2026 World Sports Photography Awards

The winners of the 2026 World Sports Photography Awards have been announced, highlighting impeccable timing, dramatic lighting and memorable moments. The contest showcases work from sports photographers across 24 categories, spanning more than 50 sports, including American Football, Baseball, Football, Formula 1, and more. In addition to Gold, Silver, Bronze and Special Merit awards in each category, the jury selects a Gold, Silver and Bronze Grand Prix award for the three top images.

This year's edition drew a record number of submissions. 23,130 images were submitted by 4120 photographers from 123 countries. "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," said Richard Shepherd, Product Marketing Senior Manager, Imaging at Canon Europe.

You can see all of the winning images and learn more about the contest at the World Sports Photography Awards website.

Grand Prix - Gold

Photographer: Edgar Su

Image Title: Carlos' Shadow Hits A Ball

Award(s): Grand Prix - Gold, Tennis - Gold

Description: Tennis - Australian Open - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia - January 19, 2025 Spain's Carlos Alcaraz in action during his fourth round match against Britain's Jack Draper

Grand Prix - Silver

Photographer: Beatriz Ryder da Costa

Image Title: The Underworld

Award(s): Grand Prix - Silver, Aquatic - Gold

Description: We were deep in the Solomon Islands, on an island where we were the first white people anyone had ever seen, and yes, we were worried about saltwater crocs. I snapped the photo not knowing if it had worked, and when I saw it had, the stoke exploded. The waves were not great but that didn't matter, it was that raw, chaotic moment of adventure and disbelief that made it unforgettable.

Grand Prix - Bronze

Photographer: Richard Heathcote

Image Title: India v England layers

Award(s): Grand Prix - Bronze, Cricket - Gold

Description: Not provided

American Football - Silver

Photographer: Kyle Zedaker

Image Title: POV

Award(s): American Football - Silver

Description: The Tampa Bay Buccaneers take the field during team introductions prior to a regular season game. Shot on a rig with an authentic facemask attached, this photo is intended to simulate a players point of view, giving the viewer a true behind the scenes feel at what it's like to be an NFL player.

Aquatic - Silver

Photographer: Petr Slavik

Image Title: Razor

Award(s): Aquatic - Silver

Description: ICF and U23 Wildwater Canoeing World Championships Solkan 2025

Athletics - Gold

Photographer: Kenjiro Matsuo

Image Title: Tokyo Rocket

Award(s): Athletics - Gold

Description: Not provided

Baseball - Gold

Photographer: Steph Chambers

Image Title: Bubble

Award(s): Baseball - Gold

Description: Eugenio Suárez #28 of the Seattle Mariners takes batting practice prior to game five of the American League Division Series against the Detroit Tigers at T-Mobile Park on October 10, 2025 in Seattle, Washington.

Basketball - Gold

Photographer: Bob Donnan

Image Title: Breakaway for the Lead

Award(s): Basketball - Gold

Description: Florida guard Alijah Martin gives the Gators the lead for good on a breakaway score in the semifinals of the NCAA tournament.

Boxing - Gold

Photographer: Alexis Goudeau

Image Title: Uppercut

Award(s): Boxing - Gold

Description: Not provided

Cricket - Silver

Photographer: Santanu Banik

Image Title: Pant’s audacious pull electrifies the SCG

Award(s): Cricket - Silver

Description: Rishabh Pant of India unleashes one of his trademark, 360-degree pull shots during day two of the fifth NRMA Insurance Test of the Border–Gavaskar Trophy between Australia and India at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Known for his fearless, unconventional stroke-play, Pant once again chooses attack over caution at a time when his team needs inspiration. Having soaked up pressure and tight bowling, he responds by taking on the short ball and swinging through the line with complete abandon. The full house at the SCG is treated to the kind of audacious batting that has become his calling card. This frame freezes that moment of risk and imagination, with Pant’s body contorted and the bat carving an improbable arc across the sky.

Cycling - Special Merit

Photographer: Ashley & Jered Gruber

Image Title: Pauline Ferrand-Prévot Wins the Tour de France

Award(s): Cycling - Special Merit

Description: Pauline Ferrand-Prévot collapses after winning the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift.

Equestrian - Gold

Photographer: Morgan Treacy

Image Title: Equine Reflection

Award(s): Equestrian - Gold

Description: Runners and riders reflected in the sand on the beach in Laytown, Ireland's only horse racing event run on a beach under the Rules of Racing.

Football - Gold

Photographer: Luis Amaral

Image Title: Black & White Passion

Award(s): Football - Gold

Description: Emotion that bursts in the moment and finds itself in someone else — the kind of feeling football turns into its own language, especially in the father-and-child bond.

Formula 1 - Bronze

Photographer: Florent Gooden

Image Title: Eau Rouge F1 Train

Award(s): Formula 1 - Bronze

Description: All the F1 cars racing on lap 1 at the famous Eau Rouge & Raidillon corners during the 2025 Belgian Grand Prix

Golf - Silver

Photographer: K.C. Alfred

Image Title: Fore

Award(s): Golf - Silver

Description: Scottie Scheffler chips on the 8th hole of Torrey Pines south during the second round of the Genesis Invitational as a large promotional golf ball is displayed.

Gymnastics - Silver

Photographer: Arnab Sarkar

Image Title: Poise in motion

Award(s): Gymnastics - Silver

Description: In the midst of a flawless leap, she holds the ball gently, her form a symphony of strength and poise. The composition is striking – her hands holding the ball, as if she's holding her head in hand, even as she defies gravity. This fleeting moment, frozen in time, is the essence of artistic gymnastics. This image is taken in skygrace event.

