50 World Sports Photography Awards Finalists Capture Beauty and Brutality

Dec 18, 2025

Jeremy Gray

A collage shows: a skier descending a steep, blue-striped slope; a boxer with blood covering her face and gloves; and a hockey goalie guarding the net as an opponent shoots the puck from above.

Around 4,100 photographers from 123 different countries entered over 23,000 photos into the World Sports Photography Awards 2026 competition. While the winners won’t be revealed until next month, the finalists across the contest’s 24 categories have been selected, and every single photo is incredible.

The World Sports Photography Awards is the premier sports photography competition, launched in 2020. In six short years, the contest has grown significantly, and this year’s edition is the biggest one yet.

This is also the first year that Canon, a major player in the sports photography world, is an official World Sports Photography Awards partner.

“If there’s one name synonymous with sports photography, it’s Canon. We couldn’t be more honored or excited to welcome Canon to World Sports Photography Awards,” said Simon Burton, World Sports Photography Awards Co-Founder, in October. “It’s been an incredible year for sport around the world, and we are eager to see the images submitted this year across sports and geographies.”

As part of Canon’s involvement, a new award will be presented next month: the Canon Emerging Talent Award. This category celebrates the work of young, up-and-coming sports photographers under 30.

50 Selected Finalists From the World Sports Photography Awards 2026

Showing every single finalist — there are over 50 in some categories — would be excessive. Instead, PetaPixel has selected 50 total finalists to feature in this story, with at least two from each of the competition’s 24 different categories, ranging from American Football all the way to Winter Sports, with plenty of diverse athletic endeavors in between. Without further ado, here are 50 beautiful photos from the World Sports Photography Awards 2026, some of which may ultimately win awards in their respective categories or even be named the overall winner.

A hockey player in a white uniform jumps and collides mid-air with a player in a black uniform during a game, while spectators watch from the stands in the background. — © Jamie Sabau, Ice Hockey Finalist | World Sports Photography Awards 2026

A race car speeds along a track at night, with bright, colorful lights and blurred buildings in the background, creating a sense of motion and excitement. — © Gergely Boda, Motorsports Finalist | World Sports Photography Awards 2026

Beyond the 50 photos above, there are many similarly stellar finalists with excellent chances to win the ultimate prize. The complete gallery of all finalists for the World Sports Photography Awards 2026 is available on the competition’s website. To see last year’s stellar winners, check out PetaPixel‘s coverage, including Jérôme Brouillet’s viral surf shot from the 2024 Olympics that took top honors.

PetaPixel will share news of the World Sports Photography Awards 2026 winners as soon as they are announced.

Image credits: World Sports Photography Awards. Individual photographers are credited in the captions.