Exhibition Dates: Daily from Friday 14 August – Thursday 17 September 2026
Venue: Queen Maeve Square, Sligo Town
Admission: Free – No booking required

Experience the world’s leading exhibition of photojournalism and documentary photography as the World Press Photo Exhibition 2026 comes to Sligo as part of Cultúr 2026: Sharing Ireland’s Culture, Ireland’s cultural programme celebrating its Presidency of the Council of the European Union 2026.

Hosted by Sligo County Council, the exhibition showcases the 42 winning projects from the 69th annual World Press Photo Contest, selected from 57,376 entries submitted by photographers from 141 countries. Through striking single images, photo stories and long-term documentary projects, the exhibition captures defining moments from around the world, exploring themes including breaking news, conflict, climate change, culture, identity and everyday life.

Renowned for its powerful visual storytelling, the World Press Photo Exhibition invites visitors to look beyond the headlines and engage with the stories behind the news, highlighting the courage, creativity and dedication of photographers documenting our changing world.

Free to attend, visitors can explore the outdoor exhibition at their own pace using multilingual self-guided audio tours available via QR codes. Sligo is the only Irish venue hosting the 2026 edition of this internationally acclaimed exhibition.

World Press Photo is supported by its strategic partners, the Dutch Postcode Lottery and FUJIFILM Corporation.

Image: Emma the Social Robot by Paula Hornickel

World Press Photo Exhibition 2026 is part of Sligo’s “Cultúr 2026: Sharing Ireland’s Culture” the culture programme for Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union 2026, supported by Culture Ireland through The Department of Culture, Communications and Sport in partnership with Sligo County Council.