“Mitzy Violeta Cortez” © Citlali Fabián, Mexico, Photographer of the Year, Professional Competition, Creative, Sony World Photography Awards 2026
Mitzy is part of Indigenous Futures, a network that discusses the climate crisis from the perspective of Indigenous peoples. She has participated in forums including COP26 and COP30. In this portrait, Mitzy is represented with her ancestors and future generations as a united front in the defence of their territory.
The Sony World Photography Awards has announced its 2026 overall winners, and the creative possibilities within the field are on full display. The lauded images include portraiture, landscapes, and compositions that blur the line between photography and fine art. Among the winning photographs emerges the prestigious Photographer of the Year award. In 2026—the 19th edition of the competition—Citlali Fabián won for her series Bilha, Stories of my Sisters.
If Fabián’s name sounds familiar in this competition, it’s because she won the Latin America Professional Award put on by the organization. Her collection of photographs features portraits of inspiring women in southern Mexico and weaves digital illustrations within the overall images. Doing so adds another layer of storytelling while also showcasing the collaboration among activists and artists from Indigenous communities in the region.
“It is a massive honor to receive this award for Bilha, Stories of My Sisters, a series that is deeply connected to my heart and my people,” Fabián says. “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.”
Fabián was selected from the 10 Professional competition category winners, whose photographs rose to the top from the staggering 430,000 images submitted. In addition to the professional categories—such as Environment, Wildlife and Nature, and Perspective—there are additional awards, including the Open Photographer of the Year. Elle Leontiev won for her portrait of Phillip Yamah, a self-taught volcano scientist. Prizes were also awarded for Student Photographer of the Year and Youth Photographer of the Year.
Scroll down to see more winners. Then, visit the official website to see the winners and shortlisted entries across all the contests.
The 2026 Sony World Photography Awards have announced the winners of the professional competition.
“The Barefoot Volcanologist” © Elle Leontiev, Australia, Open Photographer of the Year, Open Competition, Portraiture, Sony World Photography Awards 2026
On the ash plains of Mount Yasur, on the island of Tanna, Vanuatu, Phillip, an internationally recognised, self-taught volcanologist, stands barefoot atop a volcanic rock bomb. Wearing a lava-protection suit gifted to him by some visiting researchers, the volcano smoulders behind him, sending a plume of gas and sulphur into the sky. Phillip grew up beneath the active volcano, and this portrait captures him in his element.
“Untitled” © Dafna Talmor, United Kingdom, Winner, Professional Competition, Landscape, Sony World Photography Awards 2026
Stemming from the photographer's personal archive, this series employs hand-printed and collaged colour negatives that are reconfigured into abstracted landscape representations. Purposefully undisclosed locations—sites that may otherwise be loaded with personal and political connotations—are collaged and repurposed, transforming them into spaces of greater universality. Alluding to idealised and utopian spaces, these staged landscapes reference the histories of photography, from Pictorialist combination printing processes to contemporary discourse, conflating the ‘real’ and the imaginary. In doing so, the work embodies a plurality of viewpoints, playfully defying photographic traditions and Western pictorial conventions that embody singular, fixed, and idealized views.
“The Faithful” © Jean-Marc Caimi & Valentina Piccinni, Italy, Winner, Professional Competition, Portraiture, Sony World Photography Awards 2026
A priest distributes communion during Pope Francis’s funeral mass. Some 4,000 priests concelebrated the mass for approximately 200,000 mourners. Ritual persisted through the institutional transition, with the Eucharist administered regardless of papal presence.
“The Watermelon War” © Seungho Kim, Korea, Republic Of, Winner, Professional Competition, Perspectives, Sony World Photography Awards 2026
Our child is growing faster and faster. The watermelon, which used to be the dog’s favourite treat, no longer belongs to him. Even we, the parents, find ourselves unable to stop our daughter’s insatiable appetite.
“Notes on How to Build a Forest” © Isadora Romero, Ecuador, Winner, Professional Competition, Environment, Sony World Photography Awards 2026
Yessenia Morales is one of the new community leaders of Yunguilla, in the Andean region of the Ecuadorian Chocó.
The 19th edition features 10 winners in the Professional competition category.
“Untitled” © Santiago Mesa, Colombia, Winner, Professional Competition, Documentary Projects, Sony World Photography Awards 2026
Darwin, a young Venezuelan coca leaf picker (raspachín), rests on freshly harvested coca leaves in Putumayo, Colombia, before they are processed. The raspachíne’s work is physically demanding, but the shifts are usually only half a day and are paid in cash. For many migrants, coca harvesting is one of the few reliable sources of income.
“Marengo” © Todd Antony, New Zealand, Winner, Professional Competition, Sport, Sony World Photography Awards 2026
Marengo was the name of Napoleon’s horse, as depicted in the 19th century painting Napoleon Crossing the Alps. Buzkashi matches can be reminiscent of the battle paintings of that period, as a seething morass of fighting players and horses kick up clouds of dust and visceral noise.
“The River Without Fish” © Jubair Ahmed Arnob, Bangladesh, Student Photographer of the Year, Student Competition, Sony World Photography Awards 2026
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.
The competition also awards the Open Photographer of the Year, the Student Photographer of the Year, and the Youth Photographer of the Year.
“Isolated Island Homestead” © Joy Saha, Bangladesh, Winner, Professional Competition, Architecture & Design, Sony World Photography Awards 2026
This isolated, island-like settlement features houses and livestock. The naturally elevated mound stands above the monsoon floodwaters.
“Elephant and Calf” © Will Burrard-Lucas, United Kingdom, Winner, Professional Competition, Wildlife & Nature, Sony World Photography Awards 2026
An African savanna elephant and her calf cross the river together under the cover of darkness. Safe corridors like this are essential for breeding herds, allowing young animals to move between feeding areas and water while avoiding disturbance.
“Saving History from the Flames” © Philip Kangas, Sweden, Youth Photographer of the Year, Youth Competition, Sony World Photography Awards 2026
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.
“Rubber Duck” © Vilma Taubo, Norway, Winner, Professional Competition, Still Life, Sony World Photography Awards 2026
Talking Without Speaking is a series of photographs of everyday objects that have become symbols of protest. Each of the objects can be connected to a specific historical period, a particular rights struggle or a particular country. Some have been intentionally brought to the streets to support a cause, while others have unexpectedly found their place in the public sphere, revealing their symbolic power over time.
