We're thrilled to announce the winners of the Spotlight Awards 2026, celebrating the very best in commercial photography across 14 categories.
Chosen from thousands of submissions, this year's winners were selected by a jury of more than 50 industry creatives from world-leading brands, ad agencies, and magazines.
From Advertising and Fashion to Food & Drink, Portraiture, Still Life, and Cars, the winning work showcases extraordinary creativity and innovation in visual storytelling.
This year’s Grand Prize goes to Malta-based photographer Angie Balzan for “The Not-Today Committee”, also the winner of the Travel, Documentary & Landscape category.
It captures three women at the seaside in a humorous, beautifully observed moment. Balzan describes the scene: “Three women, one sea, and a unanimous vote to think about it a little longer. Two stand guard at the shoreline like a jury still deliberating, while the third strides past having apparently already reached a verdict. Somewhere, the Mediterranean is filing a formal complaint about being kept waiting.”
Balzan’s image was selected as the overall winner from the 14 category winners by the international Spotlight Awards jury.
Judged by leading creative decision-makers
Now in its ninth edition, the Spotlight Awards put photographers and image creators directly in front of the people who commission, produce and select imagery for some of the world’s leading brands, agencies and publications. More than 50 creative directors, art buyers, producers, editors and other industry professionals from around the world took part in this year’s jury, representing leading brands, agencies and publications including IKEA, Volvo Cars, Subaru of America, Mattel, Unilever, Marriott International, H&M, WPP Production, Publicis Production, WGSN, The Times, Hearst, UNICEF, Ogilvy, Digitas, Cartier, Louis Vuitton, Saatchi & Saatchi and Condé Nast Traveller.
Vignesh Sadhasivam, Senior Art Buyer at WPP Production, described what made the strongest entries stand out: “Clarity of concept and storytelling stand out immediately. Images that communicate a clear idea without explanation, paired with strong composition and lighting, tend to hold attention.”
Here are the 14 winning images, together with insights from the jury and the stories behind the work.
A jury member described Marguerite Oelofse’s Fashion winner as having “striking composition and effortless elegance, with a strong sense of character and contemporary style.”
Svetlin Yosifov’s People & Lifestyle winner, depicting Mundari children, was praised by one judge for “the sheer truth of the scene” and its ability to portray daily life “with profound dignity and zero artifice.”
Jack Margerison's “David Harewood, Othello” captures David Harewood following his return to a role of major personal and cultural significance, almost 30 years after becoming the first Black actor to play Othello at the National Theatre in 1997.
Reflecting on the portrait, Harewood said: “I’m glad Jack was here to capture my final performance. His skill at capturing these moments will be something I’ll treasure in the years to come.”
The jury praised Benjamin Kaufmann’s Beauty winner for celebrating “real, unretouched skin in all its natural glory”, with its playful colour, intimate crop, and controlled lighting creating an authentic yet polished portrait.
Samuel Hicks’ “Together Coalition” was created for a project celebrating England’s diversity and support for the national football team. Photographed on the Kirby Estate, known for its display of hundreds of flags from countries around the world, Hicks captured his eldest son playing football beneath a mural of Eberechi Eze. The image went on to feature in the campaign film, shown in the press and on English television.
Andrei Koshaleu’s “What If_Nagasaki August 1945” is part of his “What If...” series, which reimagines pivotal moments in world history and asks how our reality might look if major events had unfolded differently. The image was created using Nano Banana Pro and finalised in Photoshop.
“The Kids of Speightstown” by Si Cox captures the local kids enjoying their Sunday jumps in Speightstown.
A jury member commented on the Per Norberg and Dejan Sokolovski Cars winning image: “Skills combined to give colours that grab, depth drawing me into the story, a picture that communicates pace.”
In “Metal Maestro”, Agata Karaseva captures a slinger at a copper smelter coordinating the movement of a ladle filled with molten metal. His hand gesture resembles that of an orchestra conductor, guiding the plant’s heavy operations.
Ben Cole’s Food & Drink winning image prompted one judge to comment: “I kept returning to this image, trying to figure out exactly what I was looking at. For me, it’s a stunning piece of work, turning food into art and sculpture.”
Kyla Elaine describes “Fashion Waste” as “an illustration of the waste produced in the fashion industry.”
Paul O’Connell’s “Convergence” sets the rigid verticals of the buildings against a long-exposed sky of streaking clouds.
A jury member commented: “Skilled observation and execution. The long exposure has lifted the picture into an experience worth having.”
Photographed in Ethiopia, Didier Charre’s “Terrain improvisé” captures a spontaneous sporting moment in a striking setting.
A jury member commented: “Dynamic movement and dramatic dust create energy.”
Congratulations to all of this year’s winners, and a huge thank you to everyone who entered the Spotlight Awards 2026 and to our international jury. A special thank you to our sponsors, Photo Review, Modelmanagement.com, and SALT, for supporting the Awards and helping us celebrate and reward this year’s talent. Explore the full shortlists across all 14 categories to discover even more outstanding work from the Spotlight Awards 2026.
