OVERALL WINNERS 2026 Exhibition 17 April - 4 May 2026

• The Sony World Photography Awards announce the four overall winners of the 2026 competitions: Professional, Open, Student and Youth
• Citlali Fabián receives the prestigious Photographer of the Year title
• The 10 category winners for the Professional competition announced
• Joel Meyerowitz honoured as 2026 Outstanding Contribution to Photography recipient
• 2026 exhibition opens at Somerset House, London from 17 April - 4 May

LONDON, 16 APRIL 2026, 22:00 BST – The Sony World Photography Awards announced today the 2026 overall winners at a gala ceremony in London, bringing together leading figures in the contemporary photography world to honour this year's winners and their achievements.

The prestigious Photographer of the Year 2026 title was awarded to Citlali Fabián for the series Bilha, Stories of my Sisters. Citlali Fabián is a visual artist from the Yalalteca Indigenous community in Mexico currently based in London, who uses photography to explore ways of addressing identity and its connections with territory, migration, and community bonds. Fabián receives a $25,000 (USD) cash prize, a range of Sony Digital Imaging equipment, and the opportunity to present a solo showcase at the Sony World Photography Awards 2027 exhibition.

Fabián was selected from the 10 Professional competition category winners, who were announced at today's ceremony, alongside the 2nd and 3rd place finalists in each category. The evening's programme additionally recognised the overall winners of the Awards' Open, Student and Youth competitions. Also honoured during the course of the evening was this year's Outstanding Contribution to Photography recipient, celebrated photographer Joel Meyerowitz.

Now in their 19th edition, the Sony World Photography Awards set the standard for international photography recognition; an unmissable moment in the global cultural calendar that continues to discover, celebrate and elevate the photographers shaping our visual world. Across this year’s competitions, over 430,000 images from over 200 countries and territories were submitted. Each edition of the Awards brings into focus stories and images with profound resonance, offering an authoritative perspective on the ever-evolving art of photography.

The Sony World Photography Awards 2026 exhibition is on display at Somerset House, London from 17 April – 4 May, presenting over 300 prints and hundreds of images in digital displays, as well as a special presentation by Joel Meyerowitz.

PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR

Citlali Fabián wins for her project Bilha, Stories of my Sisters, which blends carefully crafted photographic portraits with digital illustrations. The series tells the stories of iconic women from Indigenous communities across Oaxaca, Mexico, whose advocacy work generates meaningful impact across a range of spheres: in law, linguistics, the arts and ecology, among others. Conceived as a project to inspire young girls with positive role models, and created through close, sustained collaboration with the women in the photographs, the images in this series highlight their achievements as well as their lived experiences and motivations. The digital drawings applied to the portraits comprise symbols and motifs that reflect the sitters' personal trajectories and celebrate their cultural heritage.

Commenting on her win, Fabián says: ‘It is a massive honour to receive this award for Bilha, Stories of My Sisters, a series that is deeply connected to my heart and my people. I hope this recognition will help to spread the voice not only about my work, but also about the amazing efforts and work of the women in this project. They are truly inspiring and a force of hope for their communities and beyond.’

PROFESSIONAL CATEGORY WINNERS

ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN

WINNER: Joy Saha (Bangladesh)

2nd Place: André Tezza (Brazil)

3rd Place: Chen Liang (China Mainland)

CREATIVE

WINNER: Citlali Fabián (Mexico)

2nd Place: Pablo Ramos (Mexico)

3rd Place: Ben Brooks (United Kingdom)

DOCUMENTARY PROJECTS

WINNER: Santiago Mesa (Colombia)

2nd Place: Colin Delfosse (Belgium)

3rd Place: Alexandre Bagdassarian (France)

ENVIRONMENT

WINNER: Isadora Romero (Ecuador)

2nd Place: Matteo Trevisan (Italy)

3rd Place: Shane Hynan (Ireland)

LANDSCAPE

WINNER: Dafna Talmor (United Kingdom)

2nd Place: Andreas Secci (Germany)

3rd Place: Michael Blann (United Kingdom)

PERSPECTIVES

WINNER: Seungho Kim (Korea, Republic Of)

2nd Place: Hayate Kurisu (Japan)

3rd Place: Fredrik Lerneryd (Sweden)

PORTRAITURE

WINNER: Jean-Marc Caimi & Valentina Piccinni (Italy)

2nd Place: Marisa Reichert (Germany)

3rd Place: Federico Borella (Italy)

SPORT

WINNER: Todd Antony (New Zealand)

2nd Place: Morgan Otagburuago (Nigeria)

3rd Place: Rob Van Thienen (Belgium)

STILL LIFE

WINNER: Vilma Taubo (Norway)

2nd Place: Gargi Sharma (India)

3rd Place: Daniele Vita (Italy)

WILDLIFE & NATURE

WINNER: Will Burrard-Lucas (United Kingdom)

2nd Place: Anita Pouchard-Serra (Argentina)

3rd Place: Wolfgang Dürr (Germany)

To find out more about this year’s winning & finalist projects, visit worldphoto.org.

OPEN PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR

The Open Photographer of the Year 2026 is Elle Leontiev (Australia), who receives a $5,000 (USD) cash prize and Sony Digital Imaging equipment. Leontiev wins for The Barefoot Volcanologist, a striking portrait of Phillip Yamah, an internationally recognised, self-taught volcano scientist, standing atop a volcanic rock bomb on the island of Tanna, Vanuatu.

STUDENT PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR

The Student Photographer of the Year 2026 is Jubair Ahmed Arnob (Bangladesh, Counter Foto - A Center for Visual Arts). His series The Place Where I Used To Play, visually narrates the changing landscape of the Green Model Town in Dhaka, Bangladesh, where urban development is altering daily life and the suburban topography.

YOUTH PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR

The Youth Photographer of the Year 2026 is Philip Kangas (Sweden, 16 years old). He receives the award for Saving History from the Flames, a remarkable image of two firefighters as they carry an artwork out of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Stockholm during a fire, capturing the action and collaboration of the moment.