White star-shaped pattern resembling a stylized soccer ball with the words 'CHAMPIONS JOURNAL' arranged in a circular form around it.

The World Sports Photography Awards 2027 Are Now Open!

The World Sports Photography Awards, sponsored by Canon, is back for another brilliant year of the biggest global celebration of sports photography!

Make sure to get your entries in using the link below, before the deadline on the 23rd November.

Skier in mid-air performing an upside-down aerial trick against a clear blue sky surrounded by bright stadium floodlights, with the sun shining prominently below.Overhead view of a tennis player in a blue shirt and black shorts diving to hit a ball on a clay court, with the net blurred in the foreground and the player’s shadow visible on the court.Golfer in white outfit swinging a golf club on a green course framed by vibrant, colorful flowers in the foreground under a clear blue sky.Race car pit stop at dusk with blurred crew members rapidly changing tires on a black Audi R8 LMS race car under bright pit lights.Red corner flag on a football pitch with Brentford Football Club logo featuring a bee, with a blurred green field and stands in background, and a small bee flying near the flag.A shirtless rock climber wearing a helmet and harness hangs from an overhanging cliff overlooking a turquoise lake surrounded by forested mountains and a partly cloudy sky.Male gymnast wearing a USA uniform captured mid-air above a horizontal bar with chalk dust around him, set against a dark background.Close-up of a swimmer wearing a green swim cap and goggles, partially submerged in water, with their head tilted back and lips slightly open.Skier in mid-air performing an upside-down aerial trick against a clear blue sky surrounded by bright stadium floodlights, with the sun shining prominently below.Overhead view of a tennis player in a blue shirt and black shorts diving to hit a ball on a clay court, with the net blurred in the foreground and the player’s shadow visible on the court.Golfer in white outfit swinging a golf club on a green course framed by vibrant, colorful flowers in the foreground under a clear blue sky.Race car pit stop at dusk with blurred crew members rapidly changing tires on a black Audi R8 LMS race car under bright pit lights.Red corner flag on a football pitch with Brentford Football Club logo featuring a bee, with a blurred green field and stands in background, and a small bee flying near the flag.A shirtless rock climber wearing a helmet and harness hangs from an overhanging cliff overlooking a turquoise lake surrounded by forested mountains and a partly cloudy sky.Male gymnast wearing a USA uniform captured mid-air above a horizontal bar with chalk dust around him, set against a dark background.Close-up of a swimmer wearing a green swim cap and goggles, partially submerged in water, with their head tilted back and lips slightly open.
Skier in mid-air performing an upside-down aerial trick against a clear blue sky surrounded by bright stadium floodlights, with the sun shining prominently below.Overhead view of a tennis player in a blue shirt and black shorts diving to hit a ball on a clay court, with the net blurred in the foreground and the player’s shadow visible on the court.Golfer in white outfit swinging a golf club on a green course framed by vibrant, colorful flowers in the foreground under a clear blue sky.Race car pit stop at dusk with blurred crew members rapidly changing tires on a black Audi R8 LMS race car under bright pit lights.Red corner flag on a football pitch with Brentford Football Club logo featuring a bee, with a blurred green field and stands in background, and a small bee flying near the flag.A shirtless rock climber wearing a helmet and harness hangs from an overhanging cliff overlooking a turquoise lake surrounded by forested mountains and a partly cloudy sky.Male gymnast wearing a USA uniform captured mid-air above a horizontal bar with chalk dust around him, set against a dark background.Close-up of a swimmer wearing a green swim cap and goggles, partially submerged in water, with their head tilted back and lips slightly open.Skier in mid-air performing an upside-down aerial trick against a clear blue sky surrounded by bright stadium floodlights, with the sun shining prominently below.Overhead view of a tennis player in a blue shirt and black shorts diving to hit a ball on a clay court, with the net blurred in the foreground and the player’s shadow visible on the court.Golfer in white outfit swinging a golf club on a green course framed by vibrant, colorful flowers in the foreground under a clear blue sky.Race car pit stop at dusk with blurred crew members rapidly changing tires on a black Audi R8 LMS race car under bright pit lights.Red corner flag on a football pitch with Brentford Football Club logo featuring a bee, with a blurred green field and stands in background, and a small bee flying near the flag.A shirtless rock climber wearing a helmet and harness hangs from an overhanging cliff overlooking a turquoise lake surrounded by forested mountains and a partly cloudy sky.Male gymnast wearing a USA uniform captured mid-air above a horizontal bar with chalk dust around him, set against a dark background.Close-up of a swimmer wearing a green swim cap and goggles, partially submerged in water, with their head tilted back and lips slightly open.