Ice Hockey - Gold

Photographer: Sophia Sandurskaya

Image Title: Last Line of Defense

Award(s): Ice Hockey - Gold

Description: "Moscow, Russian Federation, Megasport Stadium. Kontinental Hockey League. "Spartak" (Moscow) vs "Shanghai Dragons" (Shanghai). Players of "Shanghai Dragons" (in white) and "Spartak" (in red) during the match."

Martial Arts - Gold

Photographer: Tom Jenkins

Image Title: Unusual sumo attack

Award(s): Martial Arts - Gold

Description: Tobizaru sticks a finger up the nose of Takayasu as they fight during the final day of the five day Grand Sumo Tournament at the Royal Albert Hall on October 19th 2025 in London, England.

Motor Sports - Special Merit

Photographer: Yana Stancheva

Image Title: Through the rocks

Award(s): Motor Sports - Special Merit

Description: A tricky crossing of a rocky mountain pass during Dakar Rally 2025

Other - Gold

Photographer: Anna Zinovieva

Image Title: Bout

Award(s): Other - Gold

Description: Not provided

Racket Sports - Gold

Photographer: Abelardo Mendes Jr

Image Title: Kim Nayeong - WTT Foz do Iguaçu

Award(s): Racket Sports - Gold

Description: Kim Nayeong (South Korea) - Table Tennis - WTT Star Contender Foz do Iguaçu (Brazil), 01 August 2025

Rugby - Gold

Photographer: Andrew Dowling

Image Title: New Zealand Haka

Award(s): Rugby - Gold

Description: The Haka at the principality stadium in cardiff

Swimming & Diving - Gold

Photographer: Carel du Plessis

Image Title: Catching a breath

Award(s): Swimming & Diving - Gold

Description: Image taken at the XTERRA World Championship in Molveno, Italy. Photo features Henry Bramwell-Reeks, a Triathlete from the United Kingdom. This was taken during the swim leg of the full-distance triathlon on September 27th 2025

Tennis - Silver

Photographer: Joel Marklund

Image Title: All Light on Djokovic

Award(s): Tennis - Silver

Description: Novak Djokovic of Serbia during his match against Flavio Cobolli of Italy in the quarterfinals of men's singles on centre court during day ten of Wimbledon on July 9, 2025 in London, England.

Urban & Extreme - Gold

Photographer: Martin Bissig

Image Title: Klickflippin' India

Award(s): Urban & Extreme - Gold

Description: An athlete finds an improbable line, launching across the void of an ancient Jaipur stepwell.

Venues & Views - Gold

Photographer: Andrew Hancock

Image Title: Championship View

Award(s): Venues & Views - Gold

Description: A circular fisheye lens from above shows the scene as confetti falls from the circular video board atop Mercedes-Benz Stadium as the Ohio State Buckeyes rush the field to celebrate winning the 2025 College Football Playoff National Championship over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

Winter Sports - Silver

Photographer: Claudia Greco

Image Title: FIS Freestyle World Championships - Women's Aerials in St Moritz

Award(s): Winter Sports - Silver

Description: Freestyle Skiing - FIS Freestyle World Championships - Women's Aerials - St Moritz, Switzerland - March 30, 2025 Australia's Danielle Scott during the warm up before the event REUTERS/Claudia Greco

Photo: Mitchell Clark

We've taken a look at how the Sony a7 V performs when it comes to stills, now it's time to turn our attention to video. The company's latest hybrid is once again in front of our studio scene, and we aim to see how the 4K footage it delivers stacks up compared to its predecessor and competitors.

The a7 V's 4K/24 video is oversampled from 7K capture by default, with no option (or real need) to drop down to a subsampled or line-skipped mode. Thankfully, the footage from that mode has good levels of detail and is competitive with the oversampled modes from cameras like the Canon EOS R6 III and Panasonic S1II. However, both those cameras have higher-resolution recording options (7K for Canon, 6K for Panasonic) that allow you to capture a good deal more detail, something the a7 V lacks, but that could be helpful when you're shooting subjects with very fine detail, or want some room to crop in post.

Moving up to 4K/60, the story is slightly more complicated, as the a7 V has an "Angle of View Priority" mode that you have to turn on if you want to get full-width recording at higher framerates; leaving it off will incur a 1.17x crop. While Sony says that enabling the mode turns off noise reduction, we didn't see a major difference at base ISO. With Angle of View Priority on, the a7 V's 4K/60 footage is a touch more detailed than that from the Canon or Panasonic.

The a7 V requires a 1.52x crop to record 4K/120, thus using less of its sensor (and changing the framing more) than the S1II with its 1.24x crop, and the EOS R6 III with its subsampled but full-width 4K/120 recording. As with 4K/60, with Angle of View Priority off, there's a further crop, adding up to 1.79x.

All that said, the a7 V's 4K/120 footage is substantially more detailed than the EOS R6 III's, and is competitive with the S1II's. We also don't see an observable reduction in detail going from the 4K/24 APS-C mode to the 4K/120 mode.

The 'missing' pieces

There's been a lot of discussion about the features the a7 V is 'missing,' compared with its rivals. But it's worth considering whether these are relevant to you or are just people point-scoring about brands.

Whereas Panasonic and Canon allow open-gate shooting, capturing the whole sensor output, the Sony only shoots in 16:9, UHD 4K. If your workflow requires higher resolution capture, the use of anamorphic lenses or you're trying to compose for both vertical and horizontal delivery, simultaneously (which is an aesthetic challenge, even when it's technologically possible), then those other cameras will be a better choice.

Likewise, if your shooting benefits sufficiently from the increased workflow complexity and storage challenges of shooting raw video (the advantages of which are much less pronounced than in stills shooting), then this isn't the camera for you. But a great many people find that shooting high quality 4K footage is more than sufficient for their needs, and the a7 V appears competitive in this regard.