The Sony World Photography Awards, one of the most anticipated photography announcements of the year, has revealed the 30 finalists and 65 shortlisted entries in the 2026 Professional competition. We’re sharing five striking images from the selection, narrowed down by a jury from over 430,000 submissions across 200 countries and territories. These photographs showcase diverse approaches to the landscape – whether they be natural, or human-made. From melting ice sheets to imposing border walls, the images challenge viewers to reflect on our changing climate and the structures of power that shape our world.
Liam Man, Standing on New Ground, (2026). From When Mountains Move.
“The state of Earth’s cryosphere is critical. Anthropogenic activities drive climate change and glaciers are melting at an unprecedented rate. An expedition set out to photograph an eclipse above the Leones Glacier in Chile. It is retreating rapidly. As it thins, unsupported valley walls collapse, covering the surface in dark debris that increases thermal absorption, accelerating melt and driving further instability.”
Dafna Talmor, Untitled, (2026). From Constructed Landscapes.
“This series employs hand-printed and collaged colour negatives that are reconfigured into abstracted landscape representations. Purposefully undisclosed locations — sites that may otherwise be loaded with personal and political connotations — are collaged and repurposed. These staged landscapes reference the histories of photography, from Pictorialist combination printing processes to contemporary discourse.”
David Baxter III, UFOs in New Mexico, (2026). From Supercells: Mother Nature Unleashed.
“Tornado Alley is situated across the central United States of America and can produce some of the wildest weather on the planet. Supercells traverse Tornado Alley during spring and summer, bringing breathtaking scenes as Mother Nature creates unbelievable atmospheric sculptures. The 2025 season was one of the most intense in memory, as several extremely photogenic storms took place.”
Mathieu Moindron, Untitled, (2026). From Night Shift.
“Shot at night in Sendai, Japan, this series looks at districts built almost entirely for service: shops, offices, car parks, truck fleets, an amusement park, a petrol station. All were photographed after the last of the day’s workers had left, using only the available light. These banal structures become theatrical once the human flow stops. The architecture, machinery and a few lit windows seem to act by themselves.”
Cristopher Rogel Blanquet Chavez, Untitled, (2026). From Ad Astra.
“By day, the border wall separating Mexico from the USA looms large, imposing its size. But at night, beneath the stars, it transforms. It becomes a silhouette, a shadow, a dark line of architectural hostility that cuts through the landscape. The wall rusts, becomes buried, and is interrupted, but its purpose endures: to separate. This series is not about politics, but presence. It is about an architecture designed to exclude.”
The 2026 Sony World Photography Awards Exhibition will be at Somerset House, London.
17 April – 4 May | somersethouse.org.uk
Photographer of the Year to be announced on 16 April.
Image Credits:
1. © Cristopher Rogel Blanquet Chavez, Mexico, Shortlist, Professional Competition, Architecture & Design, Sony World Photography Awards 2026
2. © Liam Man, United Kingdom, Shortlist, Professional Competition, Landscape, Sony World Photography Awards 2026
3. © Dafna Talmor, United Kingdom, Finalist, Professional Competition, Landscape, Sony World Photography Awards 2026
4. © David Baxter III, United States, Shortlist, Professional Competition, Landscape, Sony World Photography Awards 2026
5. © Mathieu Moindron, France, Shortlist, Professional Competition, Architecture & Design, Sony World Photography Awards 2026
6. © Cristopher Rogel Blanquet Chavez, Mexico, Shortlist, Professional Competition, Architecture & Design, Sony World Photography Awards 2026
