First the contest was held in May 2002. Almost 100 photo amateur took part in the competition. In the show - held during the contest - Georgian professional photographers took part.
The second contest was held in December of the same year. The organization group received about 1000 photos. The number of the photos was caused by wide-format advertising campaign preceding the contest. Informational support was held by leading TV and Radio channels of the country.

The third contest was hosted by three galleries at the same time in December of 2003. There were 1400 competitive photos. 150 winner ones were exhibited in the hosting galleries. At the conclusive party of the contest the KOLGA electronic album and the photo catalogue were presented. Soon the issue of album and the catalogue became the contest tradition. The winner photographers were awarded with several prizes.
In 2003 the first non-competitive prize, the Alexander Roinashvili Award, was instituted by the organizers in collaboration with the National Museum. The award was given out for an outstanding part in the development of Georgian photography to late Evtikhi Jvania, a prominent photographer of the 20th century. The prize was accepted by his son.

The forth contest was arranged in 2004. 2600 photos took part in it. The winner 100 photos were exhibited for a week in National Gallery. The Gala party, held in Hotel Marriot, announced the winner photos in the following nominations: The Portrait, The Architect Landscape, the Series, The Landscape, The Communication (the nomination of the General Sponsor - one of the leading Cellular Companies in Georgia), The Special Prize and The Grand Prize.
In 2004 the Alexander Roinashvili Award was handed out to the deceased Guram Tikanadze. His daughter, Ia Tikanadze, accepted the prize for her father.

The 100 Best Photos of the Year was chosen of 3500 photos taking part in Kolga 2005. There were many photographers participating from several countries, such as: USA, Germany, France, Turkey… The exhibition was organized in the central prospect of Tbilisi that was attended by 1500 persons. The opening ceremony was broadcasted by one of the leading TV channels of the country. The contest moved to the National Gallery. At the Conclusive Party the winners were awarded with several prizes as well as with Prize Money. Kolga 2005 was sponsored by several famous companies and the municipality.
In 2005 the Alexander Roinashvili Award was granted to Simon Kiladze for his share in the development of Georgian photography. Mr. Kiladze has also departed.

The Gala Party of the Kolga 2006 was arranged in Tbilisi Museum of History. The organization group of the contest admits that the number of competitive photos was unusually high. The photos were sent from several countries. The photos distinguished with professional and qualified sense. The exhibition was attended by an incredible number of people.
The exposition of the best 100 photos was held in moulberts – situated proportionally and individually lightened in the bacons of both floors of the museum. In the Hall of the first floor there was placed Tbilisi. The event was worth to admit.
In 2006 a well-known contemporary photographer – Guram Tsibakhashvili was honored with the award.

The winner photos of Kolga 2007 were exhibited in the oval corridors of Tbilisi Big Concert Hall. The visitors were amused with Tbilisi Big Band. The winner photos were chosen by the members of Polish Photo Agency (AF Photos). The winner of Kolga 2007 was Julia Mehls – German Photographer. The contest was sponsored with several leader companies and they awarded the winners with several prizes and Prize Money.
In 2007 photographer Natela Grigalashvili became the first female to accept the award.

Opening ceremony of the Kolga Photo Contest was held in Mtatsminda Park on May 8, 2009. Space of the park provided immense perimeter and adequate lighting for the photo exposition, with musical background by National Symphony Orchestra. On May 14 a closing ceremony was held at the head office of TBC Bank, where five winners of the competition shared prize fund of 5000 GEL. High quality annual photo catalogue was also published.
In 2008 – 09, Iuri Mechitov was the laureate of Aleksander Roinashvili Award for his share in the progress of Georgian photography.

Festive opening ceremony of Kolga 2010 featuring top 100 photos and music by a string quartet was held on Peace Bridge on international Europe Day, while the closing ceremony took place on May 12 on Lisi Lake, on the territory of Lisi Lounge, where especially for guests, a concert by Salome Korkotashvili was also held. Special prizes went to tree authors simultaneously, which were Luiza Chalatashvili, Kakha Kakhiani and Nino Gelovani, the owners of the third prize became Tako Robakidzde and Anka Gujabidze. the second prize went to Nata Sopromadze, while Katalina Bakradze won the main prize. Prize money was 6000 GEL. This amount was divided among the winners. Alaxandre Roinashvili Prize for Special Contribution to Georgian Photography was given to Mirian Kiladze. The prize was established by the Ministry of Culture, Monument Protection and Sport.

The deadline for submission of applications to participate in the 10th Anniversary Kolga Photo Competition ended on March 25. With 300 participants from Georgia and up to 50 from abroad, a total of 4500 photos were submitted to Kolga Photo Competition. In addition to the topic of choice, there also was a special nomination for the Best Conceptual Photo Project. The opening ceremony was held on May 9, 2011 at Tbilisi Central shopping center. The award ceremony took place on May 12. Students of Cologne Institute of Art, Design and Communications (Germany) also participated in this year’s photo competition, while the jury consisted of Wolfgang Zurborn, German photographer and Tina Schelhorn, photo critic and gallery owner. They paid a visit to Tbilisi on May 8 and conducted a seminar for the participants of Kolga Photo Competition. Additionally, traditional events planned within the framework of the festival were also held: at the closing ceremony, Alexander Roinashvili Award, a noncompetitive award for the special contribution to the development of Georgian photography was given to the late Alexander Saakov by the representatives of The Ministry of Culture and Monument Protection of Georgia. Prize of 5000 GEL allocated by Tbilisi City Hall, was equally divided among the winners of the competition. A high-quality photo catalogue was printed, which was distributed among the participants of the competition and its partner organizations. Partners of the competition were Tbilisi City Hall, TBC Bank, the Ministry of Culture and Monument Protection of Georgia, the Photo World Company, Georgian Public Broadcasting, Radio Utsnobi, Prime Time newspaper, and Tbilisi Central shopping center... The opening and closing ceremonies of the Kolga Photo Competition were accompanied by the music of the electronic band Okinawa Lifestyle.