The 2027 World Press Photo Contest works with six worldwide regions – Africa; Asia Pacific and Oceania; Europe; North and Central America; South America; and West, Central, and South Asia. Entries are judged in the region in which they were taken, for example a single photograph taken in Canada would be entered into North and Central America in the Singles category. Find out more about the regions here.
There are three format-based categories: Singles, Stories and Long-Term Projects. These categories welcome work that documents news and/or aftermaths, sports, nature, and social, political and environmental issues and solutions.
Please note: There is no hierarchy of winners in each category. All winners are weighted equally.
Singles
- Single frame photographs.
- All singles must have been shot in 2026.
- All singles are eligible for the World Press Photo of the Year.
Stories
- Stories can contain between 4 and 10 single frame photographs.
- All photographs entered into the stories category must have been shot in 2025 or 2026. At least four photographs in a story must have been shot in 2026.
- All photographs shot in 2026 that are included in the story are eligible for the World Press Photo of the Year.
Long-Term Projects
- Projects on a single theme containing between 24-30 single frame photographs.
- An entry must contain photographs from at least three different years, and a minimum of six photographs must have been shot in 2026.
- All photographs shot in 2026 that are included in the project are eligible for the World Press Photo of the Year.
Do you want to be notified about any upcoming announcements regarding the 2027 Contest? Sign up here.
Are you looking for more specific information? Visit one of the following pages to find out more about:
Image credits: Mohamed Mahdy, Arab Documentary Photography Program; Tadeo Bourbon, for Revista Mu; Brais Lorenzo, EFE, Revista 5W, El País; Diego Ibarra Sánchez.
