{"id":832402,"date":"2026-03-17T19:40:41","date_gmt":"2026-03-17T19:40:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/832402\/"},"modified":"2026-03-17T19:40:41","modified_gmt":"2026-03-17T19:40:41","slug":"sony-world-photo-awards-national-and-regional-winners-showcase-global-photography-talent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/832402\/","title":{"rendered":"Sony World Photo Awards National and Regional Winners Showcase Global Photography Talent"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img data-perfmatters-preload=\"\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/swpa-2026-nat-regional-featured-800x420.jpg\" alt=\"A collage of three photos: a natural rock arch under a starry sky, a close-up of a frog with a red and black belly, and three people in hats working near water with mist and trees in the background.\" width=\"800\" height=\"420\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-844503\"  \/><\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.worldphoto.org\/sony-world-photography-awards\" data-wpel-link=\"external\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"follow external noopener nofollow\">Sony World Photography Awards<\/a> unveiled the winners and shortlisted photographers for its 2026 National and Regional Awards, showcasing and celebrating the exceptional photographic talent across the globe. <\/p>\n<p>The 2026 Sony World Photography Awards ceremony is just under a month away, and the competition organizers have been regularly sharing shortlisted and winning photographers during the lead-up. A month ago, the Sony World Photography Awards <a href=\"https:\/\/petapixel.com\/2026\/02\/16\/all-130-sony-world-photography-awards-open-competition-winners\/\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">unveiled their Open Competition winners<\/a>, and just a couple of weeks ago, the <a href=\"https:\/\/petapixel.com\/2026\/03\/02\/25-of-the-best-photos-from-the-sony-world-photography-awards-professional-competition\/\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">2026 Professional competition finalists<\/a> were announced. The overall winner, Photographer of the Year, will be crowned at the Sony World Photography Awards ceremony on April 16 at Somerset House in London. <\/p>\n<p>Photographers from more than 200 countries and territories entered over 430,000 photos in this year\u2019s Sony World Photography Awards. Of these, National and Regional Award winners were chosen from the Open, Professional, and Student competitions. All single country National Award winners and 1st Place Regional Award winners will be featured in the 2026 Sony World Photography Awards exhibition and will receive a prize kit of Sony Digital Imaging equipment. <\/p>\n<p> Professional Competition National and Regional Award Winners  <\/p>\n<p>The Professional competition includes multiple national and regional awards, including the Latin America Professional Award, the Japan National Award, and, new for 2026, the India National Award. <\/p>\n<p>Mexican photographer Citlali Fabian won the Latin America Professional Award for \u201cBilha, Stories of my Sister,\u201d which combines portraits and digital illustrations to bring to the fore the stories of inspiring women in southern Mexico. Fabian collaborated with activists and artists from Indigenous communities in the region for the award-winning work. <\/p>\n<p> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/4137_11741_CitlaliFabin_UnitedKingdom_LatinAmericaProfessionalAward_Creative_2026_1-800x800.jpg\" alt=\"A woman in traditional clothing stands outdoors among large plants. White, hand-drawn outlines of two women and oversized leaves surround her, with small blue and green dots scattered throughout the scene.\" width=\"800\" height=\"800\" class=\"size-large wp-image-844502\"  \/>Latin America Professional Award Winner \u2014 Citlali Fabian (Mexico) | Sony World Photography Awards 2026<br \/>\n <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/4137_11743_CitlaliFabin_UnitedKingdom_LatinAmericaProfessionalAward_Creative_2026_1-800x800.jpg\" alt=\"A woman stands by a river with one fist raised, wearing a skirt and a t-shirt. The black-and-white photo is enhanced with colorful illustrations of women raising fists, symbolizing strength and unity, surrounding her.\" width=\"800\" height=\"800\" class=\"size-large wp-image-844501\"  \/>Latin America Professional Award Winner \u2014 Citlali Fabian (Mexico) | Sony World Photography Awards 2026 <\/p>\n<p>Photographers M\u00e1ria Fernanda Garc\u00eda Freire (Ecuador) and Andr\u00e9 Tezza (Brazil) finished second and third in the category. <\/p>\n<p>Avijit Ghosh won the new India National Award for the series \u201cKeepers of Mangroves,\u201d which focuses on a group of widowed women in Dayapur, India, who lost their husbands to tiger attacks. The women have dedicated themselves to restoring tigers\u2019 natural mangrove habitats to reduce violent encounters between people and tigers. <\/p>\n<p> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/4067_11581_AvijitGhosh_India_IndiaNationalAward_Environment_2026_1-800x534.jpg\" alt=\"A woman in a pink and red sari stands outdoors on the left; on the right, a close-up of her hand holds an uprooted plant with roots against a white background.