Sony World Competition — Showcasing striking perspectives from around the world
The Sony World Competition announced the finalists and shortlists for their 2026 professional awards. The Awards spotlights photographers telling the stories of our time. Here is the selection of images from the professional competition in the perspectives category.
This photographic series set in the highest mountains of Guerrero, Mexico portrays the quiet bond between people, nature, and life in the mountains. (Photo: Brian Mena Laureano, Mexico, Shortlist, Professional Competition, Perspectives, Sony World Photography Awards 2026)
In the highest mountains of Guerrero, Mexico, a small village is surrounded by clouds. Don Tobias lives here with his dog, Lobo, caring for his livestock, which includes sheep, goats and chickens. Along the trails and in the forests, wild animals such as rabbits, deer and members of the cat family can be found. This photographic series portrays the quiet bond between people, nature, and life in the mountains. (Photo: Brian Mena Laureano, Mexico, Shortlist, Professional Competition, Perspectives, Sony World Photography Awards 2026) Since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, almost 14,000 civilians have been killed and over 35,000 wounded. Images of the conflict are often taken by photojournalists at a distance, but this is not the war the photographer will remember. While submitting work to photography festivals, she encountered projects by fellow Ukrainians, their collective gaze shaped by compassion and rage. She realised their pain reaches beyond physical destruction — although the world can see what is happening in Ukraine, only those living there can truly feel it. Circle captures everyday life in Ukraine from a local perspective, where everything speaks of war. Yet there is no visible combat in the photographs; only the dates and times reveal the context. This is not documentary photography, but the gaze of a Ukrainian woman who, like many others, ‘feels guilt for surviving, for doing too little, for not winning — and for being a woman and escaping conscription so easily.’ (Photo: Dara Petrova, Ukraine, Shortlist, Professional Competition, Perspectives, Sony World Photography Awards 2026) Another photo capturing everyday life in Ukraine from a local perspective. (Photo: Dara Petrova, Ukraine, Shortlist, Professional Competition, Perspectives, Sony World Photography Awards 2026) This series was photographed over an 11-month period, with the highlight being the International Cowboy Day festival, in Nairobi, Kenya. The festival drew around 3,000 country music fans to Ngong Racecourse in the final week of July. Country Music has been played on the radio in Kenya since colonial times and the popularity for the genre is growing, with shows being held by various artists in local bars a few times per week. (Photo: Fredrik Lerneryd, Sweden, Finalist, Professional Competition, Perspectives, Sony World Photography Awards 2026) ‘My wife and I lost our child to stillbirth at 18 weeks of pregnancy. In the days leading up to the cremation we spent time together at home, during which time I took many photographs. In contemporary society, photographs are easily shared, generated and consumed, and with the rise of social media and artificial intelligence, the meaning of photography as a medium continues to shift. However, pressing the shutter in front of my child brought a renewed awareness of photography’s fundamental qualities — its relationship to time and to the body. These photographs were not taken for the purpose of record or explanation. They are made simply to face the time that undeniably existed in that place. For me, looking at these photographs is an act of reaffirming the sensation of being alive.’ (Photo: Hayate Kurisu, Japan, Finalist, Professional Competition, Perspectives, Sony World Photography Awards 2026) Another image taken by Hayate Kurisu, reflecting on the role of photography as a medium. (Photo: Hayate Kurisu, Japan, Finalist, Professional Competition, Perspectives, Sony World Photography Awards 2026) When the photographer moved to London, far from her homeland, it marked the first time she fully had her own time and space. Within her new home she gradually discovered an atmosphere that echoed her childhood experience. This led to her realisation that living spaces not only carry consciousness but also form a ‘universe of memory’ where the past can be found. This project explores the relationship between women and their living spaces — spaces where they can take control of their own narrative. Through her images, and through face-to-face interviews with the subjects, the photographer integrates visible time with blurred memories to express subjective inner tension, fluidity and the absence of other people’s perspectives. (Photo: Kanyuan Li, China Mainland, Shortlist, Professional Competition, Perspectives, Sony World Photography Awards 2026) This project was born from the photographer’s observations of her son’s admiration for birds. Since he was 4 years old, her son, Seydú, has looked at birds with great attention and curiosity, and started collecting natural elements such as feathers. The photographer explains that the magic happened when they began to find