American photojournalist Carol Guzy won the 2026 World Press Photo of the Year for her image "Separated by ICE," which captures a tearful family torn apart by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after an immigration court hearing in New York amid President Trump's broader crackdown. The contest, established in 1955, selected 42 global winners from over 57,000 photographs submitted by nearly 3,800 photographers across 141 countries. Finalists included Saber Nuraldin's "Aid Emergency in Gaza" and Victor J. Blue's "The Trials of the Achi Women," while other winners addressed displacement, war, and environmental crises.
The award matters because it brings global attention to the human consequences of immigration enforcement and other humanitarian crises through the power of photojournalism. Guzy's image, which she hopes will "stir people out of any sense of complacency," underscores the role of visual storytelling in shaping public discourse on government actions. The winning photographs will be exhibited in a traveling show across over 60 locations, starting in Amsterdam, amplifying their impact on audiences worldwide.