\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" class=\"size-large wp-image-844499\"  \/>India National Award Winner \u2014 Avijit Ghosh | Sony World Photography Awards 2026 <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/4067_11589_AvijitGhosh_India_IndiaNationalAward_Environment_2026_1-800x534.jpg\" alt=\"A group of women in colorful saris sit together outdoors near a river, surrounded by trees, with bowls of shellfish in front of them, talking and working.\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" class=\"size-large wp-image-844498\"  \/>India National Award Winner \u2014 Avijit Ghosh | Sony World Photography Awards 2026 <\/p>\n<p>Photographer Hayate Kurisu won the Japan National Award for the series \u201cLiving Photographs.\u201d This series documents Kurisu and his wife\u2019s experience losing a child to stillbirth. Kurisu intimately captures his own tragedy and the process of grief through culture, tradition, time, art, and landscape. <\/p>\n<p> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/4131_11729_HayateKurisu_Japan_JapanNationalAward_Perspectives_2026_1-800x528.jpg\" alt=\"A person lies in a hospital bed, eyes closed, with hospital bracelets on their wrist and medical equipment attached to their arm, covered by a blanket and resting their head on a pillow.\" width=\"800\" height=\"528\" class=\"size-large wp-image-844494\"  \/>Japan National Award Winner \u2014 Hayate Kurisu | Sony World Photography Awards 2026<br \/>\n <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/4131_11731_HayateKurisu_Japan_JapanNationalAward_Perspectives_2026_1-800x528.jpg\" alt=\"A young child sleeps peacefully on a bed with a patterned pillow featuring a doll design beside them. A box with various items sits nearby on a tatami mat floor. The scene is in black and white.\" width=\"800\" height=\"528\" class=\"size-large wp-image-844495\"  \/>Japan National Award Winner \u2014 Hayate Kurisu | Sony World Photography Awards 2026 European Student Award  <\/p>\n<p>Another new addition to the 2026 Sony World Photography Awards is the European Student Award. This honor recognizes excellent student projects and amplifies emerging voices across Europe from this year\u2019s broader, global Student competition. <\/p>\n<p>German photographer Teresa Halbreiter, from the University of Applied Sciences Hamburg, took the top prize for her series \u201cStillgestanden (\u2018Attention\u2019).\u201d This series explores how women in the German Armed Forces navigate femininity in a male-dominated field that often celebrates masculine ideals of strength and toughness. <\/p>\n<p> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/4125_11763_TeresaHalbreiter_Germany_EuropeanStudentAward_Together_2026_1-534x800.jpg\" alt=\"A close-up of two hands: one person gripping another person's forearm and wrist, lifting their clenched fist upright against a plain, neutral background.\" width=\"534\" height=\"800\" class=\"size-large wp-image-844497\"  \/>European Student Award Winner \u2014 Teresa Halbreiter (Germany) | Sony World Photography Awards 2026 <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/4125_11761_TeresaHalbreiter_Germany_EuropeanStudentAward_Together_2026_1-534x800.jpg\" alt=\"Two young women in blue athletic outfits sit back-to-back on a black box, looking directly at the camera with serious expressions against a plain background.\" width=\"534\" height=\"800\" class=\"size-large wp-image-844496\"  \/>European Student Award Winner \u2014 Teresa Halbreiter (Germany) | Sony World Photography Awards 2026 <\/p>\n<p>Bennet B\u00f6ckstiegel (Germany, Ostkreuzschule f\u00fcr Fotografie), Laurie Broughton (UK, University of West England), Laura Anna Rossa (Belgium, LUCA School of Arts Sint Lukas Brussels), and Albert S\u0142owi\u0144ski (Poland, Academy of Art in Szczecin) were the four shortlisted photographers. <\/p>\n<p> Open Competition  <\/p>\n<p>In the Open Competition, photographers from 25 countries and regions were awarded. Below is a selection of the winning photos. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.worldphoto.org\/blogs\/17-03-26\/national-and-regional-awards-winners-and-shortlists-announced\" data-wpel-link=\"external\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"follow external noopener nofollow\">complete gallery of all winning photographers<\/a> is available on the Sony World Photography Awards website.  <\/p>\n<p> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/4129_11727_JuanJacoboCastilloBarrera_Colombia_NationalAwards_NaturalWorldWildlife_2026_1-640x800.jpg\" alt=\"A close-up photo of a black and pink-bellied frog with spotted skin, sitting on mossy ground against a dark, black background. The frog is facing the camera with its large eyes visible.\" width=\"640\" height=\"800\" class=\"size-large wp-image-844479\"  \/>Latin America Regional Award Winner \u2014 Juan Jacobo Castillo Barrera (Colombia) | Sony World Photography Awards 2026 <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/4033_11477_HeunJungKim_KoreaRepublicOf_NationalAwards_Portraiture_2026_1-600x800.jpg\" alt=\"A woman wearing a taupe hijab and dark clothing gazes softly at the camera against a dark, shadowy background. Soft lighting highlights her serene expression.\" width=\"600\" height=\"800\" class=\"size-large wp-image-844493\"  \/>Republic of Korea Winner \u2014 Heun Jung Kim | Sony World Photography Awards 2026 <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/4079_11671_GregduToit_SouthAfrica_NationalAwards_NaturalWorldWildlife_2026_1-800x514.jpg\" alt=\"A silhouette of a leopard leaping from a tree branch against a dramatic, cloudy sky at sunset. The scene is in black and white, highlighting the contrast between the animal and the background.\" width=\"800\" height=\"514\" class=\"size-large wp-image-844492\"  \/>South Africa Winner \u2014 Greg du Toit | Sony World Photography Awards 2026 <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/4081_11673_AjayMaharjan_Nepal_NationalAwards_Lifestyle_2026_1-800x534.jpg\" alt=\"A man in traditional clothing rides a galloping horse along a gravel road, with blurred spectators and rocky mountains in the background.\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" class=\"size-large wp-image-844491\"  \/>Nepal Winner \u2014 Ajay Maharjan | Sony World Photography Awards 2026 <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/4083_11675_JargalsaikhanBayarkhand_Mongolia_NationalAwards_Portraiture_2026_1-534x800.jpg\" alt=\"An older man in traditional attire with ornate patterns, wearing a fur hat and coat, stands outdoors in a grassy plain under a blue sky.\" width=\"534\" height=\"800\" class=\"size-large wp-image-844490\"  \/>Mongolia Winner \u2014 Jargalsaikhan Bayarkhand | Sony World Photography Awards 2026 <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/4085_11677_KyawZayarLin_Myanmar_NationalAwards_Travel_2026_1-800x534.jpg\" alt=\"Three people wearing traditional hats fish with baskets on the roots of large trees over water, surrounded by mist and illuminated by beams of sunlight filtering through dense branches.\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" class=\"size-large wp-image-844489\"  \/>Myanmar Winner \u2014 Kyaw Zayar Lin | Sony World Photography Awards 2026 <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/4091_11683_KhalidAlsabt_SaudiArabia_NationalAwards_Landscape_2026_1-800x636.jpg\" alt=\"A natural sandstone arch stands under a starry night sky with the Milky Way visible above, surrounded by rocky formations and a faint orange glow on the horizon.\" width=\"800\" height=\"636\" class=\"size-large wp-image-844488\"  \/>Saudi Arabia Winner \u2014 Khalid Alsabt | Sony World Photography Awards 2026<br \/>\n <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/4095_11687_MeshaalAlawadhi_Kuwait_NationalAwards_Travel_2026_1-800x534.jpg\" alt=\"A church with a tall steeple stands on a small island in a lake, surrounded by trees and mountains in the background, viewed through leafy branches.\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" class=\"size-large wp-image-844487\"  \/>Kuwait Winner \u2014 Meshaal Alawadhi | Sony World Photography Awards 2026 <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/4099_11691_MuhammadAsmarHussain_Pakistan_NationalAwards_Landscape_2026_1-800x480.jpg\" alt=\"A person walks alone on rolling sand dunes under a blue misty sky, with scattered trees and small buildings in the distance, creating a tranquil and dreamlike landscape.\" width=\"800\" height=\"480\" class=\"size-large wp-image-844486\"  \/>Pakistan Winner \u2014 Muhammad Asmar Hussain | Sony World Photography Awards 2026 <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/4101_11693_NelyaRachkova_Kazakhstan_NationalAwards_NaturalWorldWildlife_2026_1-544x800.jpg\" alt=\"A green praying mantis is perched on top of a spiky thistle flower, both illuminated against a dark, black background.\" width=\"544\" height=\"800\" class=\"size-large wp-image-844485\"  \/>Kazakhstan Winner \u2014 Nelya Rachkova | Sony World Photography Awards 2026 <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/4103_11695_REkoHardiyanto_Indonesia_NationalAwards_Creative_2026_1-573x800.jpg\" alt=\"A person with eyes closed wears a crown of red and white flowers and has white face paint in dotted patterns. They touch their neck gently, dressed in colorful striped fabric. Light filters through, creating a textured overlay.