The World Photography Organization and the Sony World Photography Awards have announced that acclaimed photographer Joel Meyerowitz will be honored with the Outstanding Contribution to Photography Award at the Sony World Photography Awards 2026. This prestigious recognition celebrates Meyerowitz's exceptional career spanning over six decades and his significant impact on the photography world.
Born in New York City in 1938, Meyerowitz initially pursued a different path, studying painting and medical drawing at Ohio State University before launching his career as an advertising art director. However, a pivotal moment in 1962 changed the trajectory of his life when he watched photographer Robert Frank shoot an advertising campaign for him. Inspired by this encounter, Meyerowitz made the bold decision to quit his job and begin taking pictures, venturing into the streets with a borrowed camera and a couple of rolls of color film. This fateful choice would propel him toward a long and exceptional career in photography.
Throughout his illustrious career, Meyerowitz's work has gained international recognition, being featured in over 350 exhibitions at renowned museums and galleries worldwide. His photographs have been published in nearly 60 monographs, establishing him as one of the most influential photographers of his generation. Meyerowitz's body of work spans both color and black-and-white photography and is celebrated for its depth, masterful framing, and compelling storytelling.
"I am honored to be selected as this year's Outstanding Contribution to Photography recipient," Meyerowitz said. "The photographs I have made over the years show the world as I see it, and the moments of beauty, humor and fun that can be found everywhere, if we take the opportunity to look. I hope this exhibition will encourage visitors to look again at their surroundings and engage with all of the life that unfolds around them."
Meyerowitz's photographic subjects are remarkably diverse and wide-ranging, from fast-paced street photography to vast seascapes. Among his most powerful and significant works is his series documenting the recovery efforts at Ground Zero following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. In recent years, his self-portraits have also garnered critical acclaim and recognition from the photography community.
One of Meyerowitz's most significant contributions to photography was his role as a pioneer in color photography. He was among the first photographers to fully embrace color as a medium, helping to bring it greater attention and acceptance in the broader photographic community. The Sony World Photography Awards specifically notes that Meyerowitz was instrumental in helping establish color photography as a legitimate form of fine art, breaking down barriers that previously existed between color and black-and-white photography.
As part of his award recognition, a special retrospective exhibition of Meyerowitz's work will be presented at the Sony World Photography Awards 2026 exhibition at Somerset House in London. This comprehensive showcase will feature his photographs alongside video and audio installations created in collaboration with award-winning filmmaker Chris Ryan. The exhibition promises to take visitors on a journey through Meyerowitz's career, featuring his very earliest street photography work through his most recent projects.
With this honor, Joel Meyerowitz joins an elite group of 18 prior recipients of the Outstanding Contribution to Photography award. Recent recipients include Brazilian photographer Sebastião Salgado in 2024 and Susan Meiselas earlier this year. Other distinguished winners of this prestigious award include Mary Ellen Mark (2014), Martin Parr (2017), Graciela Iturbide (2021), and Edward Burtynsky (2022).
The Sony World Photography Awards 2026 ceremony is scheduled to take place on April 16, 2026. This event will also serve as the occasion when the overall winners of the Sony World Photography Awards 2026 will be announced. The Sony World Photography Awards is recognized as among the most prestigious photography competitions in the world, consistently showcasing spectacular winning photographs that represent the pinnacle of contemporary photographic excellence.
