Charlotte and Dolly, Winner Lifestyle category; Charlotte lies with her cow Dolly, keeping cool in the barn at the 100th State Fair of West Virginia. Outside, the temperature was upwards of 32°C.
Vanta Coda, U.S. – Sony World Photography Awards 2026
The Sony World Photography Awards has released the 10 category winners and shortlisted photos of the 2026 Open Competition.
Now in its 19th year, the Open competition awards the best single images taken in the last year, “celebrating the power of an individual image to pique curiosity, spark imagination, and reveal a wider narrative.”
The winners and shortlists represent a diverse range of photographs, from striking landscapes to thoughtful portraits, and both captivating and humorous scenes from nature.
Forbes20 Amazing Professional Photos: Finalists Of Sony World Photography AwardsBy Cecilia Rodriguez
More than 430,000 images from 200+ countries and territories were submitted across the 2026 awards, underscoring the competition’s global reach. Free to enter and open to photographers worldwide, the Open Competition’s 10 categories including Architecture, Creative, Landscape, Lifestyle, Motion, Natural World and Wildlife, Object, Portraiture and street Photography.
The winner of the Sony World Photography Awards’ Open Photographer of the Year title will receive a $5,000 cash prize and a range of Sony Digital Imaging equipment and will be announced on 16 April at an Awards ceremony in London.
Forbes20 Award-Winning Photos From Sony World Photography CompetitionBy Cecilia Rodriguez
The 2026 winning and shortlisted photographs will be exhibited at Somerset House in London from April 17 to May 4 before touring internationally.
Natural World & Wildlife
Arctic Fox in Blizzard, Winner Natural World & Wildlife category; Varanger Peninsula, Norway
Klaus Hellmich, Germany – Sony World Photography Awards 2026
A blue arctic fox braves the whipping wind and snowy blizzard on Norway’s Varanger Peninsula.
Crowning of the King, Shortlisted, Open Competition, Natural World & Wildlife category
Huajin Sun, China – Sony World Photography Awards 2026
At dawn, the newly victorious ‘milu king’ stands tall and roars triumphantly among a resting herd of does. Behind him, the rising sun highlights his silhouette — crowning his untamed power.
Waving Squirrel, Shortlist,ed Open Competition, Natural World & Wildlife category
Stan Bouman, Netherlands – Sony World Photography Awards 2026
It took the photographer more than 40 hours and 4,000 exposures to get this photograph of a waving squirrel – or was it preparing a martial arts move? But Stan Bouman’s patience was rewarded.
The Jackal and the Vulture, Shortlisted, Bulgaria
Tim Munsey, UK – Sony World Photography Awards 2026
A griffon vulture enters battle with a golden jackal in the mountains of Bulgaria.
Shortlisted, Open Competition, Natural World & Wildlife category. Charlecote in Warwickshire, UK.
Samuel Round, UK – Sony World Photography Awards 2026
As much as it appears to be posing for a painting, this deer was photographed at Charlecote in Warwickshire, U.K.,
Motion In Sony World Photography
Queuing for departure, Shortlisted, Open Competition, Motion category
Martin Schmid, Austria – Sony World Photography Awards 2026
Gentoo penguins queue for their turn to jump into the Antarctic Sea.
Beyond the Rules, Shortlisted, Open Competition, Motion category
Takeru Marui, Japan – Sony World Photography Awards 2026
In Japanese sumo, wrestlers throw salt onto the ring as a sacred ritual to purify the dohyō and to pray for the safety of the rikishi, or “gentleman of strength.” I
n this photograph, salt appears to be thrown toward the referee. However, this did not become a serious issue, as it was a demonstration intended to explain sumo rules and traditions while entertaining the audience. The moment was filled with both powerful energy and humor.
Creative Sony World Photography Awards
Lost Hope, Winner, Open Competition, Creative category
Siavosh Ejlali, Iran – Sony World Photography Awards 2026
In this image, the photographer describes how the black plastic covering most of the woman’s face is a sign of “dark thoughts and the imposition of beliefs,” while the red balloon falling to the ground could be “her lost hope.”
The background evokes Iranian urban society, which has be”en the setting for the recent demonstrations involving Iranian women, noting that “the red clothes and lips are the bloody price that women have paid.”
Sacred Bond, Shortlisted, Open Competition, Creative category
Claudia Behrensen, Argentina – Sony World Photography Awards 2026
This image was taken in Villa Epecuén, a small coastal village in Argentina that was under water for almost 30 years after a nearby dam collapsed in a storm. The photographer set the scene with a large-scale print of a photograph of a forest, contrasted with the dead trees on the beach.
The Beauty of Edo. Shortlisted, Open Competition, Creative category
Chukwudebelu Ojekwe, Nigeria, – Sony World Photography Awards 2026
A striking figure serves as an homage to the grandeur of the Kingdom of Benin, where power, heritage and divinity intertwine. Red symbolizes the sacred essence of royalty and the bloodline of warriors, while green represents the fertility of the land and the endurance of its people, and gold echoes the kingdom’s artistic and spiritual wealth.
Life Style & Portraits Of The Sony World Photography
Milk and Muscle, Shortlisted Open Competition, Lifestyle category
Anita Clark & Paul Wenham-Clarke, – Sony World Photography Awards 2026
Three young mothers in their rugby kit stand after the final whistle has blown, each breastfeeding her baby. This tableau of strength and nurture, muscle and milk, competition and care shows a sporting world where motherhood isn’t an interruption but part of the playbook.
Comparsas, Shortlisted, Open Competition, Lifestyle category
Camila de Medeiros Fantinel, Brazil – Sony World Photography Awards 2026
Gauchos prepare a traditional barbecue over an open fire, one of the greatest traditions of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, that dates back to the cattle drivers who saw in this practice a simple way to have their meals during the long work of moving cattle.
The Barefoot Volcanologist, Winner Portraiture category
Elle Leontiev, Australia – Sony World Photography Awards 2026
On the ash plains of Mount Yasur on the island of Tanna, Vanuatu, Phillip, a self-taught, internationally respected volcanologist, wears a lava-protection suit given to him by visiting researchers while perching barefoot atop a volcanic rock. The volcano smolders behind him, sending a plume of gas and sulphur into the sky.
Phillip grew up at the base of the active Yasur volcano, in his village on Tanna. This portrait captures him in his element.
Second Skin, Shortlisted, Open Competition, Portraiture category
Mondo Love, UK – Sony World Photography Awards 2026
Mondo Love specializes in portraits — and this one beautifully illustrates his skill, made in an unusual setting.
Travel, Landscapes & Objects
Men’s Passion, Winner Travel category
Megumi Murakami, Japan – Sony World Photography Awards 2026
The Abare Festival has been passed down for 350 years in Japan’s Noto region. The image captures the festival’s finale, as men leap into the river amid fiercely burning torches that send sparks flying everywhere. They rampage wildly, believing the more they rage, the more the deity rejoices.
At the Camel Fair, Shortlisted, Open Competition, Travel category
Swati Biswas Guha, India – Sony World Photography Awards 2026
A Banjaran girl observes the activities at the Pushkar Camel Fair, which is held annually in Rajasthan, India.
Snowfall in the Buddhist Kingdom, Shortlisted, Open Competition, Travel category
Liping Jiang, China – Sony World Photography Awards 2026
The first snow gently falls on the crimson monk quarters at China’s Buddhist Kingdom, contrasting with the vermilion walls. Amid the empty spaces left by red and white lies the serenity of the Buddhist realm.
Color Divides, Winner Object category
Robby Ogilvie, UK – Sony World Photography Awards 2026
Taken in the Bo-Kaap neighborhood of Cape Town, South Africa, this image centers on a parked car set against a sharply divided colourful facade. The composition balances geometry and saturation; everyday architecture becomes graphic and deliberate, reflecting how color and place shape urban identity.
The Unintended Gaze, Shortlisted, Open Competition, Object category
Soomin Park, Korea – Sony World Photography Awards 2026
Among the rows of drying fish, one eye appeared distinctly red, catching the light differently from the rest. This detail disrupts the visual order, introducing a moment of unease in an otherwise repetitive and static scene.
This image was taken on a rainy spring afternoon at an empty market.
Shapes and Patterns of the Desert, Winner Landscape category
J Fritz Rumpf, U.S. – Sony World Photography Awards 2026
An early morning glow brings out the rich pastel colors of the Sossusvlei dunes in Namibia. The contrast of the green and delicate peach colors almost overwhelms the senses; the patterns and textures emerging from the shadows give the landscape a distinctive, painterly look.
Symphony of Wings, Shortlisted, Open Competition, Landscape category
Jassen Todorov, U.S – Sony World Photography Awards 2026
Each winter, thousands of migratory birds — geese, ducks, egrets and herons — transform Northern California into a sanctuary of sound and motion. This photograph captures the migration from above, and was taken from the photographer’s single-engine plane.
The Sony World Photography Awards started in 2007 and remains one of the world’s largest and most prestigious photography competitions celebrating the work of leading and emerging practitioners.
You can see all the categories’ winners and shortlisted images here.
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