World Press Photo Award 2026 is awarded to ‘photo of ICE separating migrant father from children'

World Press Photo of the Year 2026 is won by Carol Guzy’s harrowing photo of an Ecuadorian father being detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

This image, “Separated by ICE,” taken by Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Carol Guzy, depicts the arrest of Luis after the immigration hearing held at the Jacob K. Javits Federal Building, New York City, on August 26, 2025. 

He left behind his wife, Cocha, and their three children aged seven, 13, and 15 years.

Joumana El Zein Khoury, executive director of World Press Photo, stated: “This image shows the inconsolable grief of children losing their father in a place built for justice.”

“In a democracy, the camera’s presence in that hallway serves as a witness to a policy that has turned courthouses into sites of shattered lives,” she added.

The picture was taken inside one of the few federal buildings where photographers were allowed.

There were 57,376 submissions sent in by 3,747 photojournalists hailing from 141 nations. 

Finalists include Saber Nuraldin’s photograph depicting Palestinians competing to grab flour from the aid truck in Gaza and Victor J. Blue’s portrait capturing Indigenous Achi women in Guatemala after a 14-year fight against their oppressors.

This award marks the ninth World Press Photo award of Guzy, who stated that the recognition belongs “to the people in the picture.”