Jockeys riding horses in a race on a wet reflective surface that mirrors the horses and sky with clouds.Male tennis player in blue and white outfit preparing to hit a forehand on a blue court, with shadow of racket and ball visible on the court.Underwater view of a person in a black wetsuit holding a surfboard, swimming beneath a wave with bubbles and turbulent water around.Close-up of a focused female table tennis player watching a ping pong ball near her face while holding a paddle ready to hit.Black and white image of two sumo wrestlers engaged in a match, one with a topknot hairstyle pushing against the other's face while gripping his head.Red Bull Racing Formula 1 car on a racetrack with the photo taken through a narrow gap in a barrier, showing the car's yellow and black livery with visible sponsorship logos including Oracle, Visa, and Esso.American football player wearing a helmet and jersey number 93 with the name Saleapaga II stands in front of a large crowd of fans, all waving white rally towels.A shirtless skateboarder wearing white pants performs a trick mid-air on the steps of a historic, weathered stepped water tank with geometric staircases and arched doorways.Jockeys riding horses in a race on a wet reflective surface that mirrors the horses and sky with clouds.Male tennis player in blue and white outfit preparing to hit a forehand on a blue court, with shadow of racket and ball visible on the court.Underwater view of a person in a black wetsuit holding a surfboard, swimming beneath a wave with bubbles and turbulent water around.Close-up of a focused female table tennis player watching a ping pong ball near her face while holding a paddle ready to hit.Black and white image of two sumo wrestlers engaged in a match, one with a topknot hairstyle pushing against the other's face while gripping his head.Red Bull Racing Formula 1 car on a racetrack with the photo taken through a narrow gap in a barrier, showing the car's yellow and black livery with visible sponsorship logos including Oracle, Visa, and Esso.American football player wearing a helmet and jersey number 93 with the name Saleapaga II stands in front of a large crowd of fans, all waving white rally towels.A shirtless skateboarder wearing white pants performs a trick mid-air on the steps of a historic, weathered stepped water tank with geometric staircases and arched doorways.
Jockeys riding horses in a race on a wet reflective surface that mirrors the horses and sky with clouds.Male tennis player in blue and white outfit preparing to hit a forehand on a blue court, with shadow of racket and ball visible on the court.Underwater view of a person in a black wetsuit holding a surfboard, swimming beneath a wave with bubbles and turbulent water around.Close-up of a focused female table tennis player watching a ping pong ball near her face while holding a paddle ready to hit.Black and white image of two sumo wrestlers engaged in a match, one with a topknot hairstyle pushing against the other's face while gripping his head.Red Bull Racing Formula 1 car on a racetrack with the photo taken through a narrow gap in a barrier, showing the car's yellow and black livery with visible sponsorship logos including Oracle, Visa, and Esso.American football player wearing a helmet and jersey number 93 with the name Saleapaga II stands in front of a large crowd of fans, all waving white rally towels.A shirtless skateboarder wearing white pants performs a trick mid-air on the steps of a historic, weathered stepped water tank with geometric staircases and arched doorways.Jockeys riding horses in a race on a wet reflective surface that mirrors the horses and sky with clouds.Male tennis player in blue and white outfit preparing to hit a forehand on a blue court, with shadow of racket and ball visible on the court.Two fencers in white gear and masks engaged in a match on a metallic piste with colorful light trails above and a scoreboard showing a score of 8 to 6.A large ocean wave breaking with white spray as a surfer rides the wave near