Sustainability Prize 2026: Winners Announced
The winners of the 2026 Sustainability Prize have been announced. This special award, created by Creo and Sony, was set up to celebrate photographers and filmmakers passionate about communicating key themes linked to the Sustainable Development Goals.
The Sustainability Prize was established to platform the smaller stories exploring social and environmental topics. This initiative rewards one photographic series from the Sony World Photography Awards’ Professional competition and one short film from the Sony Future Filmmaker Awards. The 2026 winners are Tommy Trenchard (United Kingdom) for his series The Great Green Wall and Mariah Wilson (United States) for her short film Bear Guardians.
In The Great Green Wall, Tommy Trenchard explores the trials and tribulations of Africa’s Great Green Wall (GGW), a major initiative that aims to re-green a vast strip of land stretching across the entire continent, in order to fight desertification and boost food security.
The Great Green Wall by Tommy Trenchard
Mariah Wilson’s Bear Guardians depicts the Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Center, a sanctuary for bears saved from trafficking and injury. At the heart of this refuge are Mr. Heng, who has raised more sun bear cubs than anyone in the world, and his daughter, Sorphea, a dedicated wildlife veterinarian. The film captures a profound bond, not only between humans and animals, but between a father and daughter devoted to conservation and healing.
Tommy Trenchard and Mariah Wilson each receive $5,000 (USD) and a range of Sony Digital Imaging equipment.