\" width=\"573\" height=\"800\" class=\"size-large wp-image-844484\"  \/>Indonesia Winner \u2014 R. Eko Hardiyanto | Sony World Photography Awards 2026 <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/4105_11697_PattarinTridboonkrong_Thailand_NationalAwards_NaturalWorldWildlife_2026_1-533x800.jpg\" alt=\"A vibrant nautilus floats near the ocean surface, its striped shell and tentacles visible in clear blue water with sunlight illuminating coral and sandy seabed below.\" width=\"533\" height=\"800\" class=\"size-large wp-image-844483\"  \/>Thailand Winner \u2014 Pattarin Tridboongkrong | Sony World Photography Awards 2026 <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/4107_11699_PinuRahman_Bangladesh_NationalAwards_Portraiture_2026_1-800x534.jpg\" alt=\"Black and white photo of an elderly man with a beard, partially covered and surrounded by long, thick strands of dried grass or fibers, creating a striking frame around his face.\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" class=\"size-large wp-image-844482\"  \/>Bangladesh Winner \u2014 Pinu Rahman | Sony World Photography Awards 2026 <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/4113_11705_Wei-ChengTsai_Taiwan_NationalAwards_Portraiture_2026_1-800x534.jpg\" alt=\"Two women in colorful, traditional attire sit on a wooden bench, focusing on an object in their hands. They wear ornate headpieces and embroidered dresses, with an old wooden building as the background.\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" class=\"size-large wp-image-844481\"  \/>Taiwan Winner \u2014 Wei-Cheng Tsai | Sony World Photography Awards 2026<br \/>\n <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/4117_11709_YousefNaser_Egypt_NationalAwards_StreetPhotography_2026_1-800x534.jpg\" alt=\"A man leans against a stone wall beside a fence, holding a pink balloon. Next to him is a large, colorful bunch of balloons and inflatable toys. A green bag rests on the wall behind him.\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" class=\"size-large wp-image-844480\"  \/>Egypt Winner \u2014 Yousef Naser | Sony World Photography Awards 2026 <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/4097_11689_MohamedNageeb_Qatar_NationalAwards_Travel_2026_1-800x534.jpg\" alt=\"A seaside market scene with men in traditional Middle Eastern attire, camels, sacks of goods, spices, and colorful pottery displayed on the sand. Boats float on the water in the background under a cloudy sky.\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" class=\"size-large wp-image-844478\"  \/>Qatar Winner \u2014 Mohamed Nageeb | Sony World Photography Awards 2026 <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/4109_11701_RafaelSalvadorYbaez_Philippines_NationalAwards_Lifestyle_2026_1-800x640.jpg\" alt=\"A silhouette of a person sitting in a small boat on calm water at sunset, with a vibrant orange sky and distant mountains in the background.\" width=\"800\" height=\"640\" class=\"size-large wp-image-844477\"  \/>Philippines Winner \u2014 Rafael Salvador Yba\u00f1ez | Sony World Photography Awards 2026 More From the Sony World Photography Awards  <\/p>\n<p>The 2026 Sony World Photography Awards ceremony is on April 16 at Somerset House in London, where the overall winner will be unveiled, and all the other winners named so far will be celebrated. The Sony World Photography Awards exhibit starts on April 17 and runs through May 4. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Image credits:<\/strong> Sony World Photography Awards, World Photography Organisation <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Sony World Photography Awards unveiled the winners and shortlisted photographers for its 2026 National and Regional Awards,&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":832403,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[3939],"tags":[238833,4021,4020,1442,48766,2766,4022,77,6179,729,52289,15692,232058,232059,32744,183,16,15,1717,17335],"class_list":["post-832402","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-arts-and-design","tag-2026sonyworldphotographyawards","tag-arts","tag-arts-and-design","tag-competition","tag-contest","tag-culture","tag-design","tag-entertainment","tag-landscape","tag-nature","tag-photocontest","tag-portrait","tag-sonyworldphotographyawards","tag-sonyworldphotographyawards2026","tag-spotlight","tag-travel","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-wildlife","tag-winners"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/116246219872933022","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/832402","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=832402"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/832402\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/832403"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=832402"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=832402"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=832402"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}