On 3 September at 18:00, the Oleksandr Dovzhenko National Centre will host the opening of the World Press Photo Exhibition 2026 – a showcase highlighting the results of the annual competition.

On display: the winning entries from the 2025 contest, selected by an independent jury – photojournalism and documentary photography from various regions around the world.

Now in its third year, the Odesa Photo Days Festival is presenting these works in Ukraine. This offers local viewers a chance to discover topical stories from different continents and see high-quality visual journalism firsthand.

“It is a real test to organise such an event during wartime. Nevertheless, it is particularly significant for our team and partners to ensure that the Ukrainian public has the chance to see this exhibition in person.”
	Kateryna Radchenko Founder and director of the Odesa Photo Days Festival, member of the World Press Photo 2023 jury

About this year’s contest

A record 57,376 entries were submitted by 3,747 photographers from 141 countries – the highest number of participants in the foundation’s history.

Evgeny Maloletka won the Single Image category for the European region with ‘Russian Attack on Kyiv’: showing a woman next to a destroyed building following the shelling on 24 April 2025, which killed 13 people and left around 90 wounded. The Ukrainian photographer has now become a laureate for the second year running.

Holding the event in Ukraine is made possible thanks to the ongoing support of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The foundation itself was established there in 1955 to stimulate change in media, sustain high professional standards and promote the free, unrestricted exchange of information.

About World Press Photo

The World Press Photo Foundation is a global platform connecting photojournalists, documentary photographers and our worldwide audiences through trustworthy storytelling. World Press Photo was founded in 1955 by a group of Dutch photographers who organised a contest to expose their work to an international audience.

The organisation supports photojournalism and documentary photography by holding an annual competition, organising exhibitions, running educational programmes and maintaining an archive. The World Press Photo exhibitions are held every year at over 80 locations worldwide. The World Press Photo Foundation is supported by its strategic partners, the Dutch Postcode Lottery and Fujifilm Corporation.

Partners of the World Press Photo Exhibitions in Ukraine

The Odesa Photo Days Festival initiated and organised the Ukrainian editions in 2023 and 2024, with all events backed by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, alongside VS Print. 

This year, the Oleksandr Dovzhenko National Centre serves as the hosting institution in Kyiv for the second time.

The next city to host the exhibition will be Lviv – the opening is scheduled for October.

Visitor information

Dates: 3 to 27 September 2026

The opening will take place on 3 September at 18:00

Address and opening hours

Oleksandr Dovzhenko National Centre
1 Vasylkivska Street, Kyiv
Wed – Sun, 12:00 – 19:00
Closed on Mon & Tue

Tickets

Entrance on the first day is free. Throughout the remaining period, an adult ticket costs 100 hryvnias, while a discounted one is 50 hryvnias (for schoolchildren, students, and pensioners). A charitable 1-hryvnia ticket is available for children under 10, FIAF and ICOM members, Dovzhenko Centre partners, persons with group 1-2 disabilities, and combat veterans.

This project is made possible with the support of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Ukraine. Project reflects its author(s) views and does not necessarily correspond with the position of the Embassy.

Learn more about Kyiv exhibitions of the World Press Photo 2024 and the World Press Photo 2023.