11 gorgeous finalists for the Youth Photographer of the Year prize

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Young folks have a unique perspective on our world, each actually and figuratively. Their eyes see issues in a different way and should you hand them a digicam, you may perceive extra.

The Sony World Photography Awards has introduced the gifted photographers shortlisted within the 2026 Student and Youth competitions. The Student competitors options photographs from college college students, whereas the Youth prize goes to photographers aged 19 and youthful.

a horse and rider entered the water, using an over-under perspective to show both environments in a single frame.
“Between Two Worlds”
This {photograph} was taken in Çeşme, İzmir, Turkey, throughout a coastal swim. The photographer captured the second a horse and rider entered the water, utilizing an over-under perspective to point out each environments in a single body.
Copyright: © Doğa Ergün, Türkiye, Shortlist, Youth Competition, Sony World Photography Awards 2026

Aakash Gulzar, a finalist for Student Photographer of the Year, submitted a sequence of photographs titled “Kotar’baaz.” The sequence (seen under) paperwork the Indian-administered pigeon keepers of Kashmir throughout rooftops, shrines, and markets in Srinagar. “It’s a story of love, patience, and the enduring spirit of a place that refuses to lose its soul,” Gulzar says.

The Student Photographer of the Year and Youth Photographer of the Year will likely be introduced on April 16, 2026, at ceremony in London.

Owais, 23, works full-time as a caretaker for over a thousand pigeons in Srinagar, Indian-administered Kashmir, on April 15, 2025, more than 100 kilometers away from his home. Employed by a local businessman who owns the prized birds, Owais spends his days feeding, cleaning, and tending to their needs. “It’s exhausting at times, ” he says, “but I’ve grown attached to them. This is what I want to do; I can’t imagine doing anything else.”
“Kotar’baaz”
Owais, 23, works full-time as a caretaker for over a thousand pigeons in Srinagar, Indian-administered Kashmir, on April 15, 2025, greater than 100 kilometers away from his dwelling. Employed by a neighborhood businessman who owns the prized birds, Owais spends his days feeding, cleansing, and tending to their wants. “It’s exhausting at times,” he says, “but I’ve grown attached to them. This is what I want to do; I can’t imagine doing anything else.”
Copyright: © Aakash Gulzar, India, Shortlist, Student Competition, Sony World Photography Awards 2026 Aakash Gulzar
Visitors gather near the Dargah Hazratbal shrine in Srinagar, Indian-administered Kashmir, on Feb. 28, 2025, often pausing to photograph the pigeons that move freely through the courtyard. Across the city’s mosques and shrines, the birds share space with worshippers in quiet ease.
“Kotar’baaz”
Visitors collect close to the Dargah Hazratbal shrine in Srinagar, Indian-administered Kashmir, on Feb. 28, 2025, usually pausing to {photograph} the pigeons that transfer freely via the courtyard. Across town’s mosques and shrines, the birds share area with worshippers in quiet ease.
Copyright: © Aakash Gulzar, India, Shortlist, Student Competition, Sony World Photography Awards 2026 Aakash Gulzar
Suspiria de Profundis engages Jean-Paul Sartre’s proposition that meaning arises from nothingness, requiring meaning to be formed through experiences. The tactile, analogue nature of this series guides the viewer towards a deeper, more intuitive encounter with their own existential orientation. Perhaps, this may even tune the audiences towards a shared understanding of spaces and places in time. The images in Suspiria de Profundis evoke relic-like atmospheres and gothic unease, inviting sustained reflection on the human condition.
“Suspiria de Profundis”
Suspiria de Profundis engages Jean-Paul Sartre’s proposition that which means arises from nothingness, requiring which means to be fashioned via experiences. The tactile, analogue nature of this sequence guides the viewer in direction of a deeper, extra intuitive encounter with their very own existential orientation. Perhaps, this may increasingly even tune the audiences in direction of a shared understanding of areas and locations in time. The photographs in Suspiria de Profundis evoke relic-like atmospheres and gothic unease, inviting sustained reflection on the human situation.
Copyright: © Matte Dixon, Australia, Shortlist, Student Competition, Sony World Photography Awards 2026
man holds fish balloons in river
“The River Without Fish”
The fish belong within the river, however the river is gone. A person stands within the water, whereas balloons formed like dolphins float above, a parody of pleasure. Nature is changed by plastic, survival is offered as celebration. Urbanisation turns rivers into markets, creatures into commodities, and reminiscence into one thing fleeting.
Copyright: © Jubair Ahmed Arnob, Bangladesh, Shortlist, Student Competition, Sony World Photography Awards 2026 Jubair Ahmed Arnob
a bmx rider performing a backflip; simultaneously capturing the landing of a plane behind them, giving the illusion of a plane propelling the rider forward.
“Cruce Imposible”
Taken throughout a BMX freestyle occasion in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Jane Mozzi shot this picture whereas the rider was performing a backflip; concurrently capturing the touchdown of a airplane behind them, giving the phantasm of a airplane propelling the rider ahead. Mozzi beloved this picture due to the right timing of this distinctive second, captured in a single single take.
Copyright: © Jane Mozzi, Argentina, Shortlist, Youth Competition, Sony World Photography Awards 2026
Mount Fuji framed through the autumn leaves that surround lake Kawaguchi, with an admirer looking on.
“Autumn’s Frame Around Mount Fuji”
Mount Fuji framed via the autumn leaves that encompass lake Kawaguchi, with an admirer trying on.
Copyright: © Riley Shickle, United Kingdom, Shortlist, Youth Competition, Sony World Photography Awards 2026
A modern triangular sculpture frames the Great Pyramid, accented by bold red fabric and a field of mirrors. The photographer sought to capture the harmony between the stark lines of the installation and the ‘eternal shape of the pharaoh’s tomb’, creating a ‘geometric interplay of past and present’.
“Triangle Frames”
A contemporary triangular sculpture frames the Great Pyramid, accented by daring purple material and a area of mirrors. The photographer sought to seize the concord between the stark traces of the set up and the ‘eternal shape of the pharaoh’s tomb’, making a ‘geometric interplay of past and present’.
Copyright: © Abdallah Islam, Egypt, Shortlist, Youth Competition, Sony World Photography Awards 2026
red-eyed tree frog in the Costa Rican rainforest, perched along a narrow leaf,
“Red-Eyed Watcher”
Keira Pereira encountered this red-eyed tree frog within the Costa Rican rainforest, perched alongside a slim leaf, immobile in opposition to the darkness of the night time. Using managed synthetic gentle, the photographer remoted the frog to emphasize its alert posture, vivid eyes, and delicate grip, capturing the stillness of nocturnal life within the rainforest.
Copyright: © Keira Pereira, Canada, Shortlist, Youth Competition, Sony World Photography Awards 2026
a peacock
“Keep it Clean!”
Perched gracefully on a sturdy department, an impressive peacock surveys its environment in opposition to a glowing golden backdrop, scanning the panorama for any indicators of hazard. Between watchful glances, it gently preens its feathers, sustaining its regal look.
Copyright: © Jeirin Anton, Sri Lanka, Shortlist, Youth Competition, Sony World Photography Awards 2026

 

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