Image description
A family marvels at the view from Ørnevegen (Eagle Road), Norway, in this candid shot.
Shortlist
Rudi Uran
Girl Running
The photographer records everyday scenes of people and animals through his camera lens, such as this moment, which captures children playing in an outdoor space.
© Rudi Uran, Slovenia, Shortlist, Open Competition, Street Photography, 2026 Sony World Photography Awards
Paolo Dellepiane
Untitled
While photographing an equestrian event on a beach in Imperia, Italy, the photographer spotted this dog with a piebald coat, similar to that of the horse it had chosen to sit beside, seemingly asking for friendship.
© Paolo Dellepiane, Italy, Shortlist, Open Competition, Street Photography, 2026 Sony World Photography Awards
Andre Gaspar
The Lone Crossing
A solitary figure crosses an empty New York avenue at night, illuminated only by the sharp reflection of the streetlights on the wet asphalt. The moment captures a fleeting human presence dissolving into the vastness of the city; a portrait of isolation inside a metropolis that never truly sleeps.
© Andre Gaspar, Portugal, Shortlist, Open Competition, Street Photography, 2026 Sony World Photography Awards
Mariana Zilbershteyn
Tonsure
This photograph, taken at the Hindu pilgrimage of Kumbh Mela, shows a young boy having his hair shaved and gathered by his mother as an offering. This is part of the traditional tonsure ceremony, symbolising devotion and humility.
© Mariana Zilbershteyn, Australia, Shortlist, Open Competition, Street Photography, 2026 Sony World Photography Awards
Maciej Lubomski
Tokyo Rush
As a train rushed past in Tokyo, Japan, everything around it blurred into colour and noise, except for the conductor framed perfectly in the doorway. For a split second, motion and stillness collided, capturing the focus that keeps the city moving.
© Maciej Lubomski, Poland, Shortlist, Open Competition, Street Photography, 2026 Sony World Photography Awards
Kathryn Mussallem
Junior Rodeo Queen and Junior Lumberjack, Sedro-Wooley WA, July 2025
The small logging town of Sedro-Woolley in Washington State is known for its annual rodeo and the state's largest July 4th parade. For many children, there are two traditional roles they can grow into: rodeo queen for girls and lumberjack for boys.
© Kathryn Mussallem, Canada, Shortlist, Open Competition, Street Photography, 2026 Sony World Photography Awards
Bijoy Krishna Paul
Pedestrian
An office worker rushes to his office. The photographer explains that this image ‘explores how the city, with its density and disarray, consumes human energy and spirit.’ He goes on to note ‘people are constantly moving, going nowhere but they never stop walking, even when every step feels unbearably heavy.’
© Bijoy Krishna Paul, Bangladesh, Shortlist, Open Competition, Street Photography, 2026 Sony World Photography Awards
France Leclerc
Revolution in High Heels
The photographer explains that Fidel Castro may have written the speech on the poster on the wall, but the subject of this photograph is ‘clearly delivering the performance of the day.’
© France Leclerc, United States, Shortlist, Open Competition, Street Photography, 2026 Sony World Photography Awards
Rodrigo Paredes
Buenos Aires
Photographed in Buenos Aires, Argentina, this man proudly shows off his collectible classic car.
© Rodrigo Paredes, Argentina, Shortlist, Open Competition, Street Photography, 2026 Sony World Photography Awards
Mattia Massaiu
Bosphorus Tales
Taken on the first day of summer in Kadıköy, Türkiye, this image captures a dreamy late-afternoon moment on Istanbul’s Asian (Anatolian) Side. Under a cloudy sky, a circular composition compresses fragments of daily life, shaped by light, atmosphere, movement and stillness.
© Mattia Massaiu, Italy, Shortlist, Open Competition, Street Photography, 2026 Sony World Photography Awards
Otto David Ramírez Villa
Afternoon at the Beach
A winter afternoon on Carrizalillo beach, Oaxaca, Mexico.
© Otto David Ramírez Villa, Mexico, Shortlist, Open Competition, Street Photography, 2026 Sony World Photography Awards
Arun Saha
The Sky is the Limit
Under a monsoon sky, devotees gather during the Ashadi Wari, a centuries-old barefoot pilgrimage to Pandharpur in Maharashtra, India. Here, a participant, dressed as a divine figure, is joyfully thrown into the sky by fellow pilgrims. Faces marked by faith, humility and endurance reflect collective devotion, tradition and surrender in a moving act of spiritual unity and ancestral belief.
© Arun Saha, India, Shortlist, Open Competition, Street Photography, 2026 Sony World Photography Awards