Photo of ICE separating migrant family wins World Press Photo in Amsterdam
U.S. photographer Carol Guzy was presented with the World Press Photo of the Year 2026 at the Nieuwe Kerk in Amsterdam on Thursday. The photo, called "separated by ICE" showed a migrant family in the U.S. being separated by ICE agents during an immigration hearing and was published in the Miami Herald.
The jury commended the image for highlighting the human consequences of migration policy, portraying it as a broader systemic issue rather than a one-off event. "What Guzy records here is not an isolated moment of grief, rather, it is evidence and documentation of a government policy being applied systematically to people who followed the rules they were given. In a democracy, the camera's presence in that hallway is not incidental, it is essential," The international jury, led by Kira Pollack, a former editor at TIME and Vanity Fair, said on its website.
Guzy’s photo was picked over two other photos. One showed Palestinians clambering onto an aid truck in an attempt to get flour by Saber Nuraldin. The other finalist was Victor J. Blue from Guatemala whose image showed a plaintiff stood outside of a court house with fellow indigenous Maya Achi women after three former civil defense patrollers were sentenced to 40 years in prison for rape and crimes against humanity for their crimes against the Maya Achi women.
The competition is one of the most prestigious photojournalism awards in the world. For the 2026 edition, 57,376 photos were submitted by 3,747 photographers from 141 countries.
The 2026 edition highlights major global themes, including conflicts in Gaza, Ukraine, and Sudan, the climate crisis marked by wildfires and environmental loss, migration and deportation, as well as protests, social unrest, and personal stories of hardship and resilience.
The exhibition will take place at De Nieuwe Kerk and opens at the end of April. It will feature over 300 award-winning photographs before continuing on an international tour.
In total, there were 42 winners worldwide across different categories. The winners will be in Amsterdam from May 28 to May 30 for the World Press Photo Days. This will also include a public event called “The Stories that Matter.”
