World Press Photo winner

Carol Guzy won the 2026 World Press Photo of the Year for a courthouse image of an Ecuadorian father being taken away by U.S. immigration agents. (worldpressphoto.org) World Press Photo announced the award on Thursday, April 23, selecting Guzy’s “Separated by ICE” from 42 winning entries in the 69th annual contest. The foundation said this year’s competition drew 57,376 photographs from 3,747 photographers in 141 countries. (worldpressphoto.org) The photograph was made on August 26, 2025, at the Jacob K. Javits Federal Building in New York City after an immigration court hearing. World Press Photo said the man, identified as Luis, was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and his family said he had no criminal record and was the household’s sole provider. (worldpressphoto.org) The foundation said the image came from Guzy’s larger story “ICE Arrests at New York Court,” which won in the North and Central America Stories category. Judges said the hallway where photographers were allowed to work became a record of a policy being applied to people who had appeared for court as instructed. (worldpressphoto.org) This year’s top selections clustered around state power, war and survival rather than a single breaking event. The two finalists were Saber Nuraldin’s image of Palestinians climbing onto an aid truck in Gaza and Victor J. Blue’s portrait of Achí women outside a Guatemala City court after decades-long efforts to prosecute wartime sexual violence. (worldpressphoto.org) The wider 2026 winners also tracked climate disaster, protest and armed conflict across regions. World Press Photo said the awarded work documented subjects including the climate crisis, conflict in Sudan and Ukraine, and the human effects of policy and politics from the United States to Palestine. (worldpressphoto.org) Guzy’s win adds another major prize to one of photojournalism’s most decorated careers. World Press Photo said the Photo of the Year winner receives an additional 10,000 euros on top of the contest recognition. (worldpressphoto.org) In announcing the prize, global jury chair Kira Pollack said photographers “have made the record” and that “seeing matters.” The winning image turns a courthouse hallway in New York into that record. (worldpressphoto.org)