These are the stunning images of the Sony World Photography Awards 2026 and there are some surprising camera choices among the winners

Date:
Thu, 16 Apr 2026 21:00:00 +0000

Description:
SWPA is one of the most prestigious global photo contests, and the 2026 instalment attracted over 430,000 from more than 200 countries. Here are the 10 category winners

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SWPA is one of the most prestigious global photo contests This year attracted Over 430,000 entries from more than 200 countries The winner takes home a $25,000 top prize and Sony camera gear I've had the pleasure of attending the Sony World Photography Awards 2026 in London, where the overall winner and 10 category winners have unpacked their photography projects to the press.

Legendary street photographer Joel Meyerowitz was also in attendance to receive a lifetime achievement award, and he was as engaging as ever. It has been a real treat, and if you get the chance, I encourage you to visit the contest's exhibition, which contains over 300 works, is situated in London's Somerset House, and is open to the public from April 17 to May 4, 2026. Article continues below You may like How 2025's Travel Photographer of the Year used 'immense skill' in low light to create in-camera magic CP+ 2026 live: the latest camera gear at the world's biggest photography show
"Patience paying off" stunning early contenders for DJI and SkyPixel's $200,000 drone prize revealed

In previous years, it very much felt like AI was an inescapable subject
around the contest , but in 2026, it feels like that AI storm has passed, and we purely enjoyed the photography and the stories inspiring the works.

I had a fascinating long chat with the wildlife category winner, Will Burrard-Lucas, and will share my conversation very soon, but for now, do
check out some of the category award winners below.

Where the information is available I've made a note on what camera gear was used in the gallery below there has been such a surprising range this year, which once again proves that gear isn't the be-all and end-all of great photography. SWPA 2026 category winners and their gear Image 1 of 10 Overall winner, Photographer of the Year, Professional Competition, Creative, Sony World Photography Awards 2026

Unknown (Image credit: Citlali Fabin) Perspectives Winner, Sony World Photography Awards 2026

Fujifilm X100VI (Image credit: Seungho Kim) Todd Antony, Sport winner, Sony World Photography Awards 2026.

Phase One (Image credit: Todd Antony) Will Burrard-Lucas, Wildlife winner, Sony World Photography Awards 2026.

Canon EOS 6D (Image credit: Will Burrard-Lucas) Isadora Romero, Environment winner, Sony World Photography Awards 2026.

Fujifilm GFX100S (Image credit: Isadora Romero) Joy Saha, Architecture & Design winner, Sony World Photography Awards 2026

DJI Mini 3 drone (Image credit: Joy Saha) Dafna Talmor, UK, Landscape
Winner, Sony World Photography Awards 2026

Film negative montages (Image credit: Dafna Talmor ) Vilma Taubo, Norway, Still Life winner, Sony World Photography Awards 2026

Unkown (Image credit: Vilma Taubo) Elle Leontiev, Australia, Open
Competition winner, Portraiture, Sony World Photography Awards 2026

Sony A7 III (Image credit: Elle Leontiev) Santiago Mesa, Colombia, Documentary Projects Winner, Sony World Photography Awards 2026

Fujifilm X-Pro 3 (Image credit: Santiago Mesa / Sony World Photography
Awards 2026 / Creo) Having covered photo contest news for the last three
years working in a gear-focused role as TechRadar's Cameras Editor, I'm
always happy to see a range of camera gear being used among winning entrants, and SWPA 2026 is no different. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

Take Will Burrard Lucas's wildlife series he fits his own camera traps with low-cost Canon EOS 6D cameras a necessary compromise because he often requires several cameras in tough environments, but he still praised the quality these old DSLRs delivered.

Or how about the 'Documentary' and 'Perspectives' category winners, Santiago Mesa of Colombia and Seungho Kim of Korea, who used a Fujifilm X-Pro 3 and Fujifilm X100 VI, respectively, for their reportage photography projects.

At the other end of the spectrum is the 'Sport' category winner, Todd Anthony of New Zealand, who used a large-format Phase One camera, which costs tens of thousands, for his monochrome images of riders and their horses.

Photography can be a beautiful thing, and many of us already have the capable tools in hand to go and create. Who knows, perhaps one day you could have
your images hanging on the walls at Somerset House. Follow TechRadar on
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