The 2026 European Photography Awards winners showcase a diverse range of perspectives, offering a unique lens through which to view the world. This year's competition, which attracted over 3,000 submissions from photographers across more than 40 countries, celebrates images that go beyond mere documentation. They invite us to linger on fleeting moments, explore familiar places anew, and witness the world through unexpected eyes.
Among the Professional winners, Canadian photographer Michelle Valberg's 'Edge of the Feast' stands out. This captivating image captures a humpback whale and a gull in a dramatic feeding moment in British Columbia's Great Bear Rainforest. Valberg, a Nikon Ambassador and Order of Canada recipient, is renowned for her environmental storytelling and wildlife photography. Her work, including 'Edge of the Feast', emphasizes the intricate relationships between species and the delicate balance of nature.
The Amateur category shines a light on Thea Mihu's 'The White Harvest', a powerful portrayal of traditional salt harvesting in Vietnam's Hon Khoi Salt Fields. By contrasting the vast salt fields with the small number of workers, Mihu's photograph becomes a poignant reflection on the enduring labor and the changing landscape of traditional industries.
The Professional winners also include Derry Ainsworth's 'Hong Kong From Above', which transforms the dense cityscape into an abstract landscape of geometry and color. Lucas Dragone's 'Silent Resilience' captures the resilience of people amidst urban transformation in Wuhan. Eva Wang's 'BLACK HOLE' uses gravitational attraction as a metaphor for desire and surrender, creating a dark and unsettling portrait.
Valberg's 'Standing Tall' showcases the endurance of king penguins against the elements, while Roberto Pazzi's 'Vanishing Worlds' documents cultures at risk of disappearing. The Amateur winners, such as Felipe Martín-Serrano Ortiz's 'L'Arbre Urbain' and Philipp Schmieja's 'Survive to Legacy', offer unique perspectives on architecture, traditions, and cultural preservation.
Andreia Costa's 'Veins of Fire' captures the raw power of nature during a volcanic eruption, while Schmieja's 'Fading' highlights the loss of traditions in Indigenous communities. These awards, as Thomas Brandt, spokesperson for the International Awards Associate, notes, represent an exceptional international body of photographic achievement, offering a diverse and thought-provoking exploration of the world through the lens of these talented photographers.
