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.

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.

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.

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.

For media enquiries
Europe, Southwest Asia and North Africa:

Nicola Jeffs

+447794694754

Rest of the world:

Alexandra Fanning

(347) 468-0735

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.

For more information, visit www.worldpressphoto.org or follow us on Instagram, Facebook, X, Bluesky, and YouTube.