the center, with several other surfers and a boat in the distance under a partly cloudy sky.Black and white image of two sumo wrestlers engaged in a match, one with a topknot hairstyle pushing against the other's face while gripping his head.Red Bull Racing Formula 1 car on a racetrack with the photo taken through a narrow gap in a barrier, showing the car's yellow and black livery with visible sponsorship logos including Oracle, Visa, and Esso.American football player wearing a helmet and jersey number 93 with the name Saleapaga II stands in front of a large crowd of fans, all waving white rally towels.A shirtless skateboarder wearing white pants performs a trick mid-air on the steps of a historic, weathered stepped water tank with geometric staircases and arched doorways.
Female surfer underwater holding a surfboard, surrounded by bubbles and waves.Excited shirtless man wearing a white cap leaning forward shouting joyfully at a shirtless young boy who is also shouting with wide open mouth, both holding shirts, surrounded by cheering football fans in black and white striped jerseys inside a stadium.Aerial fisheye view of a football stadium filled with cheering fans and confetti celebrating the 2025 National Championship game between Ohio State and Notre Dame, with scoreboard and surrounding screens showing Ohio State National Champions.Rhythmic gymnast performing a one-handed handstand split with a red ball balanced on her raised foot, wearing a black and red sparkling leotard, against a dark backdrop with colorful light arches.Black and white photo of two sumo wrestlers in a match, one pushing against the other's face while gripping his head, showing intense physical contact.Back view of football player wearing jersey number 93 with name Saleapaga facing a large crowd of fans dressed mostly in white, holding up white pom-poms or towels in stadium stands.Red Bull Racing Formula 1 car on a racetrack, viewed through the barriers with focus on the car's side and front wing featuring sponsor logos including Oracle, Visa, and Esso.Profile of a man with a beard and earrings blowing a large white chewing gum bubble that partially obscures his face, wearing a green and black baseball cap.Overhead view of an ice hockey game near the goal; a goalie in white and blue pads is on the ice blocking part of the net while players in red and white jerseys and players in white, blue, and orange jerseys battle for the puck nearby.Two muscular male boxers in a match, one delivering a powerful punch to the other's face, with sweat and impact visible, both wearing black boxing trunks and gloves.A basketball player wearing a blue jersey with the number 15 leaps high towards the basket for a dunk during an NCAA Men's Final Four game, with teammates and a referee watching and a large crowd in the background.Group of cyclists racing outdoors seen through a large, broken glass window with 35 panes, some shattered and cracked, with trees and sky in the background.Golfer in a blue and white striped shirt and black Nike cap emerges from dense green bushes while holding a golf club, focused on his next move.
Two basketball players in mid-air reaching for the ball above the hoop during a game.Surfer wearing a helmet riding a large blue ocean wave curled into a tube.Cyclist crossing finish line in front of large cheering crowd in a historic city square surrounded by old brick buildings.Indian cricket team players in white jerseys with Dream11 logos standing in a huddle under a blue sky.Jockey in pink and yellow gear riding a decorated brown horse, surrounded by cheering crowd in a historic square.Synchronized swimming team performing underwater in a pool with World Aquatics and Myrtha Pools logos visible.Synchronized swimming team performing underwater in a pool with World Aquatics and Myrtha Pools logos visible.Red Bull Formula 1 racing car speeding on track with blurred lights in background at night.Two basketball players in mid-air reaching for the ball above the hoop during a game.Surfer wearing a helmet riding a large blue ocean wave curled into a tube.Cyclist crossing finish line in front of large cheering crowd in a historic city square surrounded by old brick buildings.Indian cricket team players in white jerseys with Dream11 logos standing in a huddle under a blue sky.Jockey in pink and yellow gear riding a decorated brown horse, surrounded by cheering crowd in a historic square.Synchronized swimming team performing underwater in a pool with World Aquatics and Myrtha Pools logos visible.Red Bull Formula 1 racing car speeding on track with blurred lights in background at night.Shadow of a tennis player about to hit a ball near a white baseline on a clay tennis court.

