The 2026 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 will be judged in the region in which they have been 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.
Singles
- Single frame photographs.
- All singles must have been shot in 2025.
- All singles will be 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 2024 or 2025. At least four photographs in a story must have been shot in 2025.
- All photographs shot in 2025 that are included in the story will be 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 2025.
- All photographs shot in 2025 that are included in the project will be eligible for the World Press Photo of the Year.
With the 2025 World Press Photo Contest, the Open Format category was discontinued. You can read more about the changes to the contest in this article.
Do you want to be notified about any upcoming announcements regarding the 2026 Contest? Sign up here.
Are you looking for more specific information? Visit one of the following pages to find out more about:
Image credits: Temiloluwa Johnson; Chalinee Thirasupa, Reuters; Musuk Nolte, Bertha Foundation/Panos Pictures
