Sony World Photography Awards Makes Changes for its 20th Annual Photo Contest
Less than two months after the Sony World Photography Awards announced the overall winners of its 2026 competition, the 20th anniversary 2027 edition of the Sony World Photography Awards has launched. There are some big changes to one of the world’s largest and most prestigious photo contests.
“Now in our 20th year, the Awards represent two decades of celebrating photographers worldwide, and we’re as committed as ever to continuing that legacy. As always, the competition remains completely free to enter and is open to all photographers shooting on any device and at all stages of their careers,” the World Photography Organization explains.
“To mark the occasion, this year brings some meaningful changes. After 20 years, we’ve refreshed our competition names to better reflect what they’re about.”
The Open competition, where any photographer could previously enter a single image in various categories, is now the “Single Image” competition. Meanwhile, what used to be called the Professional competition is now called “Series.” In the Professional competition, which again, any photographer could enter, competitors entered a series of five to 10 photos.
Although either the Open or Professional competitions in the Sony World Photography Awards were open to all, photographers could previously enter only one or the other. That restriction has been lifted, and photographers can participate in both Single Image and Series competitions. However, the submitted images must be different. Photographers can enter the same photo across both competitions.
The Sony World Photography Awards 2027 will also feature two brand-new categories. In Single Image, the new Animal Portraits category is a dedicated space for photographers to submit their best portraits of animals, domestic and wild alike.
“This category celebrates the beauty, personality, and spirit of animals through portraiture,” the Sony World Photography Awards explains.
This differs from the existing Natural World and Wildlife category, which does not require animals to be included.
In the newly named Series competition, there is a new Histories category. This category is for photography projects that engage directly with the past, including through creative and mixed media work, similar to photographer Citlali Fabián’s excellent series, Bilha, Stories of my Sisters, which took the top prize in the Sony World Photography Awards 2026.
The Student and Youth competitions return in the 2027 edition of the Sony World Photography Awards.
Top prizes for the 20th anniversary Sony World Photography Awards include up to $25,000 in cash, global exhibitions, a solo display at the Sony World Photography Awards’ annual London exhibition, top-end Sony digital imaging equipment, and more.
The Sony World Photography Awards 2027 are now open for entry, with the first entry deadline for the Student competition on November 27. Further deadlines are January 5, 2027, and January 12, 2027. Complete rules and regulations are detailed on the competition’s website. The Sony World Photography Awards are entirely free to enter, open to all photographers, and photographers do not need to use Sony-branded equipment to participate.
Image credits: Sony World Photography Awards
