Street photography emerged in the late 19th century as lightweight, handheld cameras made it possible to photograph everyday life outside the studio. The genre flourished throughout the 20th century thanks to pioneers such as Henri Cartier-Bresson, Vivian Maier, Garry Winogrand, and Joel Meyerowitz, who transformed ordinary streets into compelling visual narratives. Today, street photography remains one of the most challenging forms of photography, relying not on staged scenes but on a photographer's ability to recognize extraordinary moments as they naturally unfold.
Each year, the LensCulture Street Photography Awards celebrate the photographers who excel at capturing these unscripted moments. The 2026 edition brings together the work of 41 remarkable photographers from 23 countries across five continents, highlighting the extraordinary diversity of contemporary street photography. Selected by an international jury of photography experts, the winning images range from humorous visual coincidences and striking studies of light to intimate portraits of daily life and powerful social observations, offering a fascinating snapshot of today's world through the eyes of photographers working across cultures and continents.
#6 Love By Nika Pailodze, Jurors' Pick
"While walking down the street, my attention was drawn to the hands of an elderly couple. Their touch was so gentle and intimate that it seemed to answer, better than words ever could, the question: What is love?"
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23points
#8 I Love Water, I Love Fish, I Love Cherry Blossoms By Rattanun Rungpittaryaton, Jurors' Pick
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21points
#9 Until Dawn Comes By Vica Bogaerts, Thailand
"They say the darkest hour comes just before dawn; a burden to carry until daylight arrives. But at Long Biên market, the darkest hour is when everything begins. When Hanoi goes to sleep, the market awakens, alive in the hours between night and first light, running according to a clock the rest of the city never sees. Darkness here has its own rhythm, its own community and purpose."
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20points
#12 The Aquatic Ceremony By Yusuf Eminoglu, Jurors' Pick
"During the harsh winters of Anatolia, local children turn cold January days into a ritual, seeking warmth and joy in natural thermal waters. As they bathe their horses and buffaloes, the striking contrast between the freezing air and soothing warmth creates moments of playful delight."
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19points
#15 After The Celebration By Jirayut Thongwatcharapaiboon, Jurors' Pick
"In this project, I focus on spaces suspended between presence and disappearance. Ordinary environments where traces of human activity remain though the events that preceded them are now long gone; empty parking lots, isolated urban edges, artificial landscapes, littered with abandoned decorations. Rather than documenting celebration itself, this series lingers on its aftermath."
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14points
#16 Elfin By Katerina Stratos, Jurors' Pick
"During a Greek Orthodox Sunday service, the memorial honoring the dead can stretch on for hours. This boy, fighting his boredom, had perched himself on a window ledge, swaying and mumbling with an elf-like restlessness. Moments later he was scolded by an elderly woman in black and dragged away."
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13points
