Jo Kearney Wins World Food Photography Awards 2026 with Soviet Sanatorium Scene
The World Food Photography Awards sponsored by Bimi® have announced their 2026 winners, with British photographer Jo Kearney taking the Overall Winner prize for her image 'A Woman Eats in the Canteen of the Soviet-era Sanatorium.' The photograph, selected from nearly 9,000 entries, depicts a quiet moment at the Khoja Obi Garm sanatorium in Tajikistan—a brutalist concrete complex built on radon-rich hot springs during the Soviet era. The competition, founded by Caroline Kenyon, features multiple categories including Cream of the Crop, Champagne Taittinger Food for Celebration, Street Food, and the James Beard Foundation Photography Award. Other notable winners include Albert Gonzalez for 'Ine Fishing Village, Kyoto, Japan,' Pingyao Song for 'The Festival of Food Enthusiasts,' and Kazi Mohammad Golam Quddus for 'Cabbage Market' in Bangladesh. The awards highlight food's role in culture, community, and labor, with images ranging from traditional Japanese squid drying to a Sichuan hotpot festival in China. Dave Samuels, brand director of Tenderstem® Bimi® Broccolini, noted that food remains central to life regardless of global changes. The full gallery of finalists is available online.
Key facts
- Jo Kearney won Overall Winner for 'A Woman Eats in the Canteen of the Soviet-era Sanatorium'
- The photograph was taken at Khoja Obi Garm sanatorium in Tajikistan
- Nearly 9,000 images were submitted to the 2026 competition
- Caroline Kenyon is founder of the World Food Photography Awards
- Dave Samuels is brand director of Tenderstem® Bimi® Broccolini
- Albert Gonzalez won in Cream of the Crop category for 'Ine Fishing Village, Kyoto, Japan'
- Pingyao Song won Champagne Taittinger Food for Celebration for 'The Festival of Food Enthusiasts'
- Kazi Mohammad Golam Quddus won unearthed® Food for Sale for 'Cabbage Market' in Bangladesh
Entities
Artists
- Jo Kearney
- Albert Gonzalez
- Pingyao Song
- Kazi Mohammad Golam Quddus
- Kara Baird
- Lehóczki Balázs
- Michela Balboni
- Federico Borella
- Serkan Dogus
- Glenn Vanderbeke
- Juan Miguel Ortuño Martinez
- Marco Rutten
- Maja Lewicz
- Emma Stoner
- Hussam Sleiby
- Claudia Anton
- Kellie Carter
- Daniel D Kwak
- Sarah Ghijselinck
- Sandra Declercq
- Indigo Larmour
- Anne Mason-Hoerter
- Balázs Lehóczki
- Mithail Afrige Chowdhury
- Maggie Jary
- Marie-Louise Moutafchieva
- Sadia Sikandar
- Daniel Kwak
- Simon Biffen
- Anne Mason-Hoerrte
Institutions
- World Food Photography Awards
- Bimi®
- Tenderstem® Bimi® Broccolini
- Champagne Taittinger
- James Beard Foundation
- MPB
- Hotel Art Group
- Claire Aho Award
- Jamie Oliver Youth Prize
- My Modern Met
- Festival of Food Enthusiasts
- Bimi
- Philip Harben
- Jamie Oliver
- Louis Jadot
- World Food Programme
- Claire Aho award
- UK for UNHCR
- Zouchuan Hotpot
- Vocational Training Center Irebero
- Camparino
- Hadja Marley
- The Grain Store
- Royal Crescent Hotel
- Khoja Obi Garm sanatorium
- Tenderstem Bimi Broccolini
Locations
- Tajikistan
- Khoja Obi Garm
- Kyoto
- Japan
- China
- Bangladesh
- Mahasthangarh
- Bogra
- Dhaka
- Nishiki Market
- Kyoto Prefecture
- Samarkand
- Uzbekistan
- Mount Nemrut
- Rwanda
- Vocational Training Center Irebero
- Hooghly River
- Howrah Bridge
- Devon
- UK
- Brooklyn
- New York
- West Bengal
- India
- Hungary
- Spain
- Turkey
- Belgium
- Bulgaria
- Senegal
- County Durham
- Gabtoli coal station
- Nishiki market
- Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II
- Ine fishing village
- Kyoto prefecture