Winning (or being shortlisted for) a competition is often the best way to get your name out there and have pictures editors notice you. BJP compiles a list of competitions you should enter. You can easily find it on the right-end side of this blog under "resources".

December deadlines

Deadline: 19 December 2008
The Photographic Society of India is now accepting entries for its photography competition. Winning images will be displayed at the International Exhibition of Photography in Mumbai, India, from 19 to 26 January 2009.
More details: psi1937@yahoo.com.

Deadline: 31 December 2008
M.I.L.K. Licensing is holding a photographic competition for images relating to the themes of friends, families, lovers, and laughter. The winner will be awarded a $50,000 prize.
More details: www.milkphotos.co.uk

Deadline: 31 December 2008
The Sony World Photography Awards are now accepting submissions, with 12 categories for professionals and nine for amateurs. The 2009 SWPA winner will receive a £12,500 cash prize.
More details: www.worldphotographyawards.org

January deadlines

Deadline: 04 January 2009
Photographer Jonas Lemberg has launched ‘The Photo Award’, a new contest with a $30,000 prize fund.
More details: www.thephotoaward.com

Deadline: 11 January 2009
The Renaissance Photography Competition offers photographers the change to be judged by Martin Parr, Eamonn McCabe, Charlie Waite and Magnum Magnum editor Brigitte Lardinois. The theme this year is 'Moments that Matter'. The judges will award £5000 in prizes.
More details: renaissancephotography.org.

Deadline: 15 January 2009
The World Press Photo 2009 contest is open for entries. The international jury will include former Time magazine photography editor MaryAnne Golon, and experts from Magnum, Vanity Fair and the Associated Press.
More details: worldpressphoto.org.

Deadline: 31 January 2009
The Erotic Review Photographer of the Year contest, which carries two cash prizes – one worth £1000 for the Judges' selection and another worth £250 for the readers' choice.
More details: www.erphoto.org.

Deadline: 31 January 2009
Five assistant photographers can win professional representation from LPA Futures, a division of the Lisa Pritchard Agency. Entrants must be seeking a full-time career in commercial photography and must submit 10 images via email to futures@lisapritchard.com.
More details: lisapritchard.com.

February deadlines

Deadline: 28 February 2009
The Fujifilm Student Awards offers aspiring pro photographers the chance to see their work become the cover image for the re-issue of Rachel Carson's classic, Silent Spring, by Penguin Classics. Entry is free. All images must be taken on Fujifilm Professional.
More details: fujifilmstudentawards.co.uk.

March deadlines

Deadline: 31 March 2009
The theme for the first ever Linhof Award for Young Photography is “Human Cityscapes”, with a first prize of Linhof camera equipment valuing €10,000.
More details: www.linhofstudio.com

May deadlines

Deadline: 15 May 2009
The Royal Photographic Society is inviting applications for its new RPS Jeff Vickers Genix Imaging Bursary for young photographers. Each bursary will be worth £5,000 per year for the next three years. More details:
www.rps.org/education/Bursary-Information

Previous competitions (now closed)

Deadline: 01 September 2008
RSPCA’s prestigious Young Photographer Awards 2008
The competition, sponsored by Olympus and Warners Midlands, is reserved to photographers under 19. Winners receive Olympus digital cameras and the chance to go on a RSPCA photo shoot.
More details: www.rspca.org.uk/ypa

Deadline: 25 September 2008
BJP's International Photography Awards
A juried competition with a total prize fund worth more than £13,000 ($25,000/€16,500) organised by the British Journal of Photography.
More details: www.bjp-online.com/award

Deadline:31 October 2008
To celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Australian Human Rights Commission is holding a photo competition with the theme of "dignity and justice for all of us". Winners will receive a voucher of $500 valid at the Digital Camera Warehouse. More details: www.humanrights.gov.au/photo_comp/index.html

Deadline: 31 October 2008
The Association of Photographers has launched its 2009 call for entries for its annual Awards. Full or provisional AOP members can enter 19 categories. More details: www.the-awards.com

Deadline: 15 November 2008
Getty Images Grants for Editorial Photography are now accepting submissions for project proposals. Five $20,000 grants will be given to support the best talents in photojournalism. More details: www.gettyimages.com/editorial-grants

Deadline: 15 November 2008
The Luis Valtuena International Humanitarian Photography Award is now accepting submissions. The topic of the images must relate to humanitarian action, international cooperation, and social exclusion. The winner will be awarded a grant of €8000.
More details: www.zonaactiva.org/fotohumanitaria