These are the stunning images of the Sony World Photography Awards 2026 — and there are some surprising camera choices among the winners
- SWPA is one of the most prestigious global photo competitions
- This year attracted more than 430,000 applications from more than 200 countries.
- The winner takes home a top prize of $25,000 and Sony camera equipment.
I had the pleasure of attending the Sony World Photography Awards 2026 in London, where the overall winner and 10 category winners presented their photographic projects to the press.
Legendary street photographer Joel Meyerowitz was also on hand to receive a lifetime achievement award, and he was as engaging as ever.
It was a real treat, and if you get the chance, I encourage you to visit the competition exhibition, which contains over 300 works, located at Somerset House in London and open to the public from April 17 to May 4, 2026.
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In previous years, it really felt like AI was a must-have topic in the competition, but in 2026, it feels like the AI storm has passed, and we simply enjoyed the photography and stories that inspired the works.
I had a long, fascinating conversation with the winner of the wildlife category, Will Burrard-Lucas, and I’ll share my conversation very soon, but for now, check out some of the category award winners below.
Where information is available – I’ve noted what camera equipment was used in the gallery below – there was such a surprising range this year, proving once again that equipment is not the be all and end all of good photography.
SWPA 2026 category winners and their equipment
Picture 1 of 10
Having covered photo competition news for the past three years working in an equipment-focused role as TechRadar’s Camera Editor, I’m always happy to see a range of photo gear in use among the winning entrants, and SWPA 2026 is no different.
Take Will Burrard Lucas’ wildlife series – he sets up his own camera traps with low-cost Canon EOS 6D cameras – a necessary compromise as he often needs multiple cameras in harsh environments, but he still praised the quality offered by these older DSLRs.
Or how about the winners of the “Documentary” and “Perspectives” categories, Santiago Mesa from Colombia and Seungho Kim from Korea, who used a Fujifilm X-Pro 3 and a Fujifilm X100 VI respectively for their reportage photography projects.
At the other end of the spectrum is the winner of the “Sports” category, New Zealander Todd Anthony, who used a large-format Phase One camera, which costs tens of thousands of euros, for his monochrome images of riders and their horses.
Photography can be a beautiful thing, and many of us already have the tools to create. Who knows, maybe one day you’ll be able to hang your pictures on the walls of Somerset House.
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