Pure Street Photography believes that meaningful curation can shape a photographer’s journey
The ordinary and the surreal meet in Chantilly June 2025, a photograph by French photographer Daniel Kashi that was named the Grand Winner in the Open Category at the Pure Street Photography Awards 2026. Photographer Daniel Kashi was named the Grand Winner in the Open Category at the Pure Street Photography Awards 2026 Kashi’s photograph was among 1,582 entries submitted by photographers from 50 countries for this year’s awards. The winning works, along with photographs by 158 finalists. The Pure Street Photography Awards 2026 announced eight winning photographers selected from 1,582 entries submitted by photographers across 50 countries. Founded by award-winning