The 12th Andrei Stenin International Press Photo Contest has officially opened in Moscow, with submissions now underway.

The annual contest held in memory of Andrei Stenin, a photojournalist with the Rossiya Segodnya Media Group who was killed near Donetsk in the summer of 2014, traditionally launches on his birthday, December 22, according to the website Prime Africa Channel.

The competition features six categories: Top News, Sports, My Planet, Portrait. A Hero of Our Time, Top View, and the newly introduced category Energy of Life.

Entries in Top News, My Planet, and Portrait. A Hero of Our Time may be submitted as either single images or photo series. The Sportsand Top View categories accept single images only.

The Energy of Life category is open to photographers aged 34 and older, while the remaining five categories are open to participants aged 18 to 33.

Professional photographers may submit applications through the competition’s official website in Russian and English through February 28, 2026.

The prize fund for the 2025 competition awards 125,000 rubles for first place, 100,000 rubles for second place, and 75,000 rubles for third place in each category. The recipient of the competition’s top honor, the Grand Prix, will receive 700,000 rubles. The awards ceremony for the 12thAndrei Stenin International Press Photo Contest is traditionally scheduled to take place in Moscow between September and November 2026.

The Andrei Stenin International Press Photo Contest, organized by the Rossiya Segodnya Media Group under the auspices of the Russian Federation Commission for UNESCO, is dedicated to supporting young photographers and raising public awareness of the challenges facing contemporary photojournalism.

The competition’s international media partners include Independent Media Holding and ANA News Agency (South Africa); Shanghai United Media Group (SUMG) and The Paper online portal (China); Dar Al Sharq Media Holding (Qatar); Brasil247 online portal (Brazil); PTI News Agency (India); IINA News Agency (Iraq); MEHR News Agency (Iran); NAN News Agency (Nigeria); and Xinhua News Agency (China).

DID