Sports Photography at its Most interesting: Winners of 2026 World Awards

A shadow picture of Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz’s racket completely hitting the ball has taken the highest prize at The World Sports Photography Awards 2026.

Edgar Su’s successful picture, Carlos’ Shadow Hit a Ball, was taken throughout Alcaraz’s fourth-round tennis match in opposition to Britain’s Jack Draper on the 2025 Australian Open hosted in Melbourne.

The successful picture leads a set of 24 category-topping pictures spanning greater than 50 sports activities, together with American Football, Athletics, Baseball, Equestrian, Golf, Racquet Sports, Winter Sports, and Football.

Category Winners

This yr’s awards mark probably the most profitable version within the competitors’s historical past. A record-breaking 23,130 photos had been submitted by 4,120 photographers representing 123 international locations, reinforcing the Awards’ standing as one of the crucial internationally numerous and extensively recognised sports activities pictures competitions on the planet.

This can also be the primary yr that Canon, a significant participant within the sports activities pictures world, is an official World Sports Photography Awards companion.

“The images recognised this year showcase photographers at their creative best, pushing boundaries, seeing differently and capturing sport in ways we’ve not experienced before,” says Richard Shepherd, Product Marketing Senior Manager, Imaging at Canon Europe.

“Canon’s role is to support that creativity through equipment photographers can trust under pressure, enabling them to create different in the most demanding moment.”

All the successful photos are showcased on the World Sports Photography Awards website. PetaPixel made a number of 50 finalists final month.

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Update 1/15: A earlier model of this text mentioned Andrew Dowling was runner-up general when it’s the truth is Beatriz Ryder da Costa.