The 2026 World Press Photo Contest has announced regional winners, including two Australian photographers.
Bondi Beach Terror Attack © Edwina Pickles, The Sydney Morning Herald. An overwhelmed police officer leans over near the bodies of Boris (69) and Sofia (61) Gurman. During the Bondi Beach Terror Attack, the couple were killed while attempting to disarm one of the shooters. Sydney, Australia, 14 December 2025.
Australian photographers Edwina Pickle s (Singles category) and Matthew Abbott (Stories category) have been announced as winners in the Asia-Pacific and Oceania region for the 2026 World Press Photo Contest.
This year’s awards attracted 57,376 entries from 3,747 photographers working in 141 countries. The winners were judged first by six independent regional juries, and then chosen by a global jury consisting of the regional jury chairs plus the global jury chair.
All regional winners are eligible to win the World Press Photo of the Year award, which will be announced online on Thursday 23 April 2026.
The regional contest model, launched in 2021, supports a greater diversity of stories and storytellers from around the world. This year, 31 out of the 42 winners are local to the region they have photographed. Compared to the 2025 Contest, there were 11% more entrants from South America, and 14% more entrants from Asia-Pacific and Oceania. Women and non-binary photographers also made up 22% of contest entries. This reflects a steady increase since the regional contest model was introduced.
The awarded stories will be shown to millions of people as part of the annual World Press Photo traveling exhibition in over 60 locations around the world, including Australia, where the first exhibition will take place in the Brisbane Powerhouse between 22 May and 15 June. It will be followed by exhibitions in the State Library of New South Wales in Sydney from 6 June to 19 July and the Art Gallery of Ballarat from 8 August to 20 September. Many more will see the winning stories online.
