Photographers at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship (© Getty Images)
An award for the best athletics photograph of the year will once again be presented as part of the World Athletics Awards in 2026.
Any professional photographer who has attended an athletics event in 2026 can take part in the World Athletics Photograph of the Year.
Photographers are requested to submit one photograph via the online form and include a caption, the date the photograph was taken, the image's technical information and a short photographer bio (no more than 50 words). Entries should be no larger than 5MB and must be received by 11:59pm Monaco time on 30 October.
A panel of five experts will judge all eligible photographs and select three finalists. The finalists will be revealed on 9 November and a fan vote to help determine the winner will be held on World Athletics’ Instagram channel from 9-15 November.
The winner will be announced on 28 November, ahead of the World Athletics Awards taking place in Monaco on 29 November.
The panellists are:
Usain Bolt
Jamaican sprint superstar Bolt has been the subject of some of the most iconic photographs in athletics. The fastest man of all time, he set his world 100m and 200m records of 9.58 and 19.19 during the 2009 World Championships in Berlin to win two of the 19 senior global titles he claimed throughout his sensational sprinting career. He retired in 2017 but remains involved in the sport, most recently through his role as Ultimate Legend for the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest.
Christel El Saneh
El Saneh is the digital creative manager at World Athletics, managing photography and visual content across digital platforms. She joined World Athletics in 2021 and covered the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Olympic Games as a photographer. The long jumper has spent most of her life in athletics and her journey has included forming part of the IOC Young Leader and Young Reporters programmes.
Dawn Harper-Nelson
During her highly successful athletics career, Harper-Nelson won four global medals in the 100m hurdles, including the Olympic title in Beijing in 2008. She also secured Olympic silver in 2012, as well as world silver in 2017 and world bronze in 2011. She is now an Emmy Award-winning broadcaster, speaker and recently served as the infield host for the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest.
Pascal Rondeau
Rondeau started his sports photography career in London for the prestigious Allsport photography agency. He then led the photo department of L’Equipe newspaper in Paris. Over the past 30 years, he has covered eight Summer Olympic Games and a range of other major sports events. He was appointed Venue Photo Manager at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games and Photo Chief at Paris 2024.
Dan Vernon
Vernon has been an athletics photographer and filmmaker for more than a decade, capturing many of the most iconic moments in the sport. He creates athlete documentaries and has covered two Olympic Games and numerous major athletics championships and one-day meetings, frequently capturing the action for World Athletics channels. He has documented the careers of athletes including marathon great Eliud Kipchoge.
