Canon has been announced as the Official Imaging Partner for the 2026 World Sports Photography Awards, marking a significant collaboration between the renowned camera manufacturer and the world's premier sports photography competition. The partnership comes as the competition opens its doors for the 2026 edition, celebrating another year of exceptional sports imagery captured around the globe.
The World Sports Photography Awards 2026 is now officially accepting entries, welcoming photographers to submit up to 10 images taken between December 2024 and November 2025. The competition features 24 diverse categories spanning various sports disciplines, and remains completely free to enter for all participants. A distinguished panel of judges from the sports, media, photography, and creative industries will evaluate the submissions.
Canon's involvement in sports photography runs deep, with countless professional photographers worldwide depending on Canon cameras and lenses to capture decisive sporting moments. The 2025 awards showcased this excellence through winners like Jérôme Brouillet's "Golden Moment," which earned him both the Gold award in the Aquatic category and the title of Sports Photographer of the Year for 2025. This viral photograph was originally captured during the 2024 Paris Olympics and gained international recognition.
Simon Burton, Co-Founder of the World Sports Photography Awards, expressed his enthusiasm about the partnership, stating, "If there's one name synonymous with sports photography, it's Canon. We couldn't be more honored or excited to welcome Canon to World Sports Photography Awards. It's been an incredible year for sport around the world, and we are eager to see the images submitted this year across sports and geographies."
The collaboration introduces an exciting new element to the 2026 competition: the Canon Emerging Talent award. This dedicated category specifically recognizes young photographers under 30 years old who demonstrate exceptional creativity, passion, and skill in capturing the drama and aesthetics of sports. The award reflects Canon's commitment to nurturing the next generation of visual storytellers in the sports photography field.
Richard Shepherd, Product Marketing Senior Manager for Imaging at Canon Europe, highlighted the company's ongoing commitment to the photography community. "Canon has a proud legacy of supporting professional sports photographers and helping them capture some of the most iconic moments in sporting history," Shepherd explained. "With the introduction of the Canon Emerging Talent award, we're building on that heritage by extending our support to the next generation of visual storytellers. This new category celebrates the creativity and passion of up-and-coming photographers and reflects our ongoing commitment to providing the tools and opportunities they need to thrive."
The 2025 World Sports Photography Awards demonstrated the caliber of work the competition attracts, with standout winners including Bruce Bennett's "The Shadow" in the Ice Hockey category, Thomas Lam's "Push with Lights" in the Formula 1 category, Kevin Sabitus's "To the Pylon" in the American Football category, and Mohd Rasfan's "Eyeing a Punch" in the Boxing category. These award-winning images serve as inspiration for photographers preparing their submissions for the 2026 competition.
Photographers interested in participating in the Canon-sponsored World Sports Photography Awards 2026 have until November 24, 2025, to submit their entries. The competition continues to uphold its reputation as the world's foremost platform for celebrating excellence in sports photography, now enhanced by Canon's expertise and support for both established professionals and emerging talent in the field.
