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Jo Kearney Wins £5,000 World Food Photography Prize

6/3/2026

Summary

Jo Kearney Wins

Jo Kearney won the overall prize at the 2026 World Food Photography Awards in London on 2 June.
She earned £5,000 for her photo of a woman eating at Tajikistan’s Khoja Obi Garm sanatorium, which was selected from 9,000 entries judged by a panel led by David Loftus.
The 203 finalists are exhibited at Mall Galleries, London, from 3 June to 7 June, with a selection for Fortnum & Mason’s Piccadilly store beginning 9 June.

Summary

Tenderstem Bimi Sponsors

Tenderstem® Bimi® Broccolini sponsored the 2026 World Food Photography Awards, linking the contest to a sustainable produce brand.
Winning images include a Soviet-era Tajikistan sanatorium canteen and a Chinese communal hotpot festival.
A photograph of Kyoto’s Ine village shows squid drying by traditional himono, reflecting the sea’s rhythm.
Images from Samarkand, West Bengal’s Chhath Puja, and Bogra’s cabbage market reveal distinct regional food rituals.

Summary

Australian Photographers Triumph

The winners of the 2026 food-photography competition were announced publicly on 3 June 2026.
Australian photographers earned the second-most category victories of any nation in the contest.
The winning images included farm-field shots of cultivation, vineyard rows of grapevines, restaurant-table plates, and bustling street-market stalls, illustrating the agricultural and cultural origins of the featured foods.
The 2026 edition continued the awards’ annual tradition as a premier global platform for food photography.

Summary

Contaldo Presents

Italian chef Gennaro Contaldo presented the awards at the Mall Galleries ceremony.
Australian Chris Elfes won the Louis Jadot Wine Photographer of the Year – Places with a vineyard in Pokolbin.
Danielle Marie earned the Food Portraiture prize for her still-life Jelly with a Cherry.
Claudia Anton took the Cake Award with A Mid-Century Man and his Cake.
Kara Baird captured the Street-Food win at Kyoto’s Nishiki Market.

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Jo Kearney Wins

Jo Kearney won the overall prize at the 2026 World Food Photography Awards in London on 2 June.
She earned £5,000 for her photo of a woman eating at Tajikistan’s Khoja Obi Garm sanatorium, which was selected from 9,000 entries judged by a panel led by David Loftus.
The 203 finalists are exhibited at Mall Galleries, London, from 3 June to 7 June, with a selection for Fortnum & Mason’s Piccadilly store beginning 9 June.

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