A triptych: left, people feed pigeons in front of a mosque; center, a bearded man smiles while smelling small flowers; right, a person stands in water holding colorful fish-shaped balloons.

The Sony World Photography Awards has unveiled the shortlisted photos in its 2026 Student competition. The shortlisted projects showcase the exceptional photographic talent of the next generation of photographers.

In total, the 2026 edition of the Sony World Photography Awards, the competition’s 19th edition, received more than 430,000 entries from photographers in over 200 countries and territories. It’s arguably the largest and most prestigious photography competition in the world, and per usual, the Student segment featured heated competition.

The 10 Shortlisted Student Photographers in the 2026 Sony World Photography Awards

For the 2026 Student competition, photography students from leading universities worldwide were tasked with submitting a series of 5-10 photos in response to the brief Together. The 10 shortlisted series all responded to the brief in striking ways. All the photographers approached human connection in unique ways.

A shirtless young man with tattoos looks into the camera, partially in shadow. In the blurred background, another shirtless person stands outside on a sunlit, grassy area. The image is black and white.© Julian Cabral (Argentina, Universidad Nacional de San Martín, Argentina) | Sony World Photography Awards 2026 Two men in a small bathroom: one is sitting nude on the toilet, looking up, while the other brushes his teeth in front of the mirror. Toiletries clutter the sink and shelf, and the scene is in black and white.© Julian Cabral (Argentina, Universidad Nacional de San Martín, Argentina) | Sony World Photography Awards 2026

For example, Julian Cabral from the Universidad Nacional de San Martín in Argentina created an autobiographical photo series, Triplets, exploring the close bond between himself and his two brothers. Meanwhile, Jubair Ahmed Arnob of the Counter Foto — A Center for Visual Arts in Bangladesh explored nostalgia and a rapidly changing landscape in their hometown through the series The Place Where I Used to Play.

A person standing knee-deep in water holds a large bunch of colorful inflatable balloons shaped like fish and cartoon characters, obscuring their face and upper body. Green vegetation and distant buildings are visible in the background.© Jubair Ahmed Arnob (Bangladesh, Counter Foto — A Center for Visual Arts, Bangladesh) | Sony World Photography Awards 2026 A family of four stands together in a field of tall green grass, with city buildings visible in the background under a cloudy sky. The adults hold two young children, and the woman wears a blue headscarf and purple dress.© Jubair Ahmed Arnob (Bangladesh, Counter Foto — A Center for Visual Arts, Bangladesh) | Sony World Photography Awards 2026 Three children stand against a textured wall. One child wears a hoodie and holds money, another has a shirt over their head, and the third, in shorts, holds a stuffed animal. Grass covers the ground in front of them.© Ci Song (China, Drexel University, United States) | Sony World Photography Awards 2026 Two women stand on grass in front of a leafy, vine-covered fence. One wears a patterned dress and looks at the camera; the other, in a polka-dot dress and braids, stands with hands behind her back, looking slightly away.© Ci Song (China, Drexel University, United States) | Sony World Photography Awards 2026

Chinese photography student Ci Song, who studies at Drexel University in the United States, photographed communities in West Philadelphia grappling with ongoing gentrification. Indian photographer Aakash Gulzar from the University of Kashmir delivered intimate portraits of pigeon keepers, focusing on their close connections to their birds.

A flock of pigeons flies around people standing near an ornate building with domes and Arabic script on its façade. An ambulance is parked nearby, and the scene appears lively and busy.© Aakash Gulzar (India, University of Kashmir, India) | Sony World Photography Awards 2026 A man stands in a dimly lit aviary, gently holding a pigeon in his hands while other pigeons perch on wooden beams above and around him. Sunlight filters through a translucent wall behind him.© Aakash Gulzar (India, University of Kashmir, India) | Sony World Photography Awards 2026

Teresa Halbreiter, a student at Hamburg University of Applied Sciences in Germany, was one of numerous shortlisted photographers who captured photos focusing on the shared experiences of groups of people. Halbreiter’s series, Stillgestanden (‘Attention’) approaches femininity in the male-dominated German Armed Forces. Chinese student Yulai Xu, who studies at the University of the Arts London, tackled family relationships in the series, Fish Tail. Australian photography student Matte Dixon of Griffith University approached how people’s uneasiness can foster a shared understanding in the series Suspiria de Profundis.

