World Food Photography Awards 2026 Shortlist Showcases Stunning Culinary Images Globally
The "Oscars of food photography" released its 2026 shortlist, drawing thousands of entries from 50+ countries across 27 categories with a £5,000 grand prize on the line.
Thousands of photographers across more than 50 countries submitted work to what the food photography world calls its Oscars, and the 2026 shortlist is now out. The World Food Photography Awards, sponsored by Tenderstem® Bimi® Broccolini, marks its 15th year having accumulated over 120,000 entries from nearly 100 countries since founder Caroline Kenyon launched it in 2011 under its original name, the Pink Lady® Food Photographer of the Year. The rebrand to its current name came in 2025.
The shortlisted images span 27 categories, ranging from niche culinary disciplines to broader food storytelling frames. Among them: Bring Home the Harvest, Fortnum & Mason Food at the Table, Marks & Spencer Food Portraiture, Champagne Taittinger Food for Celebration, and the World Food Programme Food For Life. The Jamie Oliver Youth Prize is open to photographers aged 17 and under, while the MPB Award for Innovation carries a tangible reward: a £1,000 voucher for used photography equipment. Entirely new for 2026 is the UK for UNHCR Food as Home category, which the competition added to reflect food photography's expanding role in documenting global humanitarian displacement.
Jury chair David Loftus, widely described as the most published food photographer in the world and long associated with Jamie Oliver's cookbook work, leads a judging panel that includes Oliver himself alongside Ian Kittichai, Dr. Deb Willis, Rein Skullerud of the World Food Programme, Claire Reichenbach of The James Beard Foundation, Tom Athron of Fortnum & Mason, low-waste chef Max La Manna, Alison Morley of the International Center for Photography in New York, and Sonia Solicari, Director of the Museum of the Home.
Winners across all 27 categories will be announced at a ceremony in London on June 2, 2026. Italian chef and author Gennaro Contaldo, born on the Amalfi Coast and widely known as a mentor to Jamie Oliver, will serve as Master of Ceremonies. His latest cookbook, Hidden Italy, draws on the regional heritage of Italian cooking. Founder Kenyon confirmed his role, saying: "We are thrilled to announce Gennaro as our Master of Ceremonies 2026."
The following day, June 3, finalist prints go on public display in a free exhibition at Mall Galleries in London, running through June 7. The competition's visibility stretches well beyond gallery walls: finalist images have been shown on British Airways flights since December 2023, giving the work an audience at altitude across international routes.
Kenyon framed the competition's scope plainly: "Food is the drumbeat of life: too much, too little, harvest, drought, beauty and horror; it binds us all." That breadth is reflected in the competition's structure, which accepts entries shot in landscape, portrait, travel, wedding, photojournalistic, and any other photographic style. Professional and amateur photographers compete under the same umbrella, with no paywall on the craft.
The £5,000 grand prize for the Overall Winner will be the competition's capstone moment when London hosts the ceremony in June.
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