- SWPA is one of the most prestigious global photography competitions
- This year attracted over 430,000 entries from more than 200 countries
- The winner will take home a top prize of $25,000 and Sony camera equipment
I have had the pleasure of attending the Sony World Photography Awards 2026 in London, where the overall winner and 10 category winners have unpacked their photography projects for the press.
Legendary street photographer Joel Meyerowitz was also on hand to accept a lifetime achievement award, and he was as engaging as ever.
It’s been a real pleasure and if you get the chance, I encourage you to visit the competition’s exhibition, which features over 300 works, housed in London’s Somerset House and open to the public from 17 April to 4 May 2026.
The article continues below
In previous years it felt very much like AI was an inevitable topic around the competition, but in 2026 it feels like the AI storm has passed and we were solely enjoying the photography and stories that inspired the works.
I had a fascinating long chat with the wildlife category winner, Will Burrard-Lucas, and will be sharing my conversation very soon, but for now check out some of the category award winners below.
Where the information is available – I’ve noted what camera gear was used in the gallery below – there’s been such a surprising selection this year, proving once again that gear isn’t the be-all and end-all of great photography.
SWPA 2026 category winners and their equipment
Picture 1 of 10
Having covered photo competition news for the past three years, working in a gear-focused role as TechRadar’s camera editor, I’m always happy to see a range of camera gear being used by winning entrants, and SWPA 2026 is no different.
Take Will Burrard Lucas’ wildlife series – he suits his own camera traps with cheap Canon EOS 6D cameras – a necessary compromise because he often requires multiple cameras in harsh environments, but he still praised the quality of these old 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 Fujifilm X100 VI respectively for their reportage photography projects.
At the other end of the spectrum is the ‘Sport’ category winner, Todd Anthony from New Zealand, who used a large-format Phase One camera costing tens of thousands for his monochrome images of riders and their horses.
Photography can be a beautiful thing and many of us already have the skillful tools in hand to go and create. Who knows, maybe one day you could have your pictures hanging on the walls of Somerset House.
Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews and opinions in your feeds. Be sure to click the Follow button!
And of course you can too follow TechRadar on TikTok for news, reviews, video unboxings, and get regular updates from us on WhatsApp also.
