For the 2027 World Press Photo Contest, World Press Photo is introducing two additional awards: the World Press Photo Nature Award and the World Press Photo Sports Award.

Since the regional contest model was introduced in 2022, nature and sports photography have appeared less frequently among the winners. The model was designed to broaden the geographic representation of awarded work and ensure that stories from around the world are recognized. But the move away from thematic categories also meant that some areas of photojournalism and documentary photography were no longer represented as consistently.

Exhibition audiences and industry partners have repeatedly said they miss seeing nature and sports photography among the winners. In response, World Press Photo is creating dedicated space for both fields.

"Nature and sports photography are integral to photojournalism and documentary photography. They offer different perspectives on the world, from our relationships with animals and shared ecosystems to the human, cultural and social dimensions of sport. 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

Three Nature Awards and three Sports Awards will be selected by the jury from Singles and Stories entries submitted across all regions. Neither is a separate submission category, and photographers do not need to enter separately. The six awards will be chosen from eligible entries across the Contest's regions.

The World Press Photo Nature Award highlights the relationships between people, animals and the ecosystems they share. As climate change accelerates and biodiversity declines, the natural world is increasingly central to the stories that shape our understanding of the world. The award recognizes visual stories exploring ecological healing, adaptation, friction and animal agency, with a focus on themes of stewardship and coexistence.

As with all World Press Photo awards, the Nature Award requires exceptional visual quality that must be matched by meaningful storytelling. Winning work should capture human-animal interconnections and deepen understanding of issues affecting people, animals and the environments they inhabit.

Encouraging solutions-oriented journalism

This award seeks stories of coexistence and resilience, and celebrates meaningful ecological healing through solutions-oriented reporting. It creates a dedicated space for stories about animals, wildlife, biodiversity, and ecosystem relationships. While the award encourages hopeful narratives, the jury retains full discretion to consider nuanced and complex entries where human and environmental connections intersect.

Distinguishing a distinct identity from environmental crisis reporting

The Nature Award will not include global environmental crisis reporting, such as work on the climate crisis and severe pollution. Those stories will continue to be awarded across all regions in the Singles, Stories and Long-Term Project categories.

The World Press Photo Sports Award recognizes work that captures the energy, action and human emotion of individual and team sports.

The award encompasses the full spectrum of sports photography, from decisive single moments to broader narrative stories and thematic issues within the sporting world. As with all World Press Photo awards, strong visual quality and meaningful narrative context are essential.

The scope of the award extends beyond major sporting events. It can include high-profile news moments, socio-political dynamics, cultural connections and protests within the sporting world, as well as everyday sporting life, community traditions and local sporting cultures.

The reintroduction of the Nature and Sports Awards expands the range of photography that can be awarded through the World Press Photo Contest, while maintaining its focus on work that demonstrates strong visual storytelling and relevance to the world we live in.

The six awards will be selected by the 2027 World Press Photo Contest jury from eligible Singles and Stories entries submitted across the Contest's regions.

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. Sign up to our newsletter to be among the first informed.