European Photography Awards Announces the 2026 Photographers and Category Winners of the Year

2026 European Photography Awards Winners Announced

Professional Photographer of the Year - Edge of the Feast by MICHELLE VALBERG

Amateur Photographer of the Year - The White Harvest by THEA MIHU

2026 New York Photography Awards Calling for Entries

The European Photography Awards has announced its 2026 winners, recognising outstanding photographers whose work demonstrates exceptional visual impact.

NEW YORK, NY, UNITED STATES, August 14, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The European Photography Awards has announced its 2026 winners, recognising outstanding photographers whose work demonstrates artistic vision, technical command and exceptional visual impact.

At the forefront of this year’s results are the Professional Photographer of the Year and Amateur Photographer of the Year—the highest titles presented by the competition. They are joined by the Category Winners of the Year and recipients of Platinum, Gold and Silver distinctions across 13 photography categories.

Selected through a blind evaluation process, the awarded entries were drawn from more than 3,000 submissions by photographers representing over 40 countries. A total of $7,600 in cash prizes will be awarded across the professional and amateur/student divisions.

The Highest Honours of 2026

Professional Photographer of the Year
MICHELLE VALBERG
CANADA
Edge of the Feast
Recipient of a $3,000 cash prize and the European Photography Awards statuette

Amateur Photographer of the Year
THEA MIHU
GERMANY
The White Harvest
Recipient of a $2,000 cash prize and the European Photography Awards statuette

These photographers received the competition’s highest respective honours for work distinguished by its creative direction, technical execution and overall visual impact.

2026 Category Winners of the Year
The Category Winner of the Year title recognises the highest-performing entry within each respective category. Together, these recipients represent exceptional achievement across the competition’s full range of photographic disciplines. Each eligible Category Winner of the Year receives a $100 cash prize.

Category Winners of the Year (Professional)
1. Architecture Photography of the Year – Hong Kong From Above by Derry Ainsworth (Hong Kong SAR)
2. Editorial Photography of the Year – Silent Resilience by Lucas Dragone (Belgium)
3. Fine Art Photography of the Year – BLACK HOLE by Eva Wang (China)
4. Nature Photography of the Year – Standing Tall by Michelle Valberg (Canada)
5. People Photography of the Year – Vanishing Worlds by Roberto Pazzi (Italy)

Category Winners of the Year (Amateur)
1. Architecture Photography of the Year – L'Arbre Urbain: Montpellier's white canopy by Felipe Martín-Serrano Ortiz (Spain)
2. Editorial Photography of the Year – Survive to legacy by Philipp Schmieja (Germany)
3. Nature Photography of the Year – Veins of Fire by Andreia Costa (Portugal)
4. People Photography of the Year – Fading - the last of their kinds by Philipp Schmieja (Germany)

“The 2026 European Photography Awards winners represent an exceptional international body of photographic achievement,” said Thomas Brandt, spokesperson for the International Awards Associate (IAA). “These honours celebrate photographers whose vision, discipline and command of the medium have distinguished themselves internationally. We are proud to recognise their achievements and present their work to a global audience.”

The complete 2026 winner gallery presents the awarded works of the Photographers of the Year, Category Winners of the Year, and Platinum, Gold and Silver recipients across all recognised categories.

View the 2026 winners and their awarded entries: https://europeanphotoawards.com/winner.php.

Entries Open for the 2026 New York Photography Awards
With the European Photography Awards results now announced, IAA’s 2026 photography awards calendar concludes with the New York Photography Awards. As the final IAA photography competition accepting entries this year, it provides professional, amateur and student photographers worldwide with another opportunity to have their success recognised in 2026.

The Early Bird Deadline is 3 September 2026, with winners to be announced on 11 December 2026.

Enter the 2026 New York Photography Awards: https://newyorkphotographyawards.com/.

About the European Photography Awards
The European Photography Awards is an international competition recognising achievement in contemporary photography. Open to professional, amateur and student photographers worldwide, the competition honours photographic work across commercial, editorial, artistic and personal practices through an independent blind evaluation process.

The European Photography Awards is organised by the International Awards Associate (IAA).

Tyler K.
International Awards Associate Inc.
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