giga photo
award
award
Giga is a joint initiative by UNICEF and ITU supporting governments to connect every school to the internet.
The 2026 winning images are now live.
About Giga Photo Award
Giga's first global photo award launched in 2025 with an outdoor exhibition in Geneva.
The 2026 edition, Urgency for Connectivity, drew 4,747 images from 97 countries, inviting photographers to document how digital connection endures through conflict, climate disasters, health emergencies, political instability, and displacement.
The outdoor exhibition runs 25 June – 2 August at Promenade St Antoine, Geneva
The 2026 edition, Urgency for Connectivity, drew 4,747 images from 97 countries, inviting photographers to document how digital connection endures through conflict, climate disasters, health emergencies, political instability, and displacement.
The outdoor exhibition runs 25 June – 2 August at Promenade St Antoine, Geneva
©UNICEF/Giga
Categories
Our award will feature three categories:
© UNICEF/ Bart Verweij
01Category
Single Image
A single photograph documenting how digital connectivity shapes daily life in fragile contexts, revealing resilience, disconnection, or solidarity.
© UNICEF/ Eyad El Baba
02Category
Junior Visual Storyteller
Open to visual storytellers under 21 documenting how digital connectivity shapes daily life in their communities.
Submissions may be supported by a parent, guardian, or adult mentor.
© UNICEF/ Oleksii Filippov
03Category
Multiple Image
A series of 5 to 15 images documenting how people and communities experience, sustain, or rebuild digital connections in times of change.
Timeline
Call for Submissions, 2026 Award
17 February to 22 March 2026
Jury Review, Geneva
26–27 March 2026
Including student jury by HEAD-Genève
Award Ceremony, Musée d'Art et d'Histoire Geneva
10 June 2026
Public Exhibition, St Antoine Promenade, Geneva
25 June - 2 August 2026
Awards
Awards include the Giga Photo Fellowship, mentorship, portfolio reviews, travel to Geneva, and participation in the exhibition.
Jury
Adeleh Mojtahed
Artist, UN & Strategic Engagement at Giga (ITU)
Adeleh Mojtahed
Artist, UN & Strategic Engagement at Giga (ITU)
Adeleh is a multidisciplinary professional with over a decade of experience in international affairs, diplomacy, art, and innovation, shaping strategic engagement and systems-level initiatives across the United Nations and the private sector, with a practice rooted in cultural dialogue.
Ala Kheir
Photographer, Curator & Educator
Ala Kheir
Photographer, Curator & Educator
Ala Kheir is a Sudanese photographer, curator, and educator working in documentary photography and visual storytelling.
Samantha Clark
Managing Photo Editor, National Geographic
Samantha Clark
Managing Photo Editor, National Geographic
Samantha Clark is a managing photo editor at National Geographic. She leads teams of photo editors who commission and curate photography for digital, print, and social, and oversees photography for the publication’s daily stories, short features, and multi-platform storytelling.
Tessa Asamoah
Photo Editor, UNHCR
Tessa Asamoah
Photo Editor, UNHCR
Tessa Asamoah is a Photo Editor for UNHCR based in Madrid and has worked with the Photo Unit since 2009, supporting the strategic and ethical use of photography across the organisation.
Veejay Villafranca
Visual Journalist
Veejay Villafranca
Visual Journalist
Veejay Villafranca is a Visual Journalist who explores the intersection of socio-political issues, public health, and Filipino spirituality.
