By Terence Bunch,
Sunday, 8 March, 2026.
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Industry
© Fiona Stappmanns, Germany, Winner, Alpha Female Award, 2026 Sony World Photography Awards
Alpha Female Award winner and shortlist revealed
It's International Women's Day, and although we celebrate women in photography every day here at the World Photography Organisation, today we shine an extra bright spotlight to bring their talent to the fore.
The Alpha Female Award, focused on supporting women photographers, was created by the World Photography Organisation and Sony US through their Alpha Universe’s Alpha Female programme.
The winner receives Sony Digital Imaging equipment and will be on show at the Sony World Photography Awards 2026 exhibition in London’s Somerset House.
Congratulations to German photographer Fiona Stappmanns, winner of this year’s Alpha Female Award. Fiona’s practice is rooted in a passion for outdoor sports, vast landscapes and wildlife. Her work sits at the intersection of conservation and nature - capturing moments of both beauty and fragility to inspire people to protect the world around them.
In this compelling black-and-white photograph, Stappmanns captures the moment a black rhino diverts from the herd during migration and crosses the Sand River in Kenya’s Maasai Mara alone, the wide angle exposing the vastness of the landscape around the animal.
Courtesy of the World Photography Organisation
