Athens, January 16, 2026 – The Athens Photo World (APW), the annual international photojournalism festival in Athens, a leading institution for contemporary photography in Greece, is returning for its eighth year. Since 2019, tens of thousands of visitors have attended APW exhibitions, talks, presentations, and digital screenings in iconic and busy locations across Athens, bringing the general public into direct contact with the power of images and journalistic photography.
APW 2026: A Comprehensive Program
Following the successful outdoor exhibitions of Athens Photo World 2025 at the National Garden and the Athens Concert Hall, the competition for the Athens Photo World Awards has once again opened. This continues the festival’s primary goal: to highlight contemporary photojournalism and its creators, who record history as it unfolds.
Athens Photo World is upgrading all its activities and adding new collaborations for its eighth edition, continuing its successful, recognized, and highly attended events. Its central priority remains the direct engagement of Athens’ residents and visitors with photojournalism, through familiarizing them with the representative work of acclaimed photographers from around the world.
During the first quarter of 2026, APW will feature:
- The Athens Photo World Awards
- A Two-Day Digital Screening event at Technopolis City of Athens (February 28 – March 1)
- A masterclass for photographers
- A collaboration with one of the largest photography festivals worldwide, XPOSURE, held annually in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
Throughout the summer, Athens Photo World will present its two established outdoor exhibitions:
- At the National Garden Fence
- At the Athens Concert Hall Fence
© Petros Giannakouris – from the award-winning project of the Athens Photo World 2024 winner
Athens Photo World Awards: Recognizing Excellence
The Athens Photo World Awards, a long-missing institution in Greek photojournalism for nearly two decades, have been instrumental since their inception in 2019 in promoting the work of contemporary photographers and photojournalists living and working in Greece and Cyprus. They also serve as a significant source of financial support for the continuation of their work.
The jury each year consists of three different members, selected by the Athens Photo World team. The aim is to include professionals with diverse photographic backgrounds, such as photojournalists, academics, fine art photographers, and photo editors from major news or online organizations.
For 2026, the jury members were photographers Thomas Daskalakis, Nikos Palaiologos, and Olga Stefatos.
The finalists for the Athens Photo World 2025 award, in its seventh consecutive year, are (alphabetically):
- Eleni Albarosa, with the project “The Last Pogonion”
- Angelos Tzortzinis, with the project “Landscapes of a Changing Environment”
- Nikolas Hatzipolitis, with the project “Free Time in Context”
© Eleni Albarosa, from the project “The Last Pogonion”
© Angelos Tzortzinis, from the project “Landscapes of a Changing Environment”
© Nikolas Hatzipolitis, from the project “Free Time in Context”
The final ranking for 1st place (3,000 euros), 2nd place (2,000 euros), and 3rd place (1,000 euros) will be announced at the awards ceremony on Sunday, March 1, 2026, at Gasholder 1 – Miltiadis Evert Amphitheater, Technopolis City of Athens.
Masterclass: Nurturing New Talent
Aiming to enhance the quality of photojournalism in Greece, Athens Photo World organized a masterclass led by Magnum Photos photographer Enri Canaj.
Fifteen young photographers are participating free of charge in the masterclass, following the submission of their work and final selection by the instructor himself. The photographic stories produced will be presented at the Athens Photo World 2026 Two-Day Digital Screenings on Saturday, February 28, and Sunday, March 1, at Gasholder 1 – Miltiadis Evert Amphitheater, Technopolis City of Athens.
Digital Screenings: A Window to the World
The program of digital screenings by selected photographers and videographers, with work directly connected to recent Greek and international events, returns in 2026 to Technopolis City of Athens.
The Two-Day Digital Screenings, to be held on February 28 and March 1, 2026, will include:
- Photojournalism: A 45-minute slideshow featuring selected photographers, followed by a discussion with the audience, creators, and finalists of last year’s Athens Photo World Awards. Among the photographers whose work will be presented are Maro Kouri, Stelios Misinas, Socrates Baltagiannis, Kostas Tsironis, and Nikos Hatzipolitis.
- Presentation of the masterclass participants’ work by Enri Canaj.
- Screening and awarding of the work of the three finalists of the Athens Photo World 2026 Awards competition.
© Stelios Misinas from the project “Beneath the Surface”
(The detailed program of the two-day event will be announced soon.)
APW & XPOSURE Collaboration: Athens on the Global Stage
For the first time in XPOSURE’s history, Athens will be the honored city, through the Athens Photo World group exhibition, which will be presented from January 29 to February 4, 2026, in Sharjah.
The exhibition will feature works by Greek photographers Maro Kouri, Socrates Baltagiannis, Michalis Pappas, Antonis Pasvantis, and Dimitris Tosidis.
© Socrates Baltagiannis from the project “Athenians”
On the opening day, January 29, a discussion will be held on the topic of “Stories of Migration, Culture, and Humanity,” with the participation of Christina Kalligianni and the exhibition photographers, moderated by professors Ioannis Galanopoulos Papavasileiou and Giannis Kontos.
Outdoor Exhibitions: Summer Highlights
The established Athens Photo World outdoor exhibitions, which have now become an institution, will be announced soon for Summer 2026.
Athens Photo World 2026 is implemented with the kind sponsorship of PPC, the Region of Attica, and the Ministry of Culture.
Organizing Team:
- Thanassis Stavrakis – AP Chief Photographer (Greece, Cyprus, Albania, North Macedonia), Artistic Director
- Yannis Kolesidis – Photographer APE/EPA, Curator & Coordinator of Digital Screenings
- Christina Kalligianni – Photographer, Panteion University PhD, General Coordinator
Source: https://popaganda.gr/newstrack/culture/athens-photo-world-2026-to-diethnes-festival-fotoreportaz-tis-athinas-epistrefei/
