For almost two decades, the Professional Competition in the Sony World Photography Awards has honoured the best photography series, highlighting diverse projects from every corner of the globe that tell stories that are both intimate and universal.
From portraiture to documentary, sport to landscape, these projects shine a light on contemporary stories and show distinct perspectives of photographers and their subjects around the world.
Discover the finalists below, and don’t miss the chance to see them in person at the 2026 exhibition, open 17 April – 4 May at Somerset House, London.
Architecture & Design
Finalists
In Chinese Watchtowers, Chen Liang (China Mainland) documents the fortified towers in Jiangmen, showing their Chinese and Western influences. Everyday Structures by André Tezza (Brazil) highlights the overlooked beauty of small neighbourhood grocery stores on the outskirts of Curitiba. In Homes of Haor, Joy Saha (Bangladesh) captures from above vernacular buildings which transform into islands during monsoon.
Explore full Architecture & Design finalist and shortlisted series
Creative
Finalists
In The Palm, On Piru Ben Brooks (United Kingdom) explores the spiritual connections and collective identities of rappers from South Los Angeles. In Bilha, Stories of My Sisters, photographer Citlali Fabian (Mexico) collaborates with activists and artists from various Indigenous communities in southern Mexico, blending photographic portraits with digital illustrations. The Black Album by Pablo Ramos (Mexico) transforms archival imagery into a haunting collective portrait of absence, loss, and unresolved grief.
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Documentary Projects
Finalists
In Sixteen and a Half: Eight Months in a Juvenile Prison, Alexandre Bagdassarian (France) documents the daily lives of young detainees in France. Colin Delfosse’s (Belgium) Restitution explores the journey of African masks between the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Belgium, from their original use to their display in museums. Santiago Mesa’s (Colombia) Under the Shadow of Coca follows the farmers and families whose livelihoods depend on coca cultivation.
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Environment
Finalists
Shane Hynan’s (Ireland) Beneath | Beofhód – ‘life beneath the sod’ in Irish – evokes the primal significance of bogs in Celtic tradition. Notes on How to Build a Forest by Isadora Romero (Ecuador) invites us ‘to imagine how other organisms perceive the forest, and how the forest, in turn, observes us’. In Jinê Land: Where Women Keep the Earth Alive, Matteo Trevisan (Italy), tells the story of women shaping the ecological and social future of Rojava in northeast Syria.
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Landscape
Finalists
In Mountain Roads by Michael Blann (United Kingdom), photopolymer etchings trace iconic European mountain roads. Andreas Secci’s (Germany) The Oyster shows abstract landscapes depicting oyster farming on the French coast of Normandy and Brittany. Dafna Talmor’s (United Kingdom) Constructed Landscapes employs hand-printed and collaged colour negatives that are reconfigured into abstract landscape representations.
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Perspectives
Finalists
In Country Music in Kenya, Frederik Lerneryd (Sweden) records the genre’s enthusiastic fan base at the International Cowboy Day festival in Nairobi and its rising popularity over an 11-month period. Seungho Kim’s (Korea, Republic Of) Sunny Side Up: A Portrait of the Most Average K-Parenting is a fragile, vibrant and beautifully messy record of the K-parenting world. Living Photographs by Hayate Kurisu (Japan) documents the experience of the photographer and his wife, following the loss of a child to stillbirth, and the days spent together as a family before the cremation.
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Portraiture
Finalists
Federico Borella (Italy) spotlights Koryo-Saram, descendants of Koreans in Uzbekistan reconnecting with their roots, influenced by the ‘K-Wave’. Jean-Marc Caimi & Valentina Piccinni (Italy) blend devotion and fandom, depicting pilgrimage goers on St Peter’s Square in Vatican City. Marisa Reichert (Germany) be:longing documents the lives of older Muslim trans people in Yogyakarta, Java, Indonesia.
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Sport
Finalists
Todd Antony’s (New Zealand) Buzkashi, literally meaning ‘goat pulling’ in Persian, surprises with the fierce, ancient sport of Tajikistan. Beneath the Bridge by Morgan Otagburuagu (Nigeria) depicts the discipline and dreams of amateur boxers at a makeshift gym underneath an underpass in Lagos. In It’s a Dog’s Life, Rob Van Thienen (Belgium) captures the intensity of sighthound training sessions as the dogs chase a fake rabbit.
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Still Life
Finalists
Gargi Sharma’s (India) Experiments in Stillness reflects the photographer’s long-standing connection with objects and their journey of using them as a form of expression. In Vilma Taubo’s (Norway) Talking Without Speaking everyday objects become symbols of protest, each connected to a specific historical period, rights struggle or country. For The Bronte Pistachio, Daniele Vita (Italy) spent almost a year photographing, studying and admiring the pistachios of Bronte, celebrating their singular charm.
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Wildlife & Nature
Finalists
Will Burrard-Lucas (United Kingdom) in Crossing Point captures wildlife in Kenya’s Maasai Mara National Reserve through a remote camera trap set up to monitor endangered black rhinoceroses. WILD by Wolfgang Duerr (Germany) shows frames made by a camera activated via motion sensors, capturing various wildlife in action. Anita Pouchard Serra’s (Argentina) series documents the clash between capybaras and residents of a private development in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Explore the full Wildlife & Nature shortlist
The category winners and the Photographer of the Year will be announced on 16 April at the Awards ceremony in London. Discover their works alongside over 300 images at the exhibition at Somerset House from 17 April – 4 May. Early Bird tickets on sale until 5 March. Book now.
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