Photo: © Stan Bouman, Netherlands, Shortlist, Open Competition, Natural World & Wildlife, Sony World Photography Awards 2026
The Sony World Photography Awards announced the ten category winners and shortlisted photographers in the 2026 Open Competition. Three Dutch photographers—Jay Tang, Stan Bouman, and Wouter van Hofwegen—earned places on the various shortlists.
Held for the 19th time, the Open Competition recognizes the best single images made over the past year and celebrates a photograph’s power to spark curiosity, stir the imagination, and reveal a larger story.
The ten category winners and shortlisted photographers submitted some of the past year’s most compelling images.
More than 430,000 images from over 200 countries and territories were submitted to the Sony World Photography Awards that year.
Jay Tang won a prize in the Creative category. Stan Bouman and Wouter van Hofwegen won in the Natural World & Wildlife category.
The Open Photographer of the Year was announced at the awards ceremony in London on April 16. Elle Leontiev won the title with The Barefoot Volcanologist and received a $5,000 (USD) cash prize and a selection of Sony Digital Imaging equipment.
Selected winning and shortlisted images were exhibited at Somerset House in London as part of the Sony World Photography Awards exhibition from April 17 through May 4, 2026, and were then scheduled to travel to other venues.
More finalists and information are available at worldphoto.org.
Also read: Sony World Photography Awards: 2026 Finalists Announced.
