2026 JURY AND EXHIBITION ANNOUNCED

(MENAFN- Atteline) * Judges for the 19th edition of the Sony World Photography Awards announced;
* Monica Allende returns for third year as Professional competition Jury Chair and London exhibition curator;
* 2026 exhibition opens at Somerset House, London from 17 April - 4 May 2026;
* 2025 travelling exhibition on view in Milan until 28 September and opening in Berlin on 16 October.

DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES, 18 SEPTEMBER 2025 - 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
8 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, 17:00 GST
Open: 6 January 2026, 17:00 GST
Student: 28 November 2025, 17:00 GST
Youth: 6 January 2026, 17:00 GST

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.

NOTES TO EDITORS

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A selection of press images is available to download on press.creoarts.com.

SONY WORLD PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS

Produced by Creo under its photography strand the World Photography Organisation, the internationally acclaimed Sony World Photography Awards is one of the most important fixtures in the global photographic calendar. Now in its 19th year, the free-to-enter Awards are a global voice for photography and provide a vital insight into contemporary photography today. For both established and emerging artists, the Awards offer world-class opportunities for exposure of their work. The Awards additionally recognise the world’s most influential artists working in the medium through the Outstanding Contribution to Photography award; previous recipients include William Eggleston (2013), Mary Ellen Mark (2014), Martin Parr (2017), Graciela Iturbide (2021), Edward Burtynsky (2022), Sebastião Salgado (2024) and Susan Meiselas (2025). The Awards showcase the works of winning and shortlisted photographers at a prestigious annual exhibition at Somerset House, London. worldphoto.org/exhibition

WORLD PHOTOGRAPHY ORGANISATION

World Photography Organisation is a leading global platform dedicated to the development and advancement of photographic culture. Its programming and competition initiatives provide valuable opportunities for artists working in photography and help broaden the conversation around their work. The Sony World Photography Awards is the World Photography Organisation’s principal programme. Established in 2007, it is one of the world’s biggest and most prestigious photography competitions; celebrating the work of leading and emerging practitioners and attracting tens of thousands of visitors annually to its exhibitions worldwide. World Photography Organisation is the photography strand of Creo, which initiates events and programming across three sectors: photography, film and contemporary art. worldphoto

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CREO

Creo initiates and organises events and programming across three key strands: photography, film and contemporary art. Established in 2007 as World Photography Organisation, Creo has since grown in scope, furthering its mission of developing meaningful opportunities for creatives and expanding the reach of its cultural activities. Today, its flagship projects include the Sony World Photography Awards, Sony Future Filmmaker Awards, PHOTOFAIRS and Photo London. Working in partnership with Angus Montgomery Arts (AMA), Creo helps deliver the group’s ventures, comprising some of the world’s leading art fairs. Taking its name from the Latin for ‘I create’, it is in this spirit that Creo sets out to empower and give agency to creative voices. creoarts

SONY GROUP CORPORATION

Sony Group Corporation is a creative entertainment company with a solid foundation of technology. From Game & Network Services to Music, Pictures, Electronics Products & Solutions, Imaging & Sensing Solutions and Financial Services - Sony's purpose is to fill the world with emotion through the power of creativity and technology. For more information, visit: sony.com/en

SONY CORPORATION

Sony Corporation is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation and is responsible for the Entertainment, Technology & Services (ET&S) business. With the mission to “create the future of entertainment through the power of technology together with creators,” we aim to continue to deliver Kando* to people around the world. For more information, visit: sony

*Kando is a Japanese word that roughly translates to the sense of awe and emotion you feel when experiencing something beautiful and amazing for the first time.

About Sony Middle East and Africa:  

Sony Middle East and Africa FZE is a 100% subsidiary of Sony Corporation and is the regional headquarters for the Middle East and Africa regions. The company is engaged in the business of Sony Consumer Electronics, Mobile Electronics (Car Audio), broadcasting and professional products and Computer Entertainment (PlayStation) products in more than 40 countries in the region.  

Apart from stock operations in the Jebel Ali Free Zone Establishment in Dubai, Sony Middle East and Africa leads execution of various logistics, sales, marketing, advertising and customer services activities through its business partners. 353 accredited third-party service centres reinforce Sony’s presence in key markets in the region.  

2026 JUDGES

Monica Allende is a curator, creative director, consultant, and educator with a distinguished international career in contemporary photography and visual storytelling. She is the Creative Director of The Blue Skies Project, a multidisciplinary collaboration with artist Anton Kusters currently on display at the V&A. Allende is also curating the annual Sony World Photography Awards exhibition at Somerset House and is working as Creative Director with Laia Abril on a new project exploring women political prisoners. Previously, she was the Photo Editor at The Sunday Times Magazine, where she launched Spectrum, its award-winning photography section. A passionate advocate for emerging and established visual storytellers, Allende regularly serves as a juror for international awards and artists’ residencies. She advises on curatorial practices and currently sits on the Boards of Trustees and advisory boards of The Photographers’ Gallery (London) and the Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation.