ITTF Centenary Photography Awards

Created to mark ITTF’s centenary in 2026, the ITTF Centenary Photography Awards will combine a professional photography competition with a search for historic images from across the sport’s wider community. 

That means not just defining images from the modern game, but archive discovery too, drawing on fans’, families’ and community collections. Great sports photography captures more than action. It preserves memory, atmosphere, style and history. That is why this project is such a good fit, and why both parties are so excited to help bring it to life.

Focused table tennis player wearing a red headband and shirt, watching a white ball mid-air as he prepares to strike with his paddle.

Sport is about action, movement and energy, so why is photography such a compelling medium for sporting narrative?

Because in the moment the full story of the journey to that moment is encapsulated and the full potential of what happens next is contained. Athletes, spectators and photographer were all drawn to this one moment.

World Sports Photography Awards celebrates the finest of those moments, the moments where talent and art combine to reveal profound things about what sport really means.

Official imaging partner

As seen on

Winners of 2026 are now out!
Go view the images and get inspired.

Winners of 2026 are now out!

Go view the images and get inspired.

Japanese female athlete wearing a red tank top and black shorts mid-javelin throw inside a large stadium with bright overhead lights, a full audience, and photographers capturing the event.
American football player wearing a helmet and jersey number 93 with the name Saleapaga II stands in front of a large crowd of fans, all waving white rally towels.
Side profile of a man wearing a cap with green and black colors, blowing up a large white balloon that is partially inflated and stretched in front of his mouth.
Underwater view of a person in a black wetsuit holding a surfboard, swimming beneath a wave with bubbles and turbulent water around.
Japanese female athlete wearing a red tank top and black shorts mid-javelin throw inside a large stadium with bright overhead lights, a full audience, and photographers capturing the event.
American football player wearing a helmet and jersey number 93 with the name Saleapaga II stands in front of a large crowd of fans, all waving white rally towels.
Side profile of a man wearing a cap with green and black colors, blowing up a large white balloon that is partially inflated and stretched in front of his mouth.
Underwater view of a person in a black wetsuit holding a surfboard, swimming beneath a wave with bubbles and turbulent water around.
Multiple cricket players on a grass field celebrating with raised hands and jumping, with two umpires near the center pitch and a large crowd seated in a pavilion building in the background.
Two shirtless male boxers in a match, one landing a powerful punch on the other's face, causing sweat to spray; both wear black boxing shorts and gloves in a dark arena.
Jockeys riding horses in a race on a wet reflective surface that mirrors the horses and sky with clouds.
Basketball player in blue jersey number 15 wearing white socks and blue shoes is soaring in the air near a Spalding hoop, about to dunk a basketball, while a referee and audience watch and teammates in blue celebrate on the sideline during a packed NCAA Men's Final Four game.
Multiple cricket players on a grass field celebrating with raised hands and jumping, with two umpires near the center pitch and a large crowd seated in a pavilion building in the background.
Two shirtless male boxers in a match, one landing a powerful punch on the other's face, causing sweat to spray; both wear black boxing shorts and gloves in a dark arena.
Jockeys riding horses in a race on a wet reflective surface that mirrors the horses and sky with clouds.
Basketball player in blue jersey number 15 wearing white socks and blue shoes is soaring in the air near a Spalding hoop, about to dunk a basketball, while a referee and audience watch and teammates in blue celebrate on the sideline during a packed NCAA Men's Final Four game.
Group of cyclists racing outdoors, viewed through a large, old window with several broken glass panes and visible wire mesh, with trees in the background.
Golfer wearing a black Nike cap and blue striped shirt partially hidden in dense green bushes, holding a golf club and looking intently at the ground.
Overhead shot of an ice hockey game with a goalie in white and blue gear diving to block the puck near the goal while players in red and white uniforms battle for the puck on the ice.
