Mayo photographer among winners at prestigious World Food Photography awards
Julia Dunin has been recognised among nearly 9,000 entries from over 50 countries at prestigious global competition
A Mayo photographer has been praised on the international stage after achieving success at the 2026 World Food Photography Awards, one of the world’s most prestigious competitions celebrating food imagery.
Photographer Julia Dunin, who is based in Castlebar, received a Highly Commended award in the unearthed Food for Sale category for her striking photograph of a chicken vendor in Kolkata, India.
Her achievement comes as three Irish photographers were honoured among nearly 9,000 entries submitted from more than 50 countries worldwide.
The winners across 27 categories were announced at a ceremony held at the Mall Galleries in London on June 2, hosted by renowned Italian chef and food writer Gennaro Contaldo.
Alongside Dunin’s success, Dublin photographer Al Higgins secured second place in the World of Drinks category for a 1950s and 1960s-inspired image taken during the opening night of a Dublin cocktail bar.
Meanwhile, Limerick photographer Kirsty Lyons earned a Highly Commended award in the Fortnum & Mason Food at the Table category for a photograph featuring Irish oysters and a pint served in rural Wicklow.
The competition’s overall winner was British photographer Jo Kearney, whose image A Woman Eats in the Canteen of the Soviet-era Sanatorium captured a poignant moment inside a sanatorium in Tajikistan.
The international judging panel was chaired by renowned food photographer David Loftus and included chef and food campaigner Jamie Oliver, among other leading figures from the worlds of food, photography and publishing.
A free exhibition featuring all 203 finalist images will be displayed at the Mall Galleries in London until June 7, while a selection of photographs will also be showcased at Fortnum & Mason’s flagship store in Piccadilly.
The recognition for Julia Dunin adds to Mayo’s growing reputation for artistic excellence and places her work among the finest food photography produced anywhere in the world this year.
To see the online gallery of all the 2026 finalists, visit www.worldfoodphotographyawards.com