Sure, you might back yourself as a decent photographer, but there are camera-wielding artists out there which snap images that tell emotional stories, shed light on the state of our planet, or completely reframe familiar, everyday objects in striking and eye-catching ways.
On Thursday April 16, those photographers united at the 19th annual Sony World Photography Awards in London, and this year, over 430,000 images from over 200 countries and territories were submitted, with the very best being selected for prizes.
Winner of the prestigious Photographer of the Year 2026 went to Citlali Fabián for the series ‘Bilha, Stories of my Sisters’. Born in Mexico’s Yalalteca Indigenous community but based in London, Fabián used photography to explore cultural identity and pride, and was awarded $25,000, Sony Digital Imaging equipment and the the chance to present a solo showcase at the Sony World Photography Awards 2027 exhibition for her incredibly moving submissions.
However, winners across categories such as wildlife, architecture, and portraiture where selected, too, so below is a flavour of all the winning images from this year’s ceremony.
The winners of the Sony World Photography Awards 2026
Architecture & Design — Homes of Haor, Joy Saha (Bangladesh)
Creative, and winner of Photographer of the Year 2026 — Bilha, Stories of My Sisters, Citlali Fabián (Mexico)
Documentary Projects — Under the Shadow of Coca, Santiago Mesa (Colombia)
Environment — Notes on How to Build a Forest, Isadora Romero (Ecuador)
Landscapes — Constructed Landscapes, Dafna Talmor (United Kingdom)
Perspectives — Sunny Side Up: A Portrait of the Most Average K-Parenting Today, Seungho Kim (South Korea)
Portraiture — The Faithful, Jean-Marc Caimi & Valentina Piccinni (Italy)
Sport — Buzkashi, Todd Antony (New Zealand)
Still Life — Talking Without Speaking Vilma Taubo (Norway)
Wildlife & Nature — Crossing Point, Will Burrard-Lucas (United Kingdom)
Catch this year’s Sony World Photography Awards exhibition at London’s Somerset House from now until May 4. For more information, visit the official website. Oh, and have a look at last year’s winners.
Did you see that Iceland is giving away an all-expenses-paid trip – and €43,000 – to ‘bad photographers’?
Plus: This European summer hotspot has launched a ‘selfie trail’ for tourists.
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