Rally car with Red Bull and Hankook branding kicking up a large cloud of dust as it races on a dirt surface.
Group of cyclists racing outdoors, viewed through a large, old window with several broken glass panes and visible wire mesh, with trees in the background.
Golfer wearing a black Nike cap and blue striped shirt partially hidden in dense green bushes, holding a golf club and looking intently at the ground.
Overhead shot of an ice hockey game with a goalie in white and blue gear diving to block the puck near the goal while players in red and white uniforms battle for the puck on the ice.
Overhead shot of an ice hockey game with a goalie in white and blue gear diving to block the puck near the goal while players in red and white uniforms battle for the puck on the ice.
Rally car with Red Bull and Hankook branding kicking up a large cloud of dust as it races on a dirt surface.
A shirtless man and a shirtless young boy excitedly face each other with open mouths during a lively crowd celebration at a football stadium, surrounded by cheering fans waving flags and wearing black and white striped jerseys.
Black and white image of two sumo wrestlers engaged in a match, one with a topknot hairstyle pushing against the other's face while gripping his head.
A female gymnast in a black and red leotard performs a one-handed handstand with legs split while balancing a red ball on her raised foot during a rhythmic gymnastics routine.
Rally car with Red Bull and Hankook branding kicking up a large cloud of dust as it races on a dirt surface.
A shirtless man and a shirtless young boy excitedly face each other with open mouths during a lively crowd celebration at a football stadium, surrounded by cheering fans waving flags and wearing black and white striped jerseys.
Black and white image of two sumo wrestlers engaged in a match, one with a topknot hairstyle pushing against the other's face while gripping his head.
A female gymnast in a black and red leotard performs a one-handed handstand with legs split while balancing a red ball on her raised foot during a rhythmic gymnastics routine.
Red Bull Racing Formula 1 car on a racetrack with the photo taken through a narrow gap in a barrier, showing the car's yellow and black livery with visible sponsorship logos including Oracle, Visa, and Esso.
Aerial view of a brightly lit football stadium at night with a green field marked for a game between Ohio State and Notre Dame; the scoreboard displays 'Ohio State National Champions' with confetti falling and a crowd filling the stands.
Swimmer wearing a white swim cap and goggles performing freestyle stroke in open water during a race, surrounded by other swimmers and with mountains and spectators in the background under a cloudy sky.
Close-up of a focused female table tennis player watching a ping pong ball near her face while holding a paddle ready to hit.
Red Bull Racing Formula 1 car on a racetrack with the photo taken through a narrow gap in a barrier, showing the car's yellow and black livery with visible sponsorship logos including Oracle, Visa, and Esso.
Aerial view of a brightly lit football stadium at night with a green field marked for a game between Ohio State and Notre Dame; the scoreboard displays 'Ohio State National Champions' with confetti falling and a crowd filling the stands.
Swimmer wearing a white swim cap and goggles performing freestyle stroke in open water during a race, surrounded by other swimmers and with mountains and spectators in the background under a cloudy sky.
Close-up of a focused female table tennis player watching a ping pong ball near her face while holding a paddle ready to hit.

News

Subscribe to receive our latest news and next submission deadlines

Subscribe to our Newsletter to get photography news, find out about winners and receive news about World Sports Photography Awards before everyone else!

By clicking Sign Up you're confirming that you agree with our Terms and Conditions.
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
Anthony Joshua landing a huge punch during a boxing match.

Extremely honoured to receive this accolade, especially with all the amazing photographic talent on show in this inaugural World Sports Photography Awards.

Richard Heathcote
Overall Winner 2020, Redemption Punch
Close up shot of sweat dripping off the forehead of Roger Federer.

It is a huge honour just to be considered amongst such amazing sports photography!

James Gourley
Overall Winner 2021, Focus
USA ice hockey goal keeper saving a shot from the opposition team.

I am very grateful to have been selected among the world's best sports photographers.

Rena Laverty
Special Merit 2022 in Ice Hockey, Quick Hands