A soldier in camouflage uniform and helmet stands on grass in front of a red wall, holding a rifle with both hands and looking forward. The soldier is wearing tactical gear and boots.© Teresa Halbreiter (Germany, Hamburg University of Applied Sciences, Germany) | Sony World Photography Awards 2026 A pregnant woman in German military camouflage uniform and a black beret stands with one hand on her hip and the other on her belly, against a plain dark background.© Teresa Halbreiter (Germany, Hamburg University of Applied Sciences, Germany) | Sony World Photography Awards 2026 A man in a suit reclines on the floor with his legs raised on an orange metal frame. He appears relaxed, with his eyes closed, and there are bottles of water and a green bottle beside him on the wooden floor.© Yulai Xu (China, University of the Arts London, United Kingdom) | Sony World Photography Awards 2026 A person wearing a sunflower costume and colorful robe stands barefoot on a round ottoman in a modern lounge area. Their sandals are on the floor nearby, and the room features green couches and large windows.© Yulai Xu (China, University of the Arts London, United Kingdom) | Sony World Photography Awards 2026 A black-and-white photo of a grassy field with a single deer standing in the lower left foreground. Tall trees line the background. The photo has uneven, dark brushstroke borders.© Matte Dixon (Australia, Griffith University, Australia) | Sony World Photography Awards 2026 A black and white photograph of thin tree branches with leaves, set against a dark background and surrounded by an uneven, painterly black border on white paper.© Matte Dixon (Australia, Griffith University, Australia) | Sony World Photography Awards 2026

Belgian photographer Laura Anna Rossa, who goes to LUCA School of Arts Sint Lukas in Brussels, befriended a long-term patient at a psychiatric ward in the Belgian countryside and documented their time together. Chanel Grobler, a South African photography student at Open Window Institute, focused on quiet places with faint traces of human presence for her shortlisted series. Finally, Chinese photographer Zifan Zhang, who studies at the Danish School of Media and Journalism, focused on a young generation of Latvians as they come of age and figure out how they will shape Latvia’s future.

A bearded man with messy curly hair smiles joyfully, holding small yellow wildflowers close to his nose as if smelling them. His face is weathered and expressive, with deep lines and a playful expression.© Laura Anna Rossa (Belgium, LUCA School of Arts Sint Lukas, Belgium) | Sony World Photography Awards 2026 Two people dance together in a sunlit forest, surrounded by tall trees and dappled light. The scene is dreamy and ethereal, captured in black and white.© Laura Anna Rossa (Belgium, LUCA School of Arts Sint Lukas, Belgium) | Sony World Photography Awards 2026 Two uniformed guards march in front of a large stone monument with sculptures, set in a mostly empty city square on a clear, sunny day. Historic and modern buildings line the background.© Zifan Zhang (China, Danish School of Media and Journalism, Denmark) | Sony World Photography Awards 2026 A person with long, wavy blonde hair wearing a loose pink sweater sits cross-legged on a bed with patterned pillows, looking at the camera in a softly lit bedroom.© Zifan Zhang (China, Danish School of Media and Journalism, Denmark) | Sony World Photography Awards 2026

The winner of Student Photographer of the Year will be selected from the 10 shortlisted photographers above and will be announced at the Sony World Photography Awards 2026 ceremony in London on April 16. The university of the overall winning photographer will receive Sony Digital Imaging equipment worth 30,000 euros, or nearly $36,000.

Image credits: Sony World Photography Awards. Individual photographers are credited in the image captions.