At daybreak in Hokkaido, Japan, small boats harvest kombu, the ‘green gold’ of the northern seas, and a cornerstone of Japanese cooking. Giant kelp sways beneath calm waters across the island, rising for years earlier than it’s minimize and dried. Each sheet displays centuries of custom, and Hokkaido’s enduring coastal identification. (Photo: Tomek Kozlowski, Poland, Shortlist, Open Competition, Lifestyle, Sony World Photography Awards 2026) A lazy summer season afternoon at a lakeside camp website. Conversations drift, dishes wait to be washed, and time stretches slowly between shade, warmth and relaxation. (Photo: Sebastian Szczepanowski, Poland, Shortlist, Open Competition, Lifestyle, Sony World Photography Awards 2026) This Sudanese household witnessed the horrors of conflict and fled, however the battle left its mark on their younger daughters. (Photo: Mustafa Shorbaji, Egypt, Shortlist, Open Competition, Lifestyle, Sony World Photography Awards 2026) An homage to the grandeur of the Kingdom of Benin, the place energy, heritage and divinity intertwine. Red symbolises the sacred essence of royalty and the bloodline of warriors, whereas inexperienced represents the fertility of the land and the endurance of its folks, and gold echoes the dominion’s inventive and religious wealth. (Photo: Chukwudebelu Ojekwe, Nigeria, Shortlist, Open Competition, Creative, Sony World Photography Awards 2026) A bunch of fashions prepare for a trend present in Medellín, Colombia. (Photo: Hernan Jaramillo, Colombia, Shortlist, Open Competition, Lifestyle, 2026 Sony World Photography Awards) A household photographed on the finish of J’ouvert, the early-morning opening ceremony of London’s Notting Hill carnival, the place vibrant powder and paint are thrown at each other. This household was heading to sleep, as they deliberate to rejoin the carnival later within the day. (Photo: Ethan Parker, United Kingdom, Shortlist, Open Competition, Lifestyle, Sony World Photography Awards 2026) Dame Judi Dench in her backyard. (Photo: Charlie Clift, United Kingdom, Shortlist, Open Competition, Lifestyle, Sony World Photography Awards 2026) Gauchos put together a conventional barbecue over an open fireplace. Barbecue cooked over an open fireplace is without doubt one of the best traditions of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, and dates again to the cattle drovers, who noticed on this observe a easy method to have their meals in the course of the lengthy work of conducting cattle. (Photo: Camila de Medeiros Fantinel, Brazil, Shortlist, Open Competition, Lifestyle, Sony World Photography Awards 2026) A bunch of riders cross by way of the streets of a city in Chile throughout a gathering. A younger boy rides alongside the adults, wearing conventional clothes. This picture captures a scene the place on a regular basis life, household and cultural custom intersect, revealing how shared practices and customs are handed down. (Photo: Brian Arancibia, Chile, Shortlist, Open Competition, Lifestyle, Sony World Photography Awards 2026) Three younger moms of their rugby equipment stand after the ultimate whistle has blown, every breastfeeding her child. This tableau of energy and nurture, muscle and milk, competitors and care reveals a sporting world the place motherhood isn’t an interruption however a part of the playbook. (Photo: Anita Clark & Paul Wenham-Clarke, United Kingdom, Shortlist, Open Competition, Lifestyle, Sony World Photography Awards 2026) Magda, an 86-year-old former actress, sits in her bed room filled with reminiscences. (Photo: Andreas Kanellopoulos, Greece, Shortlist, Open Competition, Lifestyle, Sony World Photography Awards 2026) ‘Mugen Hoyo (Dreams, Phantoms, Bubbles, and Shadows) is a Buddhist term for impermanence.’ To create this picture, the photographer utilized dental chemical compounds to a Tokyo nightscape {photograph}, dissolving the ink to visualise decay. In this manner, instruments of creation have been used to manifest destruction, highlighting the anomaly of human endeavour and civilisation’s duality. (Photo: Toshio Ishido, Japan, Shortlist, Open Competition, Creative, Sony World Photography Awards 2026) In this picture the photographer describes how the black plastic protecting many of the lady’s face is an indication of ‘dark thoughts and the imposition of beliefs’, whereas the crimson balloon falling to the bottom could possibly be ‘her lost hope’. The background evokes Iranian city society, which has been the setting for the latest demonstrations involving Iranian girls, noting that ‘the crimson garments and lips are the bloody value that ladies have paid.’ (Photo: Siavosh Ejlali, Iran, Islamic Republic Of, Winner, Open Competition, Creative, Sony World Photography Awards 2026) A Persian carpet of a thousand patterns set towards white snow. The heat of the carpet’s conventional patterns creates a placing distinction with the silence and chilly of nature. (Photo: Shabnam Maleki, Iran, Islamic Republic Of, Shortlist, Open Competition, Creative, Sony World Photography Awards 2026) The Pulse Within is a narrative about Shirley Elle and her connection to Vogue dance. It is a part of a collection the place the photographer created a digital world for voguers to showcase the great thing about the physique, whatever the time and house by which they dwell. Here, the dancer and her digital avatar unite, imagining an infinite efficiency, spanning universes. (Photo: Sai Ma, China Mainland, Shortlist, Open Competition, Creative, Sony World Photography Awards 2026) Details of an ice collapse Iceland. (Photo: Marie-Line Dentler, France, Shortlist, Open Competition, Creative, Sony World Photography Awards 2026) This double publicity picture was created close to Yellowstone National Park, USA. The photographer aimed to create a distinction between one thing tough and sharp, and one thing fluid, shifting and calm, so the primary publicity was of a lake and the second was of the mountain vary. (Photo: Maja Schubert, Germany, Shortlist, Open Competition, Creative, Sony World Photography Awards 2026) Unseen is a black-and-white collection of faceless portraits and summary close-ups of the feminine physique, exploring its delicacy by way of gentle and shadow. The photographer and mannequin have been exploring quite a lot of poses and compositions, and the mannequin moved her arm in entrance of her face, inspiring this {photograph}. (Photo: Jay Tang, Netherlands, Shortlist, Open Competition, Creative, Sony World Photography Awards 2026) This picture was taken in Villa Epecuén, a small coastal village in Argentina that was beneath water for nearly 30 years after a close-by dam collapsed in a storm. The photographer set the scene with a large-scale print of {a photograph} of a forest, contrasted with the useless timber on the seaside, reflecting on the bond between humanity and nature. (Photo: Claudia Behrensen, Argentina, Shortlist, Open Competition, Creative, Sony World Photography Awards 2026) The predominant a part of this picture is a partial {photograph} of an historic tree, and a brand new visible panorama is constructed in digital post-production. The photographer explains ‘a telescope is a useful item to give people a better view of the scenery.’ (Photo: Chen Zijun, China Mainland, Shortlist, Open Competition, Creative, Sony World Photography Awards 2026) Some of the primary ice forming on Lake Superior in North America. Like a cold cauldron, the ice is thrown collectively to create an summary picture that the photographer notes ‘looks like electricity.’ This {photograph} was taken throughout a snow storm, and the streaks of the snowflakes add to the chaos. (Photo: Cameron Wilcox, United States, Shortlist, Open Competition, Creative, Sony World Photography Awards 2026) Prodromal is a medical time period describing the delicate indicators that seem earlier than a situation totally reveals itself. The photographer describes how ‘the image gently points to the importance of paying attention to the early, quiet symptoms of depression in our loved ones and in ourselves, before they deepen into silence or become trapped in their window of thought’. (Photo: Ben Mozafari, Canada, Shortlist, Open Competition, Creative, Sony World Photography Awards 2026) This {photograph} was taken within the Hoanib Valley in northwestern Namibia. During dry durations, desert elephants search out the Ana timber for his or her pods. The elephants don’t break the timber, although, however as an alternative trim them utilizing their trunks; they’re the gardeners of this beautiful, harsh setting. (Photo: Anne-Marie Etienne, France, Shortlist, Open Competition, Creative, Sony World Photography Awards 2026) This {photograph} was captured in a contemporary architectural house in Tehran. The remaining picture consists of three pictures, all taken on location, and later merged. (Photo: Ali Zolghadri, Iran, Islamic Republic Of, Shortlist, Open Competition, Creative, Sony World Photography Awards 2026) Following rainfall close to an industrial zone, a discarded plastic bottle floats inside a swirling, iridescent oil slick. The photographer explains the colourful, psychedelic patterns created by the chemical runoff mimic a good looking summary portray, ‘serving as a haunting visual metaphor for the environmental poison hidden beneath a colourful surface.’ (Photo: Abdulla AL-Mushaifri, Oman, Shortlist, Open Competition, Creative, Sony World Photography Awards 2026)