World Press Photo has announced two new awards for its 2027 contest: a Nature Award and a Sports Award. Each will have three winners.

The move is a response to a clear trend. Since World Press Photo switched to its regional contest model in 2022, nature and sports photography have appeared less often among the winners, and the organisation says exhibition audiences and industry partners have noticed and missed them.

“Nature and sports photography are integral to photojournalism and documentary photography,” said Joumana El Zein Khoury, executive director of World Press Photo.

The new awards aren’t separate categories, so photographers don’t need to enter them specifically. Instead, the jury will pick the six winners from all Singles and Stories entries submitted across every region.

The Nature Award focuses on the relationships between people, animals and shared ecosystems, looking for stories of coexistence, resilience and ecological healing. Large-scale environmental crisis reporting, such as the climate crisis or severe pollution, is excluded from this award but remains eligible in the main Singles, Stories and Long-Term Project categories.

The Sports Award covers individual and team sport, from single decisive moments to longer narrative stories. It includes major sporting events, but also socio-political issues, protests, cultural connections and everyday community sport.

We think this is a welcome change. Nature and sports photography demand huge skill and often tell important stories, and giving them a dedicated route to recognition should encourage more photographers working in those areas to enter.

World Press Photo 2027 Nature and Sports awards: key details

How to enter the World Press Photo 2027 contest

The 2027 World Press Photo Contest opens for entries on 1 December, with eligibility and entry details published on 3 November. Read the full announcement on the World Press Photo website.