The World Press Photo Contest named Carol Guzy's "Separated by ICE" as its Photo of the Year for 2026, the organization announced. The image, taken for the Miami Herald, captures the separation of a family in a New York court.

The winning images in the contest depict conflict, migration issues and climate upheaval. Additional honorees recognized work from Afghanistan, Colombia, Zimbabwe, Syria and Brazil.

"I'm Afraid" by Elise Blanchard won the Stories category for West, Central and South Asia. Blanchard photographed Gulshaman visiting Fatemah and her newborn daughter Yasmin in Waras, Shahristan district, Daikundi province, Afghanistan, on July 27, 2025. In the province, the cessation of U.S. aid has stripped many pregnant women of access to medical care, causing them to deliver at home, and the funding shortfall has led to the suspension or shutdown of more than 400 health facilities nationwide, with many staff working without pay or basic supplies. According to UNICEF data, Afghanistan has one of the world's highest maternal mortality rates.

Blanchard said the hardest part of covering the story was facing the grief of women who lost unborn children and a man who lost both his wife and unborn child before reaching a clinic. She said she was impressed by the strength of the women she photographed.

Nicole Tung's "A Syrian City Rebuilds, Still Divided" also won in the Stories section for West, Central and South Asia. Tung photographed a shepherd herding sheep on the banks of the Euphrates River in Deir al-Zour, Syria, on August 21, 2025. The river divides forces loyal to the new Syrian government and those supporting the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces. "The peaceful moment with the shepherd was punctuated by the continuing consequences of war in Syria," Tung said, adding that she heard a loud explosion after taking the photo and that a woman and her son were injured by an unexploded bomb while scavenging on a dump site.

"When Giants Fall" by Halden Krog won the Singles category for Africa. Krog photographed professional hunters shooting a family of elephants marked for culling at Sango Wildlife Conservancy, Savé Valley Conservancy, Zimbabwe, on October 23, 2025. Zimbabwe's government planned to cull 600 elephants due to overpopulation in wildlife areas. "No one was happy, and every action was taken to complete the task as quickly and humanely as possible," Krog said. He said he watched grown men in tears after every shot.

"Name the Absence" by Ferley A. Ospina won a Stories category award for South America. Ospina captured a photograph of five-year-old Valeria playing behind a curtain at her aunt's house in Los Patios, Norte de Santander, Colombia, on September 10, 2025, where nearly one-third of households are headed exclusively by women.

Priscila Ribeiro's photograph "Territory of Hope" captures Sandra Mara Siqueira resting with her grandchildren in the Parque dos Lagos occupation in Colombo, Paraná, Brazil, on November 15, 2025. The settlement houses 200 families without official access to water, sewage disposal or electricity. Brazil has a national shortage of 5.9 million homes, forcing approximately 16.4 million people into crowded settlements.