Citlali Fabián from Mexico has been named Photographer of the Year for her series Bilha, Stories of my Sisters - a project aiming to inspire young girls with positive role models.
The prestigious Sony World Photography Awards have unveiled their 2026 winners, whittling down more than 430,000 submissions from over 200 countries and territories.
This year’s top honour - Photographer of the Year - was awarded to Citlali Fabián for her deeply moving series Bilha, Stories of my Sisters, a project exploring identity, community and Indigenous women’s experiences in Oaxaca, Mexico.
Fabián, who is from the Yalalteca Indigenous community and currently based in London, uses a blend of portraiture and digital illustration to highlight the achievements and lived experiences of women across multiple fields - from law to ecology.
Reacting to the win, she said: "It is a massive honour to receive this award for Bilha, Stories of My Sisters, a series that is deeply connected to my heart and my people. I hope this recognition will help to spread the voice not only about my work, but also about the amazing efforts and work of the women in this project. They are truly inspiring and a force of hope for their communities and beyond."
Alongside Fabián’s recognition, the awards also celebrated winners across the Professional, Open, Student and Youth categories - all of which are now on display at Somerset House in London from 17 April to 4 May.
Here are this year's winners:
'Bilha, Stories of my Sisters' by Citlali Fabián (Photographer of the Year)
'The Place Where I Used to Play' by Jubair Ahmed Arnob (Student Photographer of the Year)
'The Barefoot Volcanologist' by Elle Leontiev (Open Photographer of the Year)
'Saving History from the Flames' by Philip Kangas (Youth Photographer of the Year)
'Homes of Haor' by Joy Saha (Architecture & Design winner)
'Under the Shadow of Coca' by Santiago Mesa (Documentary Projects winner)
'Notes on How to Build a Forest' by Isadora Romero (Environment winner)
'Sunny Side Up: A Portrait of the Most Average K-Parenting Today' by Seungho Kim (Perspectives winners)
'Buzkashi' by Todd Antony (Sport winner)
'Talking Without Speaking' by Vilma Taubo (Still Life winner)
'Crossing Point' by Will Burrard-Lucas (Wildlife & Nature winner)
You can see the winning works from the Sony World Photography Awards at Somerset House in London from 17 April to 4 May 2026.
DW Deutsch 