nests and feathers, and lost birds started to arrive at their house. In Andean culture, birds are not only viewed as animals, but they also play a very important role in the cosmovision and spirituality, where they are seen as messengers between the human world and the higher world. (Photo: María Fernanda García Freire, Ecuador, Shortlist, Professional Competition, Perspectives, Sony World Photography Awards 2026) In Denmark, one in eight women are diagnosed with breast cancer every year. In June 2024, the photographer became part of this statistic when she received the news that the small lump she had discovered was in fact cancerous. As a self-portrait artist, and being used to processing things visually, she chose to photograph her way through this experience, including the feeling of losing her sense of self and her femininity. Her hope is that sharing this experience can raise awareness, spark conversation and help reduce stigma around breast cancer. (Photo: Maria Fynsk Norup, Denmark, Shortlist, Professional Competition, Perspectives, Sony World Photography Awards 2026) Part of the photographer's self-portraiture during her experience with breast cancer. (Photo: Maria Fynsk Norup, Denmark, Shortlist, Professional Competition, Perspectives, Sony World Photography Awards 2026) This documentary series follows a group of young people who grew up outside the French school system, and the relationships they formed through associative gatherings known as rencontres. The photographer followed several individuals, over a few years: Lisa, Ilan, Loren, Eve, Pauline and her daughter Elyna, Isaure, Hermione, Matilda, Lutèce, and Oriane. French law states that education is compulsory for children aged three to 16, but it does not specify that this education has to take place in a classroom; what these families have in common is that they do not replicate the school model at home. The series explores the plurality of their family, friendship, romantic and associative bonds, bearing witness to young people living on the margins of the formal education system, and their transition into adulthood. (Photo: Camille Nivollet, France, Shortlist, Professional Competition, Perspectives, Sony World Photography Awards 2026)
/file/attachments/orphans/3945_10861_BrianMenaLaureano_Mexico_Professional_Perspectives_2026_457299.jpg "In the highest mountains of Guerrero, Mexico, a small village is surrounded by clouds. Don Tobias lives here with his dog, Lobo, caring for his livestock, which includes sheep, goats and chickens. Along the trails and in the forests, wild animals such as rabbits, deer and members of the cat family can be found. This photographic series portrays the quiet bond between people, nature, and life in the mountains. (Photo: Brian Mena Laureano, Mexico, Shortlist, Professional Competition, Perspectives, Sony World Photography Awards 2026)")
/file/attachments/orphans/3939_10815_DaraPetrova_Ukraine_Professional_Perspectives_2026_130585.jpg "Since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, almost 14,000 civilians have been killed and over 35,000 wounded. Images of the conflict are often taken by photojournalists at a distance, but this is not the war the photographer will remember. While submitting work to photography festivals, she encountered projects by fellow Ukrainians, their collective gaze shaped by compassion and rage. She realised their pain reaches beyond physical destruction — although the world can see what is happening in Ukraine, only those living there can truly feel it. Circle captures everyday life in Ukraine from a local perspective, where everything speaks of war. Yet there is no visible combat in the photographs; only the dates and times reveal the context. This is not documentary photography, but the gaze of a Ukrainian woman who, like many others, ‘feels guilt for surviving, for doing too little, for not winning — and for being a woman and escaping conscription so easily.’ (Photo: Dara Petrova, Ukraine, Shortlist, Professional Competition, Perspectives, Sony World Photography Awards 2026)")
/file/attachments/orphans/3939_10803_DaraPetrova_Ukraine_Professional_Perspectives_2026_888450.jpg "Another photo capturing everyday life in Ukraine from a local perspective. (Photo: Dara Petrova, Ukraine, Shortlist, Professional Competition, Perspectives, Sony World Photography Awards 2026)")
/file/attachments/orphans/3937_10793_FredrikLerneryd_Kenya_Professional_Perspectives_2026_823262.jpg "This series was photographed over an 11-month period, with the highlight being the International Cowboy Day festival, in Nairobi, Kenya. The festival drew around 3,000 country music fans to Ngong Racecourse in the final week of July. Country Music has been played on the radio in Kenya since colonial times and the popularity for the genre is growing, with shows being held by various artists in local bars a few times per week. (Photo: Fredrik Lerneryd, Sweden, Finalist, Professional Competition, Perspectives, Sony World Photography Awards 2026)")
