The World Press Photo 2026 exhibition will open at the Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona (CCCB) on Friday 6th November 2026, presenting the year’s most powerful photojournalism to the public for the first time in Spain.

This year marks the 22nd edition of the exhibition at the CCCB, which brings together all winning photographs and multimedia productions from the 2026 World Press Photo contest. Organised by the Photographic Social Vision foundation, the exhibition features 42 award-winning photographers from six global regions: Africa, Asia-Pacific and Oceania, Europe, North and Central America, South America, and Western, Central, and Southern Asia.

Each region is represented across three categories: Singles (individual photographs), Stories (graphic reports), and Long-Term Projects. The selected works, mostly unpublished in Spain, were judged on visual impact and their ability to reflect pressing global issues from 2025, including political unrest, gender rights, migration, armed conflict, and the climate crisis.

Global Stories in Focus

The World Press Photo of the Year 2026 was awarded to US photographer Carol Guzy of the Miami Herald for her image "Separated by ICE", documenting the human cost of intensified immigration enforcement in the United States. The jury highlighted the photograph’s emotional intensity and its stark portrayal of family separation during scheduled court hearings.

"In 2025, immigration enforcement escalated at an unprecedented scale across the United States, in workplaces, homes, on street corners, and inside federal courthouses where families arrived for scheduled hearings, in good faith."

Two finalists were also announced. Saber Nuraldin (Palestine) was recognised for his image of Palestinians scaling a humanitarian aid truck at the Zik border crossing into Gaza. Victor J. Blue (United States) was shortlisted for his portrait of Paulina Ixpatá Alvarado, a survivor of wartime sexual violence, standing before a court in Guatemala City hours after former civil defence patrol members were sentenced to 40 years in prison.

Spanish Photographers Among Winners

Three Spanish photographers received awards. Luis Tato from Ciudad Real won in the Stories category for the Africa region with "Gen Z Protests in Madagascar", documenting student-led demonstrations. Diego Ibarra Sánchez was awarded in the Long-Term Projects category for the Western, Central, and Southern Asia region for "A Kidnapped Education", a project spanning nine countries on children’s right to private education in conflict zones.

  • Exhibition dates: 6th November to 13th December 2026
  • Venue: Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona (CCCB), Montalegre 5, 08001
  • Opening hours:
    • Tuesday to Thursday: 11:00–20:00
    • Friday: 11:00–21:00
    • Saturday: 10:00–21:00
    • Sunday: 10:00–20:00
  • December holiday bridge: Open Sunday 6th December and Tuesday 8th December (10:00–20:00). Closed Monday 7th December.

Guided tours of the exhibition will be available; further details and booking options are available via the CCCB website.

Sources: betevé, cccb.org, worldpressphoto.org.