The CEWE Photo Award is once again the world’s largest photo competition

With a record 656,738 photos submitted by people from all over the world, this year’s CEWE Photo Award is again the world’s largest photo competition. It’s time for the final round, and in July 2025, the international jury will select the 10 best categories, the first place in the competition, and, for the first time, the best photo in the Young Talent Award. Under the motto “Our world is beautiful,” the CEWE Photo Award has already made an outstanding contribution: CEWE is donating ten cents for each photo submitted – a total of 65,673.80 euros – to SOS Children’s Villages.

Submissions from all over the world

The CEWE Photo Award surpassed itself this year, with well over half a million photos submitted by photography enthusiasts from 153 countries. Most images originate from Europe, but even Andorra, Haiti, Taiwan, and Uruguay were uploaded. Participants had the opportunity to submit photos in ten different categories, including Landscapes, Street Photography, Close-Up & Macro Photography, Travel & Culture, and the special Young Talent Award. The most popular category was “Nature & Wildlife,” with more than 200,000 images uploaded.

“This is a special day full of joy for CEWE, as we are recording a new record number of submissions for the CEWE Photo Award and can once again celebrate it as the world’s largest photography competition,” explains Thomas Mehls, CEO of CEWE. “The enduring passion for photography, which inspires people around the globe, motivates us to promote photographic culture with complete dedication. We are also particularly proud of our social commitment – ​​we are delighted to support the valuable work of SOS Children’s Villages worldwide with a donation of over 65,000 euros.”

CEWE has been partnering with SOS Children’s Villages Worldwide for 12 years. The goal: to become a successful company, taking responsibility for society and promoting the well-being and future of children worldwide. This year’s CEWE Photo Award donation goes to the SOS Children’s Villages Worldwide training center in Balbala, Djibouti. There, trained teachers support young people as they enter the workforce. The long-term goal is to reduce youth unemployment in the region. With local support, the young people can build a livelihood and provide for themselves and their families.

Now it’s the turn of the six-member international jury, chaired by world-renowned concert photographer Christie Goodwin. In July, they will select the winning photos from the various categories. They will also choose the top 30 entries for this year’s competition. In September, the jury will announce the winners before an international audience in Prague, where the awards will be presented during a celebratory ceremony. The main prize is a unique photography trip worth €10,000, including a helicopter flight with George Steinmetz, a voucher for your own photography equipment worth €5,000, and a voucher for CEWE photo products worth €2,500.

Information about the competition can be found here:  www.cewephotoaward.de