The Sony World Photography Awards announce today the jury and London exhibition dates for the 19th edition.
Established in 2007, the Sony World Photography Awards champion contemporary photography’s most compelling stories. One of the world’s most prestigious platforms for photography, each year the Awards celebrate the defining images and narratives shaping our visual culture, and provide photographers with unparalleled international exposure and recognition.
Organised by Creo under its photography strand the World Photography Organisation, the Awards are partnered with Sony to support the continued development of photographic culture by giving a global platform to today’s talent. Entry to the Awards is completely free and photographers are judged anonymously by a panel of industry-leading judges.
2026 JUDGES
Following a successful 2025 edition – which saw over 419,000 images entered into the competition – and now in their 19th year, the internationally acclaimed Awards welcome back Monica Allende for her third year as Chair of the Jury for the Professional Competition and curator of the London exhibition at Somerset House.
Joining Allende is a panel of leading figures from across the photography industry, each contributing their unique expertise and insight into the medium. The 2026 jury comprises:
Professional competition:
- Monica Allende, Independent Curator and Photography Consultant, Chair of the Jury
- Daniel Brena, Director, Centro de las Artes de San Agustín, Mexico
- Yumi Goto, Independent Curator, Editor, Researcher and Publisher, Japan
- Zack Hatfield, Managing Editor, Aperture magazine, USA
- Paul Ninson, Founder and Executive Director, Dikan Center, Ghana
- Bindi Vora, Artist and Senior Curator, Autograph, UK
Open & Youth competitions: Ruby Rees-Sheridan, Assistant Curator, Photography, National Portrait Gallery, UK
Student competition: Tess Raimbeau, Photo Editor, Libération, France
2026 LONDON EXHIBITION AND 2025 TRAVELLING EXHIBITION DATES
The Sony World Photography Awards 2026 exhibition opens at Somerset House, London from 17 April to 4 May 2026. A fixture of the annual photography calendar, the celebrated London exhibition – curated by Monica Allende – features a selection of winning and shortlisted images from the 2026 Awards, as well as special presentations by the 2025 Photographer of the Year Zed Nelson and this year’s Outstanding Contribution to Photography recipient, who will be announced in November.
Following the London exhibition, subsequent presentations in the spring in Tokyo and an ongoing exhibition in Milan, Italy (until 28 September 2025), the Sony World Photography Awards 2025 exhibition travels next to Berlin, Germany (16 October 2025 – 18 January 2026).
To find out more about our exhibitions, please visit worldphoto.org/exhibition.
2026 DEADLINES AND PRIZES
The Sony World Photography Awards opened to submissions on 1 June 2025. Full competition and category descriptions can be found at worldphoto.org.
Deadlines for submission across the Awards’ four competitions are:
Professional: 13 January 2026, 13:00 GMT
Open: 6 January 2026, 13:00 GMT
Student: 28 November 2025, 13:00 GMT
Youth: 6 January 2026, 13:00 GMT
All category winners of the Professional, Open, Youth and Student competitions will receive digital imaging equipment from Sony. In addition, cash prizes of $25,000 (USD) will be presented to the Photographer of the Year, $5,000 (USD) to the Open Photographer of the Year and $5,000 (USD) to the winner of the Sustainability Prize. The winner of the Photographer of the Year title will also be rewarded with a solo presentation of their work as part of the Sony World Photography Awards exhibition in London the following year. All winning and shortlisted photographers’ works will be exhibited at the annual Sony World Photography Awards exhibition in London and will then be toured internationally. The winning images will also be published in the annual Awards’ book. Returning for a second year, Insights is an additional prize element that sees the 10 Professional category winners joining a day of tailored sessions in London from commercial, to curatorial, and institutional guidance with leading industry figures, discussing ways to continue to widen the photographers’ platforms and to find new opportunities to showcase their work.
For more information about the Sony World Photography Awards and upcoming announcements and events, please visit worldphoto.org.
