In Chile’s famous Torres Del Paine National Park, a mother puma with her two cubs in tow attacks a guanaco. It’s the circle of life and an important lesson for the young cubs. Photographer Kevin Shi captured the brutal moment in a stunning image (seen above) that’s now shortlisted in the Natural World & Wildlife category of the Sony World Photography Awards 2026.
The Open Photographer of the Year prize honors individual images that “pique curiosity, spark imagination, and reveal a wider narrative.” The categories include Architecture, Landscape, Motion, Street Photography, Travel, and more.
Charlotte lies with her cow Dolly, keeping cool in the cow barn between events at the 100th State Fair of West Virginia in Lewisburg. Outside, the temperature is upwards of 32°C.
Credit: Vanta Coda III, United States, Winner, Open Competition, Lifestyle, Sony World Photography Awards 2026 Vanta E. CodaIII
The Open Photographer of the Year will be announced at an awards ceremony in London on April 16. The winner will receive a $5,000 cash prize along with a collection of Sony Digital Imaging equipment. In the past year, more than 430,000 images from over 200 countries and territories were submitted to the Sony World Photography Awards. (Click to expand images to full screen.)
The inlet of Xiamen’s Yundang Lake is a foraging ground for egrets and a gathering spot for tarpon to hunt for food. These two species often create vivid and thrilling scenes as they compete for sustenance. In this photograph, an egret snatches food from a fish’s mouth.
Credit: He Lu, China Mainland, Shortlist, Open Competition, Motion, Sony World Photography Awards 2026
Young elephant seal pups or ‘weaners’ gather around natural rock pools on the Falkland Islands, using the protected waters to practise swimming and diving until they are ready to venture out to sea.
Credit: Lisa Skelton, Australia, Shortlist, Open Competition, Natural World & Wildlife, Sony World Photography Awards 2026
A group of gentoo penguins queues for jumping into the antarctic sea.
Credit: Martin Schmid, Austria, Shortlist, Open Competition, Motion, Sony World Photography Awards 2026
Northern California’s 4000-metre Mount Shasta is dwarfed by a phenomenal lenticular cloud, during intermittent clouds that lasted for 10 days. This image was taken around 20 minutes before the sun set.
Credit: Lisa K. Kuhn, United States, Shortlist, Open Competition, Landscape, Sony World Photography Awards 2026 Lisa K. Kuhn – www.LisaKuhn.com
This young Lusitano stallion was allowed to move freely during a photography session, enabling the photographer to capture his powerful and graceful movements.
Credit: Lorea Hausheer, Switzerland, Shortlist, Open Competition, Motion, Sony World Photography Awards 2026
A polar bear stands at the edge of the frozen sea, a symbol of resilience in the face of a changing climate.
Credit: Wouter van Hofwegen, Netherlands, Shortlist, Open Competition, Natural World & Wildlife, Sony World Photography Awards 2026
The still waters of Lake Buttermere in England’s Lake District created beautiful reflections in this photograph. The clouds acted as a soft box, with the sun breaking through at times to cast dappled light across the landscape.
Credit: Dimitry Papkov, United States, Shortlist, Open Competition, Landscape, Sony World Photography Awards 2026
A deer photographed at Charlecote in Warwickshire, United Kingdom.
Credit: Samuel Round, United Kingdom, Shortlist, Open Competition, Natural World & Wildlife, Sony World Photography Awards 2026
Not long after the kittens’ morning play, the mother Pallas’s cat returned with a rodent. The first youngster to reach her claimed the prize, while the slower siblings lingered nearby. Whenever the mother paused to rest, their mischief shifted toward her instead. In this frame, the youngster’s bright, mischievous eyes reveal a personality beginning to emerge.
Credit: Elizabeth Yicheng Shen, Taiwan, Shortlist, Open Competition, Natural World & Wildlife, Sony World Photography Awards 2026 Elizabeth Yicheng Shen
Hay bales and shimmering rice paddies sit beneath the towering skyline of Qianjiang, the embrace of the city and the rush of time overshadowing the tranquil heroes of the land.
Credit: Hanjun Zhang, China Mainland, Shortlist, Open Competition, Architecture, Sony World Photography Awards 2026
Using the underside of a bridge to create a strong vanishing point, this photograph draws the viewer’s eye towards the horizon, where structure, water and city converge. The narrowing lines emphasise depth and scale, transforming the bridge into a visual pathway between the urban landscape and fading light.
Credit: Eng Tong Tan, Malaysia, Shortlist, Open Competition, Architecture, Sony World Photography Awards 2026 Tan Eng Tong
It took the photographer more than 40 hours and 4000 exposures to get this photograph, but that patience was rewarded.
Credit: Stan Bouman, Netherlands, Shortlist, Open Competition, Natural World & Wildlife, Sony World Photography Awards 2026
Moonrise meets Jardine House in Hong Kong, where the rising moon mirrors the building’s iconic circular rhythm. In this quiet alignment, nature and architecture echo one another, revealing a rare moment of harmony within the city’s night.
Credit: Carlo Yuen, Hong Kong, Shortlist, Open Competition, Architecture, Sony World Photography Awards 2026
Seen from above, an ordinary landscape can become something extraordinary, as is often the case in Iceland. Each lake had a different hue, which reminded the photographer of a painter’s palette. The effect was enhanced by the dramatic lighting conditions after a heavy rain.
Credit: Filip Hrebenda, Slovakia, Shortlist, Open Competition, Travel, Sony World Photography Awards 2026
A blue arctic fox in a blizzard, photographed on the Varanger Peninsula, Norway.
Credit: Klaus Hellmich, Germany, Winner, Open Competition, Natural World & Wildlife, Sony World Photography Awards 2026
At dawn, the newly victorious ‘milu king’ stands tall among a resting herd of does, roaring triumphantly. Behind him, the rising sun highlights his majestic silhouette — crowning his untamed power and glory.
Credit: Huajin Sun, China Mainland, Shortlist, Open Competition, Natural World & Wildlife, Sony World Photography Awards 2026
Taken on a crisp February morning, the photographer had envisioned this image for weeks, waiting for the light and the stillness to converge. As dawn began to unfurl its golden thread across the horizon, there it was: majestic Mount Fuji, crowned by a solitary lenticular cloud, suspended in the sky.
Credit: © Megan Tavarez, United States, Shortlist, Open Competition, Travel, Sony World Photography Awards 2026 Megan Tavarez
The photographer waited patiently until this African buffalo was reflected in the dark water, the intense backlight transforming it into a glowing silhouette and highlighting the curve of its horns. The slow shutter speed also captured a bat fluttering across the scene, its flight appearing as a ghostly ribbon-like pattern.
Credit: Vishal Naveen, India, Shortlist, Open Competition, Natural World & Wildlife, Sony World Photography Awards 2026
