The Sony World Photography Awards has announced its 2026 winners, and this year’s top honor went to a project that is visually striking, deeply personal, and, if I’m perfectly honest, it was one of my favorites.

Citlali Fabián took home the Photographer of the Year title for her series Bilha, Stories of my Sisters. It’s an enchanting mix of photography and digital art, and it’s one of those projects that simply captures you and doesn’t let go.

Citlali is a visual artist from the Yalalteca Indigenous community in Mexico, and this project of hers also won the Latin America Professional Award when the National and Regional winners were announced.

Bilha tells the stories of iconic women from Indigenous communities across Oaxaca, Mexico. The series layers symbols and motifs that reflect each subject’s personal journey and cultural heritage. It interweaves digital art and photography, as I mentioned earlier. But I’d add that it also displays the traditional art and craftsmanship, hinted at in the clothes and jewelry of the subjects. The women portrayed are advocates and leaders making meaningful impact in law, linguistics, arts, and ecology, and the project was conceived specifically to give young girls positive role models to look up to.

What sets the work apart is how it was made. Monica Allende, Chair of the 2026 Professional jury, sums it up well:

“In many Indigenous cultures, stories are told collectively, shaped by conversation and lived experience rather than by a single voice. Fabián brings this spirit into her photographic practice by working closely with each woman she portrays. Her subjects are not simply photographed, they are active participants in shaping how their stories are told.”

When everything comes together – the media, the process, the layers of the story, and the final visual result – I think you can understand why I loved this project so much. Even before I knew the story behind it, I stayed glued to the screen watching Citlali’s images. When I learned about Bilha’s backstory, I just liked the whole project even more.

The main award comes with a $25,000 USD cash prize, a range of Sony Digital Imaging gear, and a solo showcase at next year’s exhibition.

Other Sony World Photography Awards Winners for 2026

Citlali was chosen from the ten Professional competition category winners announced at the award ceremony in London. The evening also recognized the overall winners of the Open, Student, and Youth competitions, whose Images I’ll share below. In addition, celebrated photographer Joel Meyerowitz received this year’s Outstanding Contribution to Photography award.

Open Winner

The Open Photographer of the Year 2026 is Elle Leontiev from Australia. Her photo The Barefoot Volcanologist brought her a $5,000 cash prize and Sony gear. Her striking winning photo shows a portrait of Phillip Yamah, an internationally recognised, self-taught volcano scientist, standing atop a volcanic rock bomb on the island of Tanna, Vanuatu.

Commenting on her win, Elle Leontiev says:

“In 2018 I stood in a London gallery at the Sony World Photography Awards exhibition and dreamed of being featured. Years later, my dream has become real. Seeing my work win has filled me with overwhelming gratitude and tears of joy. It’s a reminder that quiet dreams, nurtured and pursued with heart, can come true.”

Student Winner

The brief for this year’s Student competition was Together, inviting students of photography across the world to enter a series on the theme of togetherness, looking at the concept in its broadest sense.

The Student Photographer of the Year 2026 is Jubair Ahmed Arnob from Bangladesh. His series, The Place Where I Used To Play, tells us about the changing landscape of the Green Model Town in Dhaka, Bangladesh. In this area, urban development is altering daily life and the suburban topography. And just arriving back from my hometown, all I can say is that this looks familiar, and the topic of Jubair’s project really hits home.

Commenting on his win, Jubair says:

“Winning the Sony World Photography Award feels like a dream come true — years of passion, memories, and stories finally being seen and recognised. It fills me with gratitude, joy, and a renewed drive to keep capturing the world through my lens.“

Youth Winner

The 2026 Youth competition invited all photographers aged 19 and under to respond to the Open Call and share their best images of the past year. The Youth Photographer of the Year 2026 is 16-year-old Philip Kangas from Sweden. He received the award for Saving History from the Flames, a remarkable image of two firefighters carrying an artwork out of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Stockholm during a fire.

Commenting on his win, Philip Kangas says:

“I was very surprised when I heard that I was a winner in this year’s Sony World Photography Awards. I am very happy, as it gives confirmation to my hard work.”

The Exhibition

The Sony World Photography Awards 2026 exhibition is open at Somerset House in London from April 17 to May 4. It features over 300 prints, hundreds of digital display images, and a special presentation by Joel Meyerowitz. If you’re anywhere near London this spring, it’s worth a visit.

To explore all of this year’s Professional winners and finalists, head over to the contest website.

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