30 Winners From the World Food Photography Awards

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An elderly woman in a headscarf sits alone at a table in a sunlit restaurant, pouring tea. The table has bread, fruit, and red pitchers. Large windows reveal a rocky landscape outside. A fruit painting hangs on the wall.

A tender image titled A Woman Eats in the Canteen of the Soviet-era Sanatorium, by British photographer Jo Kearney, is the Overall Winner of the World Food Photography Awards sponsored by Bimi®.

The image, which first won the Fortnum & Mason Food at the Table category, was taken at the Khoja Obi Garm sanatorium in the mountains of Tajikistan. The colossal concrete complex is built on radon-rich hot springs and dates back to the Soviet era. It remains one of the few such sanatoria still in operation, where guests follow prescribed treatments such as thermal bathing and steam therapy, and are served meals of nourishing food — soups, fruit, tea, and traditional Tajik fare — in keeping with the sanatorium’s restorative ethos. With a cost of about £33 per day for board, lodging, and treatments, the sanatorium is immensely popular.

“There is so much to see and so much to feel in this image,” says Caroline Kenyon, Founder, World Food Photography Awards sponsored by Bimi®. “An old woman pours herself tea – but it’s so much more than just that. The expression on her crevassed face is beautiful; it moved me to tears. She is alone, her simple breakfast on the table before her echoes the fruit in the painting on the wall behind. Against the parched colours of the scene through the window, the rich crimson chairs give a regal quality to the setting, and though humbly dressed, her dignified bearing is queenly too. She has seen much in life, we are sure, but holds her head high.”

The winners of the competition’s 27 categories were revealed by renowned chef and food writer Gennaro Contaldo at the Mall Galleries, London, today (June 2) at an awards evening gathering stars of the food and arts worlds.

“These Awards highlight the power of photography to tell food stories from around the world,” says Dave Samuels, Brand Director of Tenderstem® Bimi® Broccolini and headline sponsor of the Awards. “The remarkable images remind us of the essential role food plays in communities across the globe – through growing, harvesting, cooking, eating, celebrating and surviving. Whatever changes the world goes through, food remains central to our lives.”

Category Winners

Several squid are hung by strings on a rope to dry in the sun, with a scenic background of blue water, distant mountains, and green hills.

Close-up of two bundles of uncooked fettuccine pasta, neatly coiled with long, flat noodles, set against a dark background. The light accentuates the pasta’s smooth texture and golden color.

Two young girls in matching dresses and flower crowns hold baskets and snack packs while eating chips at an outdoor event, surrounded by people in formal attire.

A group of people row a wooden boat on a calm river at sunrise, with the Howrah Bridge visible through the mist in the background. The scene is peaceful, with soft pastel colors filling the sky.

A person in a brown suit holds a glass of whiskey and a lighter behind a tall, frosted chocolate cake with a lit candle on a stand; vintage items and toys are scattered on the table.

A vibrant, crowded night market with many people dining at tables filled with food, viewed from above. Warm lights and colorful dishes create a lively atmosphere in an outdoor setting.

A shepherd with a staff walks through a dusty landscape, guiding a large flock of sheep along a hillside, with sunlight streaming through the haze.

Close-up of a stacked sandwich with layers of lettuce, tomato, pickles, sliced salami, cheese, and mustard between slices of brown bread.

A creative arrangement of mushrooms, a red chili, bok choy, an egg, and glassware, with some ingredients balanced atop overturned glasses against a beige textured background.

A woman wearing a hair net and apron sits at a counter, holding dollar bills. Behind her are papers, lab coats, and various office supplies, suggesting she is in a small business or restaurant setting.

Black and white image showing grapes falling into a large circular vat from above, with a person standing at the top center, watching or guiding the process.

Aerial view of a vineyard at sunrise, with rows of grapevines running diagonally, a small pond surrounded by trees, and a group of people working among the vines as sunlight filters through the landscape.

A person wearing a headlamp stands under a ladder, looking up at a metal bucket suspended from the ceiling, illuminated by a beam of light in an otherwise dark, reddish-toned space.

Four women sit on a bench against a brick wall, smiling and laughing while eating snacks. They appear relaxed and happy, dressed in casual clothes and sunglasses. The photo is black and white.

A dark bowl filled with brown soup, with a cooked fish head floating in the center, sits on a dark, textured surface.

A busy outdoor market where vendors and buyers gather around large stacks of leafy vegetables, loaded on bicycles and rickshaws. People are mingling and the scene is lively, surrounded by trees and small buildings.

Two hands reaching for rustic bread; one takes slices from a basket, the other dips bread into a bowl of stew on a dark table with small dishes of dried chili and a brown cloth.

A worker covered in white powder wears a protective mask and headscarf, standing beside industrial machinery in a factory setting. The environment appears dusty, with powder on surfaces and in the air.

A young boy sits on a chair next to a table with several loaves of bread, reaching toward them. The scene is set against a worn, textured wall with a small shelf holding some items above the table.

Two waiters in white jackets work behind a dark wood bar inside a vintage, elegant café with ornate lighting, wall art, and shelves of bottles. One waiter stands behind the bar, while the other walks briskly in front.

A red gelatin dessert topped with whipped cream and a cherry sits on a dark tablecloth next to a black spoon, against a dark background.

An elderly person in period clothing stands in a doorway holding a tray, inside a vintage room with wooden furniture, a bed with a colorful quilt, and a framed portrait on the wall.

A close-up of a pear sliced in half, showing its seeds and inner texture. The fruit glows with golden yellow and purple hues against a black background, with light reflecting off its moist surface.

A street food vendor cooks seafood at a colorful market stall in Japan, surrounded by displays of crab, shellfish, and food signs written in Japanese. The scene is lively and full of vibrant colors and textures.

A dark purple and a white eggplant lean together inside an ornate, vintage frame, resembling an embrace, with three small striped eggplants in front on a rustic wooden surface. The background is textured and gray.

A woman serves food from a roadside stall beside a river, handing a plate to a man. Industrial cranes, ships, and coal are visible in the misty background, indicating a busy worksite near the water.

An elderly woman in an apron cuts dough for cookies on a wooden board in a cozy kitchen, while an elderly man sits at a table in the background reading a newspaper. Sunlight streams in through a window with flowers on the sill.

Close-up of a dark red cocktail in a martini glass with a brown sugar rim, garnished with a slice of red chili pepper, set against a rich red background.

A smiling woman in a kitchen pours coffee from a long-handled copper pot. The counter in front of her is filled with various foods, canned goods, fresh fruit, eggs, and bottles. Shelves with kitchenware are in the background.

This year’s global judging panel was tasked with assessing nearly 9,000 entries submitted from over 50 countries around the world. A free-to-enter exhibition of all 203 finalist images will premiere at the Mall Galleries, London, running from Wednesday, June 3 to Sunday, June 7. A selection of the images hand-picked by Fortnum & Mason will be displayed at their iconic store on Piccadilly from Tuesday, June 9.

To see the online gallery of all the 2026 finalists, visit www.worldfoodphotographyawards.com. Entries for the 2027 edition of the competition will open later this year, in September.

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