With nearly half a million entries, the judges must have had a tough job choosing the winners of this year’s Sony World Photography Awards. The competition is now in its 19th edition, and the overall Photographer of the Year 2026 title has been named as Citlali Fabián with the series ‘Bilha, Stories of My Sisters’. The Photographer of the Year winner was chosen from 10 Professional category winners, all of which win Sony digital imaging equipment. As the overall winner, Citlali also wins $25,000.
The competition received a whopping 430,000 entries from over 200 countries and territories, and the latest instalment of the exhibition runs at Somerset House in London until 4 May, and includes more than 300 prints and hundreds of images in digital displays. Tickets can be purchased from worldphoto.org, with AP readers benefiting from an exclusive 15% discount using the code APHOTO15. A book featuring all of the winners is also available to buy if you’re not able to get to the exhibition.
Visit worldphoto.org to see more stunning pictures from the awards, but for now, have a browse through some highlights here:
Bilha, Stories of My Sisters by Citlali Fabián – Photographer of the Year 2026
1st Place, Creative Category, Professional Competition and Sony World Photography Awards Photographer of the Year 2026
Part of the Indigenous Futures network, Mitzy and her colleagues discuss the climate crisis from the vantage point of Indigenous peoples. Mitzy has participated in forums including COP26 and COP30. In the portrait above, Mitzy is shown with her ancestors and future generations putting on a united front to defend their territory.
Yasnaya is an Ayuujk linguist, writer and activist who advocates for language diversity and indigenous rights. Here, Yasnaya is represented with her grandma and great grandma, the pillars of her education and her guides to seeing the world. The ‘ää’ represents the seeds she has planted to protect and preserve her native language.
Citlali Fabián is an artist from the Yalateca Indigenous community in Mexico, but is currently based in London. Fabian uses photography to explore themes of identity alongside territory, migration and community bonds.
As well as winning the title, Fabian received $25,000 in cash, plus a range of Sony camera equipment, as well as the opportunity to display a solo showcase at the next Sony World Photography Awards exhibition in 2027.
The Barefoot Volcanologist by Elle Lontiev – Open Photographer of the Year 2026
1st Place, Portraiture Category, Open Competition and Open Photographer of the Year 2026
The Open Photographer of the Year title is awarded to a photographer who submitted a single image to the Open competition, available to enter by any photographer, whether professional or amateur. The overall winner was selected from the 10 category winners.
The title went to Elle Lontiev from Australia, for The Barefoot Volcanologist, a portrait of. Self-taught volcano scientist standing atop a volcanic rock bomb on the island of Tanna, Vanuatu. Lontiev received $5000, plus Sony equipment.
Philip is an internationally recognised but self-taught volcanologist. Here, he stands barefoot on top of a volcanic rock bomb. He wears a lava-protection suit given to him by some visiting researchers. In the background we see a volcano smouldering, sending a plume of gas and sulphur into the sky. Philip grew up underneath the active volcano, which adds a different context to the portrait.
The Place Where I Used to Play by Jubair Ahmed Arnob – Student Photographer of the Year 2026
Students of photography were invited to submit entries for the Student Photographer of the Year competition on the theme of “Together.” It was awarded to Jubair Ahmed Arnob from Bangladesh for his series The Place Where I Used To Play.
The fish belong in the river, but the river is gone. A man stands in the water, while balloons shaped like dolphins float above, a parody of joy. Nature is replaced by plastic, survival is presented as celebration. Urbanisation turns rivers into markets, creatures into commodities, and memory into something fleeting.
A young family stands in tall grass, children held close, framed by rising buildings. The image evokes resilience and tenderness amid vanishing nature and advancing concrete. The photographer notes, ‘the parents embody adaptation and migration, while their children’s innocence contrasts with looming towers, hinting at hope and uncertain futures.’
Saving History from the Flames by Philip Kangas – Youth Photographer of the Year 2026
The Youth competition, for photographers aged 19 and under, were asked to respond to a simple Open call for their best images of the past year. The winner of that was 16-year-old Philip Kangas from Sweden, for his image Saving History from the Flames.
