by our various partners.

Interview of Zakaria Selmani, the "Maghreb Photographer of the Year 2025" - Lire l'Interview

Interview of Leon Edu, the "Best Photo Project From The Maghreb 2024" - Read the Interview

FAQ - QUESTIONS FRÉQUEMMENT POSÉES

+ Who can participate in our competition ?

All photographers, regardless of their country of residence. Apply with a single photo or a series of photographs, on one of the themes specified in the "Category" page of our website. Even the general theme is "Great Mqghreb", there are categories dedicated to photographers from all over the world who can win the distinction of "Outside Mqghreb Photographer of the Year".

+ Can we participate in the contest for free?

Participation is FREE, at no cost to ALL photographers native and resident on the African continent.

+ What do the 6 big winners win ?

A cash prize worth $1,500. In addition, the work of these six winners will be exhibited in Essaouira in November 2025 at a photography festival and/or at another partner festival in Tunisia. To see the full packaging, please refer to our page dedicated to the prizes.

+ What do the special mentions and finalists win ?

The works of the special mentions and finalists will be exhibited at a partner photo festival in Tunisia.

+ What are the categories of the competition ?

We have a large list of categories that photographers can apply to because we believe in diversity of eyes when it's come to express and interpretate the Street. For more information please refer to our dedicated categories page.

+ Can we participate with work already submitted last year or with which we participated in another competition ?

Yes, this is not a problem, since our jury changes largely with each new edition. In addition, we do not take into account what is done elsewhere in other competitions. Our jury in its way of proceeding focuses only on the entries received in our competition.

+ How much does participation cost ?

For full details please refer to our page dedicated to deadlines.

+ Who are the members of the jury for this edition ?

Please refer to the page dedicated to the Jury.

+ What is the timeline of the competition ?

Please refer to our dedicated deadlines page.

+ What are the technical requirements for the images that can be submitted ?

Participation is done with files sized for web format, namely 72dpi, sRGB format, and a maximum of 800px for the longest side.

+ Who should I contact if I have a problem with my entry, certificate or contest result or an exhibition ?

Write to our email address : contest@maghrebphotographyawards.com.

If you haven't received a response after 48 hours, your email may have gone to spam without us being able to see it.

In this case, contact us on Instagram : @maghrebphotographyawards.

DO NOT write to a member of the jury; they only handle the judging of applications at various stages. They will be unable to help you, and contacting them is a mistake.

The same goes for contacting one of our partners. They have no influence in the awarding of prizes and awards.

Simply follow the contact procedure via email and Instagram follow-up. Under normal circumstances, and outside of busy work periods, we respond on average within 72 hours.

+ Why is it important to correctly fill out your Instagram account ?

In addition to emails that can sometimes end up in the spam folder, it is always useful for us to have a second channel of communication with the photographer. If the latter is a winner, finalist or medalist, we will be able to contact him more easily so that he can collect his award more quickly or participate with us in one of our exhibitions, whose organizational requirements often require responsiveness and a quick response time.