Structure is a little bit of an underrated photograph competitors class however it’s one that may concurrently seize design, engineering and human expertise. Right here, we choose our 2026 Sony World Images Awards’ Skilled finalist and shortlist standouts that handle to say a lot with a single picture.
By framing buildings in new methods, underneath totally different gentle, the pictures reveal how the constructed setting could be a highly effective topic of inventive expression – and make viewers additionally see the world in another way. An awesome instance of that’s the main picture we have used, by Iranian photographer Farshid Rahimi Kalahroudi. His Shortlist photograph, “Nice Jameh Mosque,” manages to seize engineering ingenuity, historical past and tradition – like all our standout photographs.
Second-Hand Home
Stephan Zirwes/Sony World Images Awards 2026
Stephan Zirwes (Germany) made the awards’ Shortlist class for this stark picture of how previous supplies turn out to be a sustainable solution to construct small vacation houses for folks, the place “wooden, bricks and window frames from demolished buildings are given a brand new lease of life, decreasing development waste and the necessity for brand spanking new sources. Such reuse not solely creates a novel, charming constructing, but in addition contributes to environmental safety.”
“Untitled” from the collection Advert Astra
Cristopher Rogel Blanquet Chavez/Sony World Images Awards 2026
Shortlist photographer Cristopher Rogel Blanquet Chavez (Mexico) took this fairly stunning picture of the border wall between the US and Mexico in Douglas, Arizona. By day, the wall looms massive, however at night time, it takes on a very totally different kind.
“It turns into a silhouette, a shadow, a darkish line of architectural hostility that cuts by the panorama and the silence,” mentioned Chavez. “This collection shouldn’t be about politics, however about presence. It’s about an structure designed to exclude.”
Chinese language Watchtowers
Chen Liang/Sony World Images Awards 2026
Chen Liang (China) has been named a finalist for this fascinating picture of a Yuqing watchtower in-built Jiangmen, in China’s Guangdong Province, in 1922.
“They had been constructed throughout the time of the Republic of China (1912-1949), as public refuges and defensive fortresses,” the outline defined. “Most had been constructed by Chinese language folks residing abroad, who had returned to their dwelling cities, or raised funds to construct them within the countryside, making them a novel architectural kind that mixes each Chinese language and Western influences. In 2007, the Kaiping Diaolou and Villages in Guangdong had been formally designated a UNESCO World Heritage Web site.”
Mercado Safira
André Tezza/Sony World Images Awards 2026
At first unassuming, this picture snapped by André Tezza (Brazil) captures the essence of small-town group and livelihood that usually facilities round had been we get meals from. This neighborhood grocery retailer in Campo Largo is greater than only a store to the people who depend on it – and this picture portrays it virtually like the sunshine of the group. Which it most definitely is. Residing in an age of comfort, and comfort shops, it is simple to overlook that these unassuming native spots are extra than simply locations to purchase meals – they’re hubs of small group residing, the place folks trade information, native gossip and may have a way of belonging.
“Typically family-run and linked to home areas, the shops merge work, reminiscence and dwelling right into a single constructing,” the photograph description famous. “Whereas town heart undergoes gentrification, the periphery stays culturally dense and visually vibrant.”
You may test our gallery for extra of our picks from the class.
Supply: Sony World Photography Awards