When a fire broke out in the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in central Stockholm firefighters worked hard to contain the fire and began transporting art pieces to safety.
Outstanding Contribution to Photography – Joel Meyerowitz
Legendary photographer Joel Meyerowitz was awarded the Outstanding Contribution to Photography prize, who has a special section at the London exhibition which includes immersive and mixed-media displays. Find out more about this award here.
More amazing images from the 2026 competition
Ruger by Ben Brooks
3rd Place, Creative Category, Professional Competition
Taken from the series The Palm, On Piru, Ben Brooks’ documents G-Funk and Gangster Rap artists across Piru and Blood-affiliated neighbourhoods in South Central Los Angeles, Compton, Carson and Inglewood. The photographs aim to provide a study of the communities who have been most pivotal to West Coast Hip Hop and Southern California’s parallel gang culture. Here we see Mari Ruger in Compton, California. The work is shot on infrared film, which gives it the distinctive red and pink spectrum appearance.
Col du Tourmalet, France by Michael Blann
3rd Place, Landscape Category, Professional Competition
This is a photopolymer etching from the series Mountain Roads. An ongoing project to document the greatest cycling roads spanning the Alps, Pyrenees, Dolomites, Picos and the Spanish Islands, it is designed to showcase the feats of engineering and construction required to build a route through these formidable climbs.
Marengo by Todd Antony
1st Place, Sport Category, Professional Competition
From the series Buzkashi, Todd Antony takes a look at this ancient sport from Tajikistan. Translated as “goat pulling” in Persian, it is similar to polo, but there are no teams and no boundaries. The “ball” is an eviscerated and headless carcass of a goat – the aim is to seize the item, hold it, and break free. In this picture, we see a rider and their horse. Morengo was the name of Napolean’s horse. Buzkashi matches are said to be reminiscent of battle paintings from the Napoleanic era, with a mass of fighters, horses and dust being kicked up from the ground.
The Partnership by Seungho Kim
1st Place, Perspective Category, Professional Competition
In 2023, South Korea’s birth rate hit a record low at 0.72 children per woman. More than six million households meanwhile include a dog. Speaking of this amusing image from the series Sunny Side Up: A Portrait of the Most Average K-Parenting Today, the photographer says, “The two of them are finally starting to click!”
Black Rhino by Will Burrard-Lucas
1st Place, Wildlife & Nature Category, Professional Competition
An Eastern black rhinoceros is shown moving through a forested river in the Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya at night. In collaboration with the rhino rangers, a remote camera tap was installed to monitor how the individual rhinos were using secluded corridors which link feeding areas and water sources. The image is taken from the series Crossing Point.
Arctic Fox in a Blizzard by Klaus Hellmich
1st Place, Natural World & Wildlife Category, Open Competition
Taken on the Varanger Peninsula in Norway, this is a blue arctic fox. The fox has been caught in a blizzard and stands alone, defiantly braving the wind and the snow.
Men’s Passion by Megumi Murakami
1st Place, Travel Category, Open Competition
Taking place in Japan’s Noto region, the Abare Festival has been running for over 350 years. In this image, we see the finale of the festival, as men lap into the river amid burning torches which send sparks flying. The belief is that the more they rage, the more the deity rejoices.
Sony World Photography Awards 2026 exhibition
- Somerset House, London
- 17 April – 4 May 2026
Get an exclusive 15% discount on exhibition tickets with the code APHOTO15
For more winners and information about the Sony World Photography Awards exhibition please visit worldphoto.org.
More from Sony World Photography Awards
- Photographers around the world recognised in the Sony World Photography Awards
- The best photos from the Sony World Photography Awards – but which will win $25,000?
- Incredible winning photographs revealed by Sony World Photography Awards
- One of the world’s best exhibitions returns this Spring – and we’ve got a ticket discount for you!
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