A collage of three photos: a natural rock arch under a starry sky, a close-up of a frog with a red and black belly, and three people in hats working near water with mist and trees in the background.

The Sony World Photography Awards unveiled the winners and shortlisted photographers for its 2026 National and Regional Awards, showcasing and celebrating the exceptional photographic talent across the globe.

The 2026 Sony World Photography Awards ceremony is just under a month away, and the competition organizers have been regularly sharing shortlisted and winning photographers during the lead-up. A month ago, the Sony World Photography Awards unveiled their Open Competition winners, and just a couple of weeks ago, the 2026 Professional competition finalists were announced. The overall winner, Photographer of the Year, will be crowned at the Sony World Photography Awards ceremony on April 16 at Somerset House in London.

Photographers from more than 200 countries and territories entered over 430,000 photos in this year’s Sony World Photography Awards. Of these, National and Regional Award winners were chosen from the Open, Professional, and Student competitions. All single country National Award winners and 1st Place Regional Award winners will be featured in the 2026 Sony World Photography Awards exhibition and will receive a prize kit of Sony Digital Imaging equipment.

Professional Competition National and Regional Award Winners

The Professional competition includes multiple national and regional awards, including the Latin America Professional Award, the Japan National Award, and, new for 2026, the India National Award.

Mexican photographer Citlali Fabian won the Latin America Professional Award for “Bilha, Stories of my Sister,” which combines portraits and digital illustrations to bring to the fore the stories of inspiring women in southern Mexico. Fabian collaborated with activists and artists from Indigenous communities in the region for the award-winning work.

A woman in traditional clothing stands outdoors among large plants. White, hand-drawn outlines of two women and oversized leaves surround her, with small blue and green dots scattered throughout the scene.Latin America Professional Award Winner — Citlali Fabian (Mexico) | Sony World Photography Awards 2026
A woman stands by a river with one fist raised, wearing a skirt and a t-shirt. The black-and-white photo is enhanced with colorful illustrations of women raising fists, symbolizing strength and unity, surrounding her.Latin America Professional Award Winner — Citlali Fabian (Mexico) | Sony World Photography Awards 2026

Photographers Mária Fernanda García Freire (Ecuador) and André Tezza (Brazil) finished second and third in the category.

Avijit Ghosh won the new India National Award for the series “Keepers of Mangroves,” which focuses on a group of widowed women in Dayapur, India, who lost their husbands to tiger attacks. The women have dedicated themselves to restoring tigers’ natural mangrove habitats to reduce violent encounters between people and tigers.

A woman in a pink and red sari stands outdoors on the left; on the right, a close-up of her hand holds an uprooted plant with roots against a white background.India National Award Winner — Avijit Ghosh | Sony World Photography Awards 2026 A group of women in colorful saris sit together outdoors near a river, surrounded by trees, with bowls of shellfish in front of them, talking and working.India National Award Winner — Avijit Ghosh | Sony World Photography Awards 2026

Photographer Hayate Kurisu won the Japan National Award for the series “Living Photographs.” This series documents Kurisu and his wife’s experience losing a child to stillbirth. Kurisu intimately captures his own tragedy and the process of grief through culture, tradition, time, art, and landscape.

A person lies in a hospital bed, eyes closed, with hospital bracelets on their wrist and medical equipment attached to their arm, covered by a blanket and resting their head on a pillow.Japan National Award Winner — Hayate Kurisu | Sony World Photography Awards 2026
A young child sleeps peacefully on a bed with a patterned pillow featuring a doll design beside them. A box with various items sits nearby on a tatami mat floor. The scene is in black and white.Japan National Award Winner — Hayate Kurisu | Sony World Photography Awards 2026 European Student Award

Another new addition to the 2026 Sony World Photography Awards is the European Student Award. This honor recognizes excellent student projects and amplifies emerging voices across Europe from this year’s broader, global Student competition.

German photographer Teresa Halbreiter, from the University of Applied Sciences Hamburg, took the top prize for her series “Stillgestanden (‘Attention’).” This series explores how women in the German Armed Forces navigate femininity in a male-dominated field that often celebrates masculine ideals of strength and toughness.

A close-up of two hands: one person gripping another person's forearm and wrist, lifting their clenched fist upright against a plain, neutral background.European Student Award Winner — Teresa Halbreiter (Germany) | Sony World Photography Awards 2026 Two young women in blue athletic outfits sit back-to-back on a black box, looking directly at the camera with serious expressions against a plain background.European Student Award Winner — Teresa Halbreiter (Germany) | Sony World Photography Awards 2026

Bennet Böckstiegel (Germany, Ostkreuzschule für Fotografie), Laurie Broughton (UK, University of West England), Laura Anna Rossa (Belgium, LUCA School of Arts Sint Lukas Brussels), and Albert Słowiński (Poland, Academy of Art in Szczecin) were the four shortlisted photographers.

Open Competition

In the Open Competition, photographers from 25 countries and regions were awarded. Below is a selection of the winning photos. The complete gallery of all winning photographers is available on the Sony World Photography Awards website.

A close-up photo of a black and pink-bellied frog with spotted skin, sitting on mossy ground against a dark, black background. The frog is facing the camera with its large eyes visible.Latin America Regional Award Winner — Juan Jacobo Castillo Barrera (Colombia) | Sony World Photography Awards 2026 A woman wearing a taupe hijab and dark clothing gazes softly at the camera against a dark, shadowy background. Soft lighting highlights her serene expression.Republic of Korea Winner — Heun Jung Kim | Sony World Photography Awards 2026 A silhouette of a leopard leaping from a tree branch against a dramatic, cloudy sky at sunset. The scene is in black and white, highlighting the contrast between the animal and the background.South Africa Winner — Greg du Toit | Sony World Photography Awards 2026 A man in traditional clothing rides a galloping horse along a gravel road, with blurred spectators and rocky mountains in the background.Nepal Winner — Ajay Maharjan | Sony World Photography Awards 2026 An older man in traditional attire with ornate patterns, wearing a fur hat and coat, stands outdoors in a grassy plain under a blue sky.Mongolia Winner — Jargalsaikhan Bayarkhand | Sony World Photography Awards 2026 Three people wearing traditional hats fish with baskets on the roots of large trees over water, surrounded by mist and illuminated by beams of sunlight filtering through dense branches.Myanmar Winner — Kyaw Zayar Lin | Sony World Photography Awards 2026 A natural sandstone arch stands under a starry night sky with the Milky Way visible above, surrounded by rocky formations and a faint orange glow on the horizon.Saudi Arabia Winner — Khalid Alsabt | Sony World Photography Awards 2026
A church with a tall steeple stands on a small island in a lake, surrounded by trees and mountains in the background, viewed through leafy branches.Kuwait Winner — Meshaal Alawadhi | Sony World Photography Awards 2026 A person walks alone on rolling sand dunes under a blue misty sky, with scattered trees and small buildings in the distance, creating a tranquil and dreamlike landscape.Pakistan Winner — Muhammad Asmar Hussain | Sony World Photography Awards 2026 A green praying mantis is perched on top of a spiky thistle flower, both illuminated against a dark, black background.Kazakhstan Winner — Nelya Rachkova | Sony World Photography Awards 2026 A person with eyes closed wears a crown of red and white flowers and has white face paint in dotted patterns. They touch their neck gently, dressed in colorful striped fabric. Light filters through, creating a textured overlay.Indonesia Winner — R. Eko Hardiyanto | Sony World Photography Awards 2026 A vibrant nautilus floats near the ocean surface, its striped shell and tentacles visible in clear blue water with sunlight illuminating coral and sandy seabed below.Thailand Winner — Pattarin Tridboongkrong | Sony World Photography Awards 2026 Black and white photo of an elderly man with a beard, partially covered and surrounded by long, thick strands of dried grass or fibers, creating a striking frame around his face.Bangladesh Winner — Pinu Rahman | Sony World Photography Awards 2026 Two women in colorful, traditional attire sit on a wooden bench, focusing on an object in their hands. They wear ornate headpieces and embroidered dresses, with an old wooden building as the background.Taiwan Winner — Wei-Cheng Tsai | Sony World Photography Awards 2026
A man leans against a stone wall beside a fence, holding a pink balloon. Next to him is a large, colorful bunch of balloons and inflatable toys. A green bag rests on the wall behind him.Egypt Winner — Yousef Naser | Sony World Photography Awards 2026 A seaside market scene with men in traditional Middle Eastern attire, camels, sacks of goods, spices, and colorful pottery displayed on the sand. Boats float on the water in the background under a cloudy sky.Qatar Winner — Mohamed Nageeb | Sony World Photography Awards 2026 A silhouette of a person sitting in a small boat on calm water at sunset, with a vibrant orange sky and distant mountains in the background.Philippines Winner — Rafael Salvador Ybañez | Sony World Photography Awards 2026 More From the Sony World Photography Awards

The 2026 Sony World Photography Awards ceremony is on April 16 at Somerset House in London, where the overall winner will be unveiled, and all the other winners named so far will be celebrated. The Sony World Photography Awards exhibit starts on April 17 and runs through May 4.

Image credits: Sony World Photography Awards, World Photography Organisation