The Sony World Photography Awards 2026 has announced the overall winners of its 19th edition, celebrating outstanding achievements in contemporary photography across the Professional, Open, Student, and Youth competitions. Organized by the World Photography Organisation, the awards remain one of the most influential global platforms for photographers, bringing together visual stories from more than 200 countries and territories.
This year’s competition received more than 430,000 images worldwide. The overall winners were revealed at a gala ceremony in London, where Mexican visual artist Citlali Fabián was named Photographer of the Year 2026 for her series "Bilha, Stories of My Sisters". The awards also honored celebrated American photographer Joel Meyerowitz with the 2026 Outstanding Contribution to Photography award.
Citlali Fabián’s winning project, "Bilha, Stories of My Sisters", blends photographic portraiture with digital illustration to portray influential Indigenous women from Oaxaca, Mexico. Created through close collaboration with the women photographed, the series explores identity, community, territory, migration, and cultural heritage. As Photographer of the Year, Fabián receives a $25,000 prize, Sony Digital Imaging equipment, and a solo presentation at the Sony World Photography Awards 2027 exhibition.
The Open Photographer of the Year 2026 award went to Elle Leontiev of Australia for "The Barefoot Volcanologist", a portrait of self-taught volcanologist Phillip Yamah standing on volcanic rock on Tanna Island, Vanuatu. The Student Photographer of the Year award was presented to Jubair Ahmed Arnob of Bangladesh for "The Place Where I Used to Play", a poetic series on urban change in Dhaka. The Youth Photographer of the Year award went to 16-year-old Philip Kangas of Sweden for "Saving History from the Flames", an image showing firefighters rescuing artworks during a fire in Stockholm.
The 10 Professional competition category winners were also announced, highlighting a wide range of contemporary photography practices, from documentary storytelling and constructed landscapes to sports, portraiture, still life, and environmental work.
In the Professional competition, Joy Saha of Bangladesh won Architecture & Design for "Homes of Haor", while Citlali Fabián of Mexico won Creative for "Bilha, Stories of My Sisters". Santiago Mesa of Colombia received the Documentary Projects award for "Under the Shadow of Coca", and Isadora Romero of Ecuador won Environment for "Notes on How to Build a Forest".
The Landscape category was awarded to Dafna Talmor of the United Kingdom for "Constructed Landscapes", while Seungho Kim of the Republic of Korea won Perspectives for "Sunny Side Up: A Portrait of the Most Average K-Parenting Today". Jean-Marc Caimi and Valentina Piccinni of Italy won Portraiture for "The Faithful", Todd Antony of New Zealand won Sport for "Buzkashi", Vilma Taubo of Norway won Still Life for "Talking Without Speaking", and Will Burrard-Lucas of the United Kingdom won Wildlife & Nature for "Crossing Point".
The Professional competition also recognized second- and third-place finalists across all categories, including China Mainland photographer Chen Liang, who received third place in Architecture & Design. This broad international recognition reflects the awards’ role in connecting established photographers, emerging artists, and new visual voices across cultures.
The Sony World Photography Awards 2026 exhibition is open at Somerset House, London, from 17 April to 4 May, presenting more than 300 prints and hundreds of digital images, alongside a special presentation dedicated to Joel Meyerowitz. More information about the winners, shortlisted photographers, exhibitions, and future competition opportunities is available at worldphoto.org.
The Sony World Photography Awards continues to serve as a major international photography competition, spotlighting powerful visual narratives that explore identity, place, community, environment, memory, and the changing world.
