11 stunning finalists for the Youth Photographer of the Year prize

From showy peacocks to flying BMXers.

By Popular Science Team

Published Jan 31, 2026 1:01 PM EST

family of monkeys — "Family Picture." Reichert captured this family of monkeys on Pidurangala Rock, Sri Lanka. The photographer describes how this image particularly struck him because of the gaze of the little monkey in the middle of the picture and ‘the strong sense of family, even among animals’.
Copyright: © Victor Reichert, France, Shortlist, Youth Competition, Sony World Photography Awards 2026

Young people have a different perspective on our world, both literally and figuratively. Their eyes see things differently and if you hand them a camera, you might understand more.

The Sony World Photography Awards has announced the talented photographers shortlisted in the 2026 Student and Youth competitions. The Student competition features images from university students, while the Youth prize goes to photographers aged 19 and younger.

a horse and rider entered the water, using an over-under perspective to show both environments in a single frame. — “Between Two Worlds”
This photograph was taken in Çeşme, İzmir, Turkey, during a coastal swim. The photographer captured the moment a horse and rider entered the water, using an over-under perspective to show both environments in a single frame.
Copyright: © Doğa Ergün, Türkiye, Shortlist, Youth Competition, Sony World Photography Awards 2026

Aakash Gulzar, a finalist for Student Photographer of the Year, submitted a series of images titled “Kotar’baaz.” The series (seen below) documents the Indian-administered pigeon keepers of Kashmir across rooftops, shrines, and markets in Srinagar. “It’s a story of love, patience, and the enduring spirit of a place that refuses to lose its soul,” Gulzar says.

The Student Photographer of the Year and Youth Photographer of the Year will be announced on April 16, 2026, at ceremony in London.

Owais, 23, works full-time as a caretaker for over a thousand pigeons in Srinagar, Indian-administered Kashmir, on April 15, 2025, more than 100 kilometers away from his home. Employed by a local businessman who owns the prized birds, Owais spends his days feeding, cleaning, and tending to their needs. “It’s exhausting at times, ” he says, “but I’ve grown attached to them. This is what I want to do; I can’t imagine doing anything else.” — “Kotar’baaz”
Owais, 23, works full-time as a caretaker for over a thousand pigeons in Srinagar, Indian-administered Kashmir, on April 15, 2025, more than 100 kilometers away from his home. Employed by a local businessman who owns the prized birds, Owais spends his days feeding, cleaning, and tending to their needs. “It’s exhausting at times,” he says, “but I’ve grown attached to them. This is what I want to do; I can’t imagine doing anything else.”
Copyright: © Aakash Gulzar, India, Shortlist, Student Competition, Sony World Photography Awards 2026 Aakash Gulzar

Visitors gather near the Dargah Hazratbal shrine in Srinagar, Indian-administered Kashmir, on Feb. 28, 2025, often pausing to photograph the pigeons that move freely through the courtyard. Across the city’s mosques and shrines, the birds share space with worshippers in quiet ease. — “Kotar’baaz”
Visitors gather near the Dargah Hazratbal shrine in Srinagar, Indian-administered Kashmir, on Feb. 28, 2025, often pausing to photograph the pigeons that move freely through the courtyard. Across the city’s mosques and shrines, the birds share space with worshippers in quiet ease.
Copyright: © Aakash Gulzar, India, Shortlist, Student Competition, Sony World Photography Awards 2026 Aakash Gulzar

Suspiria de Profundis engages Jean-Paul Sartre’s proposition that meaning arises from nothingness, requiring meaning to be formed through experiences. The tactile, analogue nature of this series guides the viewer towards a deeper, more intuitive encounter with their own existential orientation. Perhaps, this may even tune the audiences towards a shared understanding of spaces and places in time. The images in Suspiria de Profundis evoke relic-like atmospheres and gothic unease, inviting sustained reflection on the human condition. — “Suspiria de Profundis”
Suspiria de Profundis engages Jean-Paul Sartre’s proposition that meaning arises from nothingness, requiring meaning to be formed through experiences. The tactile, analogue nature of this series guides the viewer towards a deeper, more intuitive encounter with their own existential orientation. Perhaps, this may even tune the audiences towards a shared understanding of spaces and places in time. The images in Suspiria de Profundis evoke relic-like atmospheres and gothic unease, inviting sustained reflection on the human condition.
Copyright: © Matte Dixon, Australia, Shortlist, Student Competition, Sony World Photography Awards 2026

man holds fish balloons in river — “The River Without Fish”
The fish belong in the river, but the river is gone. A man stands in the water, while balloons shaped like dolphins float above, a parody of joy. Nature is replaced by plastic, survival is presented as celebration. Urbanisation turns rivers into markets, creatures into commodities, and memory into something fleeting.
Copyright: © Jubair Ahmed Arnob, Bangladesh, Shortlist, Student Competition, Sony World Photography Awards 2026 Jubair Ahmed Arnob

a bmx rider performing a backflip; simultaneously capturing the landing of a plane behind them, giving the illusion of a plane propelling the rider forward. — “Cruce Imposible”
Taken during a BMX freestyle event in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Jane Mozzi shot this image while the rider was performing a backflip; simultaneously capturing the landing of a plane behind them, giving the illusion of a plane propelling the rider forward. Mozzi loved this photo because of the perfect timing of this unique moment, captured in one single take.
Copyright: © Jane Mozzi, Argentina, Shortlist, Youth Competition, Sony World Photography Awards 2026

Mount Fuji framed through the autumn leaves that surround lake Kawaguchi, with an admirer looking on. — “Autumn’s Frame Around Mount Fuji”
Mount Fuji framed through the autumn leaves that surround lake Kawaguchi, with an admirer looking on.
Copyright: © Riley Shickle, United Kingdom, Shortlist, Youth Competition, Sony World Photography Awards 2026

A modern triangular sculpture frames the Great Pyramid, accented by bold red fabric and a field of mirrors. The photographer sought to capture the harmony between the stark lines of the installation and the ‘eternal shape of the pharaoh’s tomb’, creating a ‘geometric interplay of past and present’. — “Triangle Frames”
A modern triangular sculpture frames the Great Pyramid, accented by bold red fabric and a field of mirrors. The photographer sought to capture the harmony between the stark lines of the installation and the ‘eternal shape of the pharaoh’s tomb’, creating a ‘geometric interplay of past and present’.
Copyright: © Abdallah Islam, Egypt, Shortlist, Youth Competition, Sony World Photography Awards 2026

red-eyed tree frog in the Costa Rican rainforest, perched along a narrow leaf, — “Red-Eyed Watcher”
Keira Pereira encountered this red-eyed tree frog in the Costa Rican rainforest, perched along a narrow leaf, motionless against the darkness of the night. Using controlled artificial light, the photographer isolated the frog to emphasise its alert posture, vivid eyes, and delicate grip, capturing the stillness of nocturnal life in the rainforest.
Copyright: © Keira Pereira, Canada, Shortlist, Youth Competition, Sony World Photography Awards 2026

a peacock — “Keep it Clean!”
Perched gracefully on a sturdy branch, a majestic peacock surveys its surroundings against a glowing golden backdrop, scanning the landscape for any signs of danger. Between watchful glances, it gently preens its feathers, maintaining its regal appearance.
Copyright: © Jeirin Anton, Sri Lanka, Shortlist, Youth Competition, Sony World Photography Awards 2026