Everyone’s a winner: Sony World Photography Awards 2026 Open Competition

Stunning examples of colour, texture, vibrancy and movement are key components among the winners of the Sony World Photography Awards.

To mark its 19th edition, the competition judge, Ruby Rees-Sheridan, Assistant Photography Curator, at Britain’s National Portrait Gallery, chose pictures taken in the past year across 10 categories: Architecture, Creative, Landscape, Lifestyle, Motion, Natural World & Wildlife, Object, Portraiture, Street Photography and Travel.

According to the organisers, each single shot was judged on its “power to pique curiosity, spark imagination, and reveal a wider narrative.”

More than 430,000 thousand entries were received from over 200 countries.

The Open Photographer of the Year will be revealed on 16 April at a gala ceremony in London, presented with a €4,000 cash prize and a range of Sony camera equipment.

Check out the winners in each category:

Architecture

An image of a paper mill in Obbola, Sweden, surrounded by layers of shadows, concrete, and clouds on a dark November night.

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Creative

For Lost Hope: a carefully composed portrait, using staged and symbolic elements in a poignant ode to Iranian women.

Landscape

Shapes and Patterns of the Desert: A study of the geometric composition and the rich, warm colours of the Sossusvlei dunes in Namibia.

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Lifestyle

Portrait of Charlotte and Dolly, depicting a young woman and her cow, resting together in a barn to keep cool in summer heat in West Virgin

Motion

Franklin Littlefield took this motion blur shot of a punk concert in Providence, Rhode Island, United States, capturing the dynamism of the moment.

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Natural World & Wildlife

Braving the elements: A blue arctic fox in the Varager Peninsula of Norway is caught alone in blizzard of snow.

Object

Colour Divides depicts the juxtaposition of a blue car against bright green and pink buildings of the Bo-Kaap neighbourhood in South Africa’s Cape Town.

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Portraiture

The Barefoot Volcanologist: A portrait of Phillip, an internationally recognised, self-taught volcano scientist, standing atop a volcanic rock

Street Photography

Between the Lines: A candid, comedic black-and-white photograph of a family at Ørnevegen, Norway.

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Travel

Japan’s lively Abare Festival where men leap into the river as torches blaze, is a traditional celebration passed down through generations.

A selection of winning and shortlisted images will be shown as part of the Sony World Photography Awards exhibition at Somerset House from 17 April – 4 May 2026, and will then travel to other locations.