World Sports Photography Awards

Name

World Sports Photography Awards

Legal name

World Sports Photography Awards Ltd.

Website

https://www.worldsportsphotographyawards.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Photography Awards / Sports Photography Competition

NAICS

Other Spectator Sports (711219)

SIC

Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)

akta.pro primary industry

Virtual Awards Ceremonies & Competitions (Judging, Voting) (MPAGAOAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Awards Ceremonies & Recognition Events (MPAGAHAF), Photography & Photo Production (BPAFAIAF)

Keywords

• Photography awards competition
• Sports photography contest
• Image submission platform
• Photographer recognition awards
• Sponsored photography events

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Marketing or Sales, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Sponsorship: Revenue generated through sponsorship arrangements with corporate partners including Canon as headline sponsor, and other brand partnerships.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

World Sports Photography Awards runs an annual international photography competition dedicated to celebrating sports photography, free to enter for professional, semi-professional, and amateur photographers worldwide. Submissions are made digitally through the competition website (up to 10 images per entrant, 10MB per photo), with winners selected by a 100+ member expert judging panel. Supporting offerings include the Canon Emerging Talent Award (sub-30 category), the ITTF Centenary Photography Awards special project, and the Game On Gallery physical exhibition.

Product overview

World Sports Photography Awards is a photography competition and awards program dedicated to celebrating sports photography. The main product is the annual World Sports Photography Awards Competition, which features multiple category awards across 24+ sports disciplines including American Football, Athletics, Basketball, Cricket, Football, Formula 1, Tennis, and more. The program includes the Canon Emerging Talent Award for photographers under 30, special projects like the ITTF Centenary Photography Awards, and physical exhibitions such as the Game On Gallery. The awards are free to enter and open to professional, semi-professional, and amateur photographers worldwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Canon Emerging Talent Award: A dedicated award category showcasing work from professional sports photographers aged under 30, sponsored by Canon.

Products and services

• World Sports Photography Awards Competition Annual international photography awards competition dedicated to celebrating the art of sports photography, free to enter for professional, semi-professional, and amateur sports photographers worldwide across 24+ sports disciplines including American Football, Athletics, Basketball, Cricket, Football, Formula 1, Tennis, and more.
• Canon Emerging Talent Award Award category dedicated to professional sports photographers aged under 30, sponsored by Canon Europe as the official imaging partner, with prizes and recognition aimed at the next generation of visual storytellers.
• ITTF Centenary Photography Awards Special photography awards created to mark the International Table Tennis Federation's centenary in 2026, combining a professional photography competition with a search for historic images drawn from fans', families', and community collections.
• Game On Gallery Physical gallery exhibition celebrating sports photography, curated in partnership with Sport in Art at Kolowratský Palác, Na Příkopě 17, Prague, Czechia, featuring World Sports Photography Awards winners.

Quantifiable outcome

• 23,000+ images from 4,100 photographers in 2026 alone

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• ITTF (International Table Tennis Federation)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 April 2026ITTF Centenary Photography Awards created to mark ITTF's centenary in 2026. Combines professional photography competition with search for historic images, drawing on fans', families' and community collections.
• Sport in ArtcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 October 2024Teamed up to curate the 'Game On Gallery' celebrating the best of Sports Photography in Prague, Czechia at Kolowratsky Palác, Na Príkope 17. Features World Sports Photography Awards winners.
• Champions JournalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 June 2024Collaborative awards celebrating the UEFA Champions League and amazing photos shared throughout the 2023/24 UCL season. Open to all photographers with Professional, Semi-Professional and Amateur/Fan categories.
• IMAGOcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 February 2023IMAGO is the No. 1 visual content provider in DACH and one of the fastest growing international agencies worldwide with 240 million images and videos. They joined as a partner for the 2023 edition with Andrés Benedicto joining the judging panel.
• Jabra GNminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 7 January 2023Jabra is a world leading brand in audio, video, and collaboration solutions. Part of the GN Group with 150 years of pioneering work. Partnership to help spread the word about World Sports Photography Awards globally.
• iSportConnectminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 4 March 2022Media partnership with iSportConnect, the largest global private network of sport business executives. Founder Sree Varma joined the 2022 judging panel.
• ColorsportminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 March 2022Colorsport has a vast library of sports images dating back over 100 years. Renewed partnership for 2022 to help share amazing visual stories from sports photographers.
• MPBcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 18 February 2022MPB is the world's largest platform to buy, sell and trade used photography and videography kit, trusted by over 250,000 visual storytellers. Headline partner for 2022 World Sports Photography Awards. Partnership includes content development to help photographers and amateur sports photographer award campaign.
• CanonflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerCanon is the official sponsor and imaging partner of World Sports Photography Awards. They sponsor the Canon Emerging Talent Award showcasing work from professional sports photographers aged under 30. Canon provides prizes and supports the next generation of visual storytellers.
• GetReal LabsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership announced December 2024 for collaboration on the awards.
• Lyle & ScottminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership announced December 2024 with the British premium sportswear brand.
• CJ StarballminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner brand supporting the awards.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Sports Photographer of the Year (Sports Journalists' Association): Long-running UK-based annual award specifically for sports photography, judged by sports journalists. Directly competes with WSPA in the dedicated sports-photography awards category, though with a more UK-centric footprint and journalistic lens.
• Sony World Photography Awards: One of the world's largest annual photography competitions run by the World Photography Organisation, with a dedicated sports category and headline sponsorship from Sony. Closely comparable competition format, judging panel, and global reach, though broader in scope than WSPA.
• World Press Photo: Renowned international photojournalism contest with a sports category, judged annually in Amsterdam. Comparable as a globally recognized photography competition with strong sponsor ecosystem, though focused on documentary and press work rather than purely sports.
• Siena International Photo Awards: Annual international photography competition with a dedicated sports category and a free-entry model. Closely mirrors WSPA's structure, prize-led approach, and global-submission positioning.
• International Photography Awards (IPA): Large multi-category international photography competition with paid-entry tiers and a sports sub-category. Comparable competition platform, judging structure, and global entrant base, though broader and entry-fee-driven.
• Hasselblad Foundation Awards: Annual international photography prize awarded by the Hasselblad Foundation, sponsored by the camera manufacturer Hasselblad. Comparable as a prestige photography award backed by an imaging-equipment brand, though higher-end and more art-focused than WSPA.
• Wildlife Photographer of the Year: Long-running single-subject photography competition operated by the Natural History Museum with global submissions and a major London exhibition. Comparable single-discipline competition structure and annual ceremony/exhibition model.
• Prix Pictet: International photography award with a sustainability theme, sponsored by the Pictet Group. Comparable premium photography award with global jury, exhibitions, and brand-sponsorship model, though thematically focused on sustainability rather than sports.

Broad incumbents

• National Geographic Photo of the Year: Annual photo contest run by National Geographic with broad categories including nature, people, and cities. Operates as a much larger incumbent in the consumer photography competition space, with a sports-adjacent but not sports-exclusive remit.

Emerging players

• LensCulture: Online photography platform that hosts multiple international photo competitions and awards, including emerging genres. Comparable as a digital-first competition aggregator with global reach, but broader in scope and more focused on emerging/editorial photography than sports.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/WorldSportsPix
• Facebookfacebook.com/WorldSportsPhotography
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/world-sports-photography-awards
• Instagraminstagram.com/worldsportsphotographyawards

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about World Sports Photography Awards