Daniel Brena is a curator and director based in Oaxaca, Mexico. He leads the Centro de las Artes de San Agustín (CaSa) and previously directed the Centro Fotográfico Manuel Álvarez Bravo. His work explores the intersection of public space and local culture, with several publications on the visual and narrative identity of Oaxaca. He is currently preparing an exhibition on the use of X-rays in Mexican photography. A nominator for the Prix Pictet and juror for various awards, he has also taught cultural management at La Salle University.

Yumi Goto is an independent curator, editor, researcher, and publisher based in Japan. She works extensively with emerging and established photographers, collaborating on long-term documentary projects that explore storytelling through photography, with particular attention to conflict, human rights, and questions of gender and social justice. Her practice spans curation, photobook editing and publishing, as well as education, mentorship, and consulting. She has served as a juror, nominator, and reviewer for numerous international photography awards and festivals. She co-founded the Reminders Photography Stronghold (RPS) in Tokyo, a space dedicated to nurturing photographic authorship and visual literacy through exhibitions, workshops, mentorship, and publishing. As an extension of this practice, she also established RPS Kyoto Paperoles, a space for artistic production and critical dialogue.

Zack Hatfield is the managing editor of Aperture magazine. He worked previously as a senior editor of Artforum. His writing has appeared in Artforum, Bookforum, 4Columns, the New York Review of Books, The Guardian, and the New York Review of Architecture, and as a freelancer he has worked on various museum catalogues, artist projects, and books. Since joining Aperture in 2024, he has regularly contributed reviews to the magazine, and in 2025 he juried Aperture’s Portfolio Prize. He lives in Brooklyn.

Paul Ninson is a founder, executive director, scholar, and curator. He is the visionary behind Africa’s largest photography library, housed within the Dikan Center in Accra, Ghana. Founded in 2022, Dikan is a pioneering non-profit dedicated to shaping the next generation of Africa’s creative leaders through exhibitions, international internships, and the Photojournalism and Documentary Practice Program, where Paul also serves as an instructor. Paul studied Industrial Art at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology and was later awarded a scholarship to the prestigious Documentary Practice and Visual Journalism program at the International Center of Photography in New York. While in New York, he collected over 20,000 photography books, forming the basis of Dikan’s library. He has worked with global organizations, including Humans of New York where he served as a producer and photo editor, and is a scholar at the University of Pennsylvania.

Tess Raimbeau started working as a Photo Editor at Libération in 2015 and is now responsible for the international pages. After studying political science and journalism, she started working at the prestigious photography magazine 6Mois, before spending a year as Editorial Manager at Agence Myop. She is committed to promoting documentary photography and renewing the aesthetic of Libération, launching major reports abroad and diversifying the roster of reporters working for the newspaper. She closely follows contemporary trends in image-making and regularly sits on juries. In keeping with the new generation, she uses social media on a daily basis in her work, both to discover new visions and to share behind-the-scenes insights into her role as a photo editor. Born in Paris in 1989, Tess is a French-American dual citizen.

Ruby Rees-Sheridan is Assistant Curator of Photography at the National Portrait Gallery, London, where she works on acquisitions, collection displays and exhibitions, including the Taylor Wessing Photo Portrait Prize 2024 and 2025. As Curatorial Coordinator at Four Corners Gallery since 2017, she has championed emerging photographers while exploring radical and alternative histories of the medium. Recent exhibitions include Daniel Meadows: Shuttles, Steam and Soot (2025), Working Lives (2024), Photography on the Move: The Half Moon Touring Shows 1976–84 (2023) and Photographing Protest: Resistance Through a Feminist Lens (2022). Alongside, she has produced exhibitions for festivals across the UK, and writes on photography.

Bindi Vora is an interdisciplinary artist of Kenyan Indian heritage and senior curator at Autograph, London. She is interested in how ideas of resistance and resilience are shaped by our surroundings, personal histories and lived experiences. She has curated a number of exhibitions, most recently I Still Dream of Lost Vocabularies and Eileen Perrier: A Thousand Small Stories. Her writing has appeared in Another Country: British Documentary Photography Since 1945 (Thames & Hudson) and Tate Dialogues: The 80s: Photographing Britain (Tate) amongst others. Vora is part of the working group ‘Climate and Colonialism’ at The Paul Mellon Centre and Autograph; and sits on the Arts Advisory Committee at Imperial Health Charity. Her works have been exhibited widely and are in public collections including the Government Art Collection, The Hepworth Wakefield, Imperial Health Charity and National Museums NI. She was artist-in-residence at National Museum Northern Ireland as part of the 20/20 programme led by the UAL Decolonising Arts Institute.

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