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Previous winners of the Wellcome Photography Prize. | Jander Matos and Joaquim Nascimento, left, and, Ciril Jazbec, right.A photography competition has put out an open invitation for photographers across the world to submit their images that depict how health is experienced, represented, and understood.
The Wellcome Photography Prize 2027 has a generous total fund of £52,000 ($70,000) for winners. There are three main categories: striking solo photography, a storytelling series, and the marvels of scientific and medical imaging. The winner of each category will receive £10,000, while the remaining finalists will each receive £1,000.
The Prize welcomes ambitious work spanning all scales of life, from scientific imaging and biomedical research to personal stories of care, illness, connection, and change. It celebrates the power of image-making in all its forms to make complex science visible, accessible, and human, while shining a light on the discoveries and innovations helping to shape a healthier future.
Free to enter and open to anyone, anywhere in the world, the Prize invites both professional and self-taught entrants working in photography, science, healthcare, or drawing on lived experience. No affiliation with Wellcome is required. Now taking place on a biennial cycle, entries are open from July 14 to October 21, 2026.
“Health touches every aspect of our lives, yet some of the most important experiences, discoveries and ideas can be difficult to see, understand or communicate,” says Sumitra Upham, Chair of the Judging Panel.
“The Wellcome Photography Prize explores how images can convey scientific discovery and human experience in unexpected ways. As we celebrate the Prize’s 30th year, we are excited to receive submissions from around the world and to welcome new voices into our global community of image makers. We look forward to seeing ambitious, creative work from across photography and imaging that inspires curiosity and reveals new possibilities for health and wellbeing.”
Mithail Afrige Chowdhury won the striking solo photography prize for a deceptively gentle image of a mother and daughter on a rooftop picnic in Dhaka, Bangladesh, where there are few parks left in the city. | Courtesy of Wellcome Photography Prize 2025
This image by Steve Gschmeissner shows cholesterol crystals (shown in blue) forming inside lipid-laden liver cells (purple). These microscopic shifts, invisible to the naked eye, can have deadly consequences. | Courtesy of Wellcome Photography Prize 2025To enter the 2027 contest, head to the Wellcome Photography Prize website.
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