/file/attachments/orphans/3933_10757_HayateKurisu_Japan_Professional_Perspectives_2026_118569.png "‘My wife and I lost our child to stillbirth at 18 weeks of pregnancy. In the days leading up to the cremation we spent time together at home, during which time I took many photographs. In contemporary society, photographs are easily shared, generated and consumed, and with the rise of social media and artificial intelligence, the meaning of photography as a medium continues to shift. However, pressing the shutter in front of my child brought a renewed awareness of photography’s fundamental qualities — its relationship to time and to the body. These photographs were not taken for the purpose of record or explanation. They are made simply to face the time that undeniably existed in that place. For me, looking at these photographs is an act of reaffirming the sensation of being alive.’ (Photo: Hayate Kurisu, Japan, Finalist, Professional Competition, Perspectives, Sony World Photography Awards 2026)")
/file/attachments/orphans/3933_10753_HayateKurisu_Japan_Professional_Perspectives_2026_842323.png "Another image taken by Hayate Kurisu, reflecting on the role of photography as a medium. (Photo: Hayate Kurisu, Japan, Finalist, Professional Competition, Perspectives, Sony World Photography Awards 2026)")
/file/attachments/orphans/3929_10721_KanyuanLi_UnitedKingdom_Professional_Perspectives_2026_343899.jpg "When the photographer moved to London, far from her homeland, it marked the first time she fully had her own time and space. Within her new home she gradually discovered an atmosphere that echoed her childhood experience. This led to her realisation that living spaces not only carry consciousness but also form a ‘universe of memory’ where the past can be found. This project explores the relationship between women and their living spaces — spaces where they can take control of their own narrative. Through her images, and through face-to-face interviews with the subjects, the photographer integrates visible time with blurred memories to express subjective inner tension, fluidity and the absence of other people’s perspectives. (Photo: Kanyuan Li, China Mainland, Shortlist, Professional Competition, Perspectives, Sony World Photography Awards 2026)")
/file/attachments/orphans/3931_10737_MaraFernandaGarcaFreire_Ecuador_Professional_Perspectives_2026_840274.jpg "This project was born from the photographer’s observations of her son’s admiration for birds. Since he was 4 years old, her son, Seydú, has looked at birds with great attention and curiosity, and started collecting natural elements such as feathers. The photographer explains that the magic happened when they began to find nests and feathers, and lost birds started to arrive at their house. In Andean culture, birds are not only viewed as animals, but they also play a very important role in the cosmovision and spirituality, where they are seen as messengers between the human world and the higher world. (Photo: María Fernanda García Freire, Ecuador, Shortlist, Professional Competition, Perspectives, Sony World Photography Awards 2026)")
/file/attachments/orphans/3941_10819_MariaFynskNorup_Denmark_Professional_Perspectives_2026_797919.jpg "In Denmark, one in eight women are diagnosed with breast cancer every year. In June 2024, the photographer became part of this statistic when she received the news that the small lump she had discovered was in fact cancerous. As a self-portrait artist, and being used to processing things visually, she chose to photograph her way through this experience, including the feeling of losing her sense of self and her femininity. Her hope is that sharing this experience can raise awareness, spark conversation and help reduce stigma around breast cancer. (Photo: Maria Fynsk Norup, Denmark, Shortlist, Professional Competition, Perspectives, Sony World Photography Awards 2026)")
/file/attachments/orphans/3941_10821_MariaFynskNorup_Denmark_Professional_Perspectives_2026_343807.jpg "Part of the photographer's self-portraiture during her experience with breast cancer. (Photo: Maria Fynsk Norup, Denmark, Shortlist, Professional Competition, Perspectives, Sony World Photography Awards 2026)")
/file/attachments/orphans/3947_10873_CamilleNivollet_France_Professional_Perspectives_2026_618644.jpg "This documentary series follows a group of young people who grew up outside the French school system, and the relationships they formed through associative gatherings known as rencontres. The photographer followed several individuals, over a few years: Lisa, Ilan, Loren, Eve, Pauline and her daughter Elyna, Isaure, Hermione, Matilda, Lutèce, and Oriane. French law states that education is compulsory for children aged three to 16, but it does not specify that this education has to take place in a classroom; what these families have in common is that they do not replicate the school model at home. The series explores the plurality of their family, friendship, romantic and associative bonds, bearing witness to young people living on the margins of the formal education system, and their transition into adulthood. (Photo: Camille Nivollet, France, Shortlist, Professional Competition, Perspectives, Sony World Photography Awards 2026)")
This photographic series set in the highest mountains of Guerrero, Mexico portrays the quiet bond between people, nature, and life in the mountains. (Photo: Brian Mena Laureano, Mexico, Shortlist, Professional Competition, Perspectives, Sony World Photography Awards 2026)