photo: © Marco Rutten/World Food Photography Awards sponsored by Bimi®
Dutch photographers earned a remarkable number of honors this year at the world's largest international food photography competition.
Five Dutch photographers won multiple honors this year at the World Food Photography Awards 2026, the world's largest international food photography competition. From nearly 9.000 entries submitted from more than fifty countries, the Netherlands produced two category winners, one second-place finisher, and several finalists. The photographs were judged by an international panel that included chef Jamie Oliver.
Marco Rutten wins Bring Home the Harvest category
The biggest Dutch win went to Marco Rutten. He won the Bring Home the Harvest category with a photograph of fishermen at sunrise beneath the iconic Howrah Bridge on the Hooghly River in Kolkata, India.
Rutten also received a second honor. In the Politics of Food category, he earned an honorable mention for his photograph of a water carrier at the same river.
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Marco Rutten: “Through my documentary photo series, I reveal what lies behind our daily food: the people, places, and customs that shape it. In my project Behind Our Daily Food, I explore both globally and locally how food is produced, shared, and experienced, from markets and farms to kitchens.
The World Food Photography Awards is a special platform for me because it makes room for both the aesthetic and the social story of food.”
Maja Lewicz wins Food Influencer category
Netherlands-based photographer Maja Lewicz also impressed the judges. She won the Food Influencer category with a photograph of noodles. She also took third place in the Hotel Art Group Food Stylist Award category with another portfolio entry.
Ron van der Stappen takes second place
Ron van der Stappen secured a third podium finish for the Netherlands. His colorful photograph of a fruit seller in Kathmandu, Nepal, won second place in the unearthed® Food for Sale category.
Other finalists
In addition to the prizewinners, Remko Kraaijeveld and Markus Hamann reached the finals of the international competition. A total of 203 photographs were selected for the final round.
The overall winner of the Awards 2026 is British photographer Jo Kearney. The judges named her photograph A Woman Eats in the Canteen of the Soviet-era Sanatorium, taken in Tajikistan, the best entry.
About the Awards
The World Food Photography Awards is considered the world's largest international competition for food photography. The winners of the 27 categories were announced during an awards ceremony at the Mall Galleries in London. A selection of the award-winning images is still on display at Fortnum & Mason on Piccadilly.
The full gallery of winners and finalists can be viewed at www.worldfoodphotographyawards.com.
