Wellcome, a global charitable foundation based in London, United Kingdom, with a vision of a healthier future for everyone, is inviting photo entries for the 2027 edition of its photography prize.
The Foundation is looking for compelling stories that help the world better understand health and science and offer moments of hope, including discoveries inside a single cell to stories from communities around the world, work that explores scientific discovery, urgent health challenges, and the experiences of people most affected by them. Entries should explore one or more of the following subject matters or the spaces where they intersect: discovery research, mental health, infectious disease, or climate and health.
Prizes are available in three categories, namely Striking solo photography. Entrants in this category should captivate people with a single photograph that stirs imagination and starts conversation about health, science or medicine.
For the second category, ‘a storytelling series,’ entrants should tell a richer story with 3-5 photographs to reveal different perspectives or explore a health-related issue in greater depth.
The third category is the ‘marvels of scientific and medical imaging,’ for which entrants should capture the wonder of human health in a single image created by a scientific or medical imaging technique.
Images submitted for the competition must be high-resolution files suitable for printing, as winning images will be reproduced, in print; TIFF or high-resolution JPEG formats are preferred.
The competition allows for the following photographic disciplines or scientific or medical imaging techniques:
- Photography (e.g. documentary, clinical, studio, still life)
- Close-up photography (e.g. photomacrography, macro photography, photomicrography)
- Microscopy (e.g. light, electron, super-resolution)
- Medical imaging (e.g. CT, PET, MRI, X-ray, ultrasound, thermography)
- New and emerging science and biomedical imaging technologies
The winner of each category will receive a cash prize of £10,000 while an additional 22 entries from across the three categories will also be awarded £1,000 each.
A panel of high-profile judges will select the top 25 entries from which it will choose the winners of the Wellcome Photography Prize. The judges will be looking for imagery that brings to life the ways health and science influence our lives. The panelists will especially look for work that helps people better understand important health challenges, scientific discoveries, and the role of science in society.
The judges will be looking for three things in the entries: creativity and visual impact, storytelling and relevance, and technical excellence.
Participants are encouraged to read the prize’s ethical photography guidelines, particularly when documenting health, lived experience, and equality.
Closing date for submission of entries is October 21, 2026. Entrants who need clarifications about the prize should write to PhotoPrize@wellcome.org.
For detailed information about the competition and to apply, please visit https://wellcome.org/engagement-and-advocacy/engaging-people/wellcome-photography-prize/enter.
