Three awards in each field will recognize
outstanding nature and sports photography from around the
world
Amsterdam,
13 October 2026 — World Press Photo announces the Nature
Award and the Sports Award for the 2027 World Press Photo
Contest.
The introduction of these awards is a
response to feedback from World Press Photo’s exhibition
audiences and industry partners, who have expressed that
they miss seeing nature and sports photography represented
among the Contest’s winning work since the launch of the
regional contest model in the 2022 Contest.
Nature and
sports photography have long been integral to news and
documentary photography. The awards create space to
recognize work that explores our relationships with animals
and the natural world, as well as the energy, emotion and
wider cultural significance of sport.
“Nature and
sports are part of how people understand the world. We hope
these awards encourage photographers from all over the globe
to enter stories that are visually exceptional and reveal
something new, whether from a local, regional or global
perspective.” – Joumana El Zein Khoury, executive
director of World Press Photo
For the 2027 Contest,
three Nature Awards and three Sports Awards will be selected
by the jury from eligible Singles and Stories entries
submitted across all regions. Neither award will function as
a standalone submission category, and photographers do not
need to enter separately.
World Press Photo Nature
Award
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The World Press Photo Nature Award recognizes
visual stories exploring the relationships between people,
animals and the ecosystems they share.
It focuses on
themes including ecological healing, adaptation, friction,
coexistence and animal agency, and aims to highlight
stewardship and resilience, including solutions-oriented
reporting that documents restoration and meaningful
ecological healing. While the award encourages hopeful
narratives, the jury retains full discretion to consider
nuanced and complex entries where human and environmental
interconnections meet.
As with all World Press Photo
awards, work must demonstrate exceptional visual quality and
meaningful storytelling. The award seeks stories that
capture human-animal interconnections and deepen public
understanding of issues affecting people, animals and shared
ecosystems.
The Nature Award is distinct from
environmental crisis reporting. Work primarily focused on
the climate crisis, severe pollution and other aspects of
the global environmental crisis will continue to be eligible
across all regions in the Singles, Stories and Long-Term
Projects categories.
World Press Photo Sports
Award
The World Press Photo Sports Award recognizes
work that captures the energy, action and human emotion of
individual and team sports.
It encompasses the full
spectrum of sports photography, from decisive single moments
to broader narratives and thematic issues within the
sporting world. Eligible work includes major sporting events
and high-profile news moments, as well as socio-political
dynamics, cultural connections and protests within sport,
alongside everyday sporting life, community traditions and
local sporting cultures.
Recognizing a broader range
of visual stories
The reintroduction of the Nature
and Sports Awards reflects World Press Photo’s commitment to
recognizing the breadth of photojournalism and documentary
photography, while maintaining the standards of visual
quality, storytelling and journalistic relevance expected of
all Contest winners.
The 2027 World Press
Photo Contest opens for entries on 1 December. Further
information about eligibility and the entry process will be
announced on 3 November via World Press Photo’s website and
social media channels.
About
World Press Photo
World Press Photo is an independent
non-profit organization that champions the power of
photojournalism and documentary photography to deepen
understanding, promote dialogue, and inspire
action.
Founded in the Netherlands in 1955, our annual
and thematic exhibitions reach millions of people in over 80
locations world-wide each year, and our online work reaches
millions more. We create space for reflection in times of
urgency, while upholding standards of accuracy,
authenticity, visual excellence, and diverse perspectives.
Our education programs help photographers reach these
standards, and members of the public recognize
them.
We are thankful for the support of our funders,
particularly our strategic partners the Dutch Postcode
Lottery and FUJIFILM
Corporation.
