World Press Photo Exhibition 2026

From 24 April: the premiere of World Press Photo Exhibition 2026. Discover the most compelling photojournalism and documentary photography of the past year.


World Press Photo 2026 is Separated by ICE by Carol Guzy » , ZUMA Press, iWitness, for Miami Herald.

This photograph was taken inside one of the few US federal buildings where photographers were granted access—a single hallway where Carol Guzy and others showed up, day after day, to document what was happening. It captures a harrowing moment: a family separated by the state. Luis was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents following an immigration court hearing at the Jacob K. Javits Federal Building, in New York City, New York, United States, on 26 August 2025. Luis, an Ecuadorian migrant whom his family says has no criminal record, served as the household’s sole provider. His wife Cocha and their three children (aged seven, 13, and 15) were left inconsolable, facing immediate financial hardship and profound emotional trauma.

What Carol Guzy has documented is not an isolated instance, but a policy indiscriminately applied to people who arrive for hearings in good faith. It is evidence and documentation of a government policy being applied systematically to people who followed the rules they were given.

This image was selected from a larger body of work by Guzy, ICE Arrests at New York Court, awarded in the Stories category of the North and Central America region.

The annual World Press Photo Contest, which recognizes and celebrates the best photojournalism and documentary photography of the past year, announces its winners in spring 2026.

The organization will announce 42 winners on 9 April, and from this selection, the Photo of the Year winner and two finalists will be announced on 23 April.

The world premiere of the World Press Photo Exhibition 2026 will open to the public on 24 April.