World Press Photo 2026 Winners Document Global Crises from Gaza to Wildfires
The 2026 World Press Photo Contest winners have been announced, selected from over 57,000 entries across 141 countries. This year's photojournalism awards capture a stark visual record of global upheaval, including climate disasters, armed conflict, and social injustice. Images span the genocide in Gaza, where Saher Alghorra documented a death toll surpassing 75,000 for The New York Times, and the Palisades Fire in Los Angeles, which caused between $28 and $53.8 billion in property damage. Other winning works depict protests in Madagascar over failing public services, a polar bear feeding on a sperm whale carcass north of Svalbard, and a wedding proceeding despite Typhoon Wipha in the Philippines. In Sweden, Sanna Sjöswärd documented Engla Louise, a therapy-resistant anorexia patient receiving palliative care. The contest's global jury chair, Kira Pollack, emphasized the critical moment for democracy and truth. Additional awarded photographs cover the Bondi Beach terror attack in Sydney, family separations by ICE in New York, and environmental disasters in Mexico. The nonprofit World Press Photo organization runs the annual competition to provide an urgent visual record of life across nearly every continent.
Key facts
- Winners of the 2026 World Press Photo Contest have been announced.
- Over 57,000 images were submitted from 141 countries.
- The contest documents global issues including climate change, armed conflict, and social disparity.
- Saher Alghorra's 'Witnessing Gaza' for The New York Times covers the ongoing genocide with a death toll surpassing 75,000.
- Ethan Swope's 'Los Angeles on Fire' for the Associated Press shows the Palisades Fire causing $28-53.8 billion in damage.
- Kira Pollack is the 2026 global jury chair for the contest.
- The World Press Photo organization is a nonprofit that runs the annual competition.
- Images include events from 2025 such as wildfires in Los Angeles and Spain, and protests in Madagascar.
Entities
Artists
- Ethan Swope
- César Rodríguez
- Saher Alghorra
- Sanna Sjöswärd
- Tyrone Siu
- Carol Guzy
- Victor J. Blue
- Luis Tato
- Aaron Favila
- William Keo
- Rob G. Green
- Ihsaan Haffejee
- Abdulmonam Eassa
- Roie Galitz
- Edwina Pickles
- Chantal Pinzi
- Priscila Ribeiro
- Pablo E. Piovano
- Narendra Shrestha
- Jan Sonnenmair
- Brais Lorenzo
- Diego Ibarra Sánchez
- Nicole Tung
- Saber Nuraldin
- Elise Blanchard
- Kira Pollack
- Doña Paulina Ixpatá Alvarado
- Jade Rick Verdillo
- Jamaica Aguilar
- Engla Louise
- Ghita Jhiate
- Zahia Aboulait
- Sandra Mara Siqueira
- Alfredo Cerán
- Tamer Hassan al-Shafei
- Abdelatif Daham Al Hummada
- Zahira
- Boris Gurman
- Sofia Gurman
- Zyed Benna
- Bouna Traoré
- Victor J Blue
- Tadeo Bourbon
- Paula Hornickel
- Eduardo Anizelli
- Ever Andrés Mercado Puentes
- David Guttenfelder
- Wu Fang
- Mohamed Mahdy
- Evgeniy Maloletka
- Jahi Chikwendiu
- Jes Aznar
- Yasir Iqbal
- Waltraud
- Emma
- Tanner Martin
- Shay Martin
- Sheng Hailin
- Fabián Tomasi
- Sanam Bashir
- Nargis Begum
- KP Sharma Oli
- Andry Rajoelina
Institutions
- World Press Photo
- Associated Press
- The New York Times
- New York Times Magazine
- Agence France-Presse
- Reuters
- National Geographic Society
- Le Monde
- TIME
- El País
- Die Zeit
- Corren
- GroundUp
- Panos Pictures
- EPA Images
- Sydney Morning Herald
- Miami Herald
- Manuel Rivera-Ortiz Foundation
- Philip Jones Griffiths Foundation
- ICE
- DHS
- CAPSAT
- Omdurman Islamic University
- Joburg Ballet School
- Soweto Theatre
- Nasser Hospital
- Barasoain Church
- Wanglang National Nature Reserve
- Taliban
- Ares battalion, 129th Territorial Defense Brigade
- The New York Times Magazine
- Norwegian Red Cross
- SNCA
- Revista Mu
- Folha de S.Paulo
- Time
- EFE
- Revista 5W
- La Bibliothèque Nationale de France
- ZUMA Press
- iWitness
- VII Photo
- Lawen.doc
- Arab Documentary Photography Program
- The Washington Post
- Outlook India Magazine
- Zuma Press
- The Sydney Morning Herald
- CanalPourss
- Haus im Wiesengrund
- Joburg ballet school
- UNESCO
- Karen National Liberation Army
- Comando Vermelho
- Capsat
- Department of Homeland Security
- UN
Locations
- Los Angeles
- United States
- California
- Gaza Strip
- Israel
- Beit Lahia
- Khan Younis
- Sweden
- Norrköping
- Hong Kong
- New York
- Mexico
- Monterrey
- Nuevo Leon
- Guatemala City
- Guatemala
- Madagascar
- Antananarivo
- Philippines
- Malolos
- Bulacan province
- France
- Verneuil-sur-Seine
- Clichy-sous-Bois
- South Africa
- Soweto
- China
- Sichuan
- Sudan
- Omdurman
- Svalbard
- Norway
- International Waters
- Australia
- Sydney
- Morocco
- Sidi Rahal
- Brazil
- Colombo
- Paraná
- Argentina
- Cordoba
- Nepal
- Kathmandu
- Portland
- Oregon
- Spain
- Galicia
- Sierra de O Courel
- Pakistan
- Swabi
- Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
- Syria
- Deir al-Zour
- Ukraine
- Donetsk region
- Zikim Crossing
- Afghanistan
- Dahan-e-Tokhomak
- Miramor district
- Daikundi province
- Zikim crossing
- Santiago
- Nuevo León
- Buenos Aires
- Albershausen
- Germany
- Rio de Janeiro
- Complexo do Alemão
- Penha
- Tai Po
- Shahristan district
- Juntas
- Buenaventura
- Colombia
- Al-Shaddadi
- Kostiantynivka
- Donetsk
- Bondi Beach
- US
- Carballeda de Avia
- Ourense
- Marseille
- Montfermeil
- New York City
- Hefei
- Anhui Province
- Entre Ríos
- Alexandria
- Egypt
- Wadi el-Qamar
- Kyiv
- Provo
- Utah
- Min Let Pan
- Myanmar
- Karen State
- Uri
- Jammu and Kashmir
- India
- Pahalgam
- Löfstad Castle
- Parque dos Lagos