The historic 20th edition of the Sony World Photography Awards is now open for entries and accessible to everyone free of charge at worldphoto.org.
Since their inception twenty years ago, the Sony World Photography Awards have become the definitive benchmark for contemporary photography, setting the standard for visual storytelling. With their unrivalled reach and international programme, the SWPA recognise the exceptional innovation, creativity and dedication of photographers from around the world, as well as photography that captures our world today.
The 2027 edition of the Sony World Photography Awards brings new developments to all its competitions. The flagship ‘Series’ (formerly ‘Professional’) and ‘Single Image’ (formerly ‘Open’) competitions have been renamed, allowing for a clearer definition and scope. Photographers are invited to submit different projects across both competitions, allowing those with varied portfolios to submit work from across their practice, whether it be a series or a striking single photograph. To mark this historic 20th edition, the awards are also introducing new categories within the ‘Series’ and ‘Single Image’ competitions.
Organised by Creo, these awards form the heart of its photography programme, the World Photography Organisation. Sony supports these awards to advance the global conversation on photography and to highlight the artists working in the field today.
Photographers from around the world are invited to enter the four award categories:
‘Series’, which recognises exceptional projects and narrative excellence, across 10 categories;
‘Single Image’, which recognises the power of a single photograph, across 10 categories;
‘Youth’, which showcases images by emerging talents aged 19 and under;
And ‘Student’, which showcases projects by photography students from around the world.
Other initiatives include the National and Regional Awards, the Alpha Female Award and the Sustainability Award.
Entry to the awards is free, and entries are judged anonymously by a jury of leading industry experts. Winning photographers receive exceptional prizes, enjoy high visibility and are offered career-defining opportunities.
NEW FOR 2027
New ‘Series’ competition category: ‘Histories’
This category invites photographers to explore how stories – personal, cultural and collective – shape our world today, from daily traditions and rituals to the events and forces that have shaped nations and peoples. It is aimed at projects that address, explore or re-examine the past, as well as works that view the present through a historical lens. Entries using archive or found images that revisit, recontextualise or breathe new life into the past are accepted.
New category in the ‘Single Image’ competition: ‘Animal Portraits’
This category celebrates the beauty, personality and spirit of animals through portraiture. The judges are looking for images that capture the expression and character of the subject, whether they are beloved pets, majestic wildlife, marine life, reptiles or insects. Photographers are invited to submit portraits that honour and highlight the remarkable diversity of the animal kingdom.
‘Student’ competition theme: ‘Journeys’
Journeys are a universal theme that transcends cultures and languages, and can take many forms. They have been explored in countless works of art, fiction and non-fiction, as well as in photography. For this year’s theme, students are invited to explore the concept of travel from their own perspective.
By considering the notion of travel in its broadest sense, students are encouraged to interpret this theme in a way that feels meaningful to them. From rites of passage marking a child’s transition to adulthood to the transformations shaping our cities, from the small daily changes within a particular community to animal migrations across continents, life around the world is marked by movement and change. Student photographers are invited to depict a journey of their choice through a photographic series of five to ten images.
2027 AWARDS AND DEADLINES
The Sony World Photography Awards are open for submissions from June 1, 2026. A full description of the competition and categories can be found at worldphoto.org.
The submission deadlines for the four award competitions are as follows:
“Series”: January 12, 2027, 1:00 PM GMT
“Single Image”: January 5, 2027, 1:00 PM GMT
“Student”: November 27, 2026, 1:00 PM GMT
“Youth”: January 5, 2027, 1:00 PM GMT
All winners in the “Series,” “Single Image,” “Youth,” and “Student” categories will receive digital imaging equipment from Sony. Cash prizes of $25,000 (USD) will be awarded to the Photographer of the Year, $5,000 (USD) to the Single Image winner, and $5,000 (USD) to the Sustainability Award winner. The Photographer of the Year winner will also be offered a solo exhibition of their work at the Sony World Photography Awards exhibition in London the following year. The works of all winning and shortlisted photographers will be exhibited at the annual Sony World Photography Awards exhibition in London and will subsequently tour internationally. The winning images will also be published in the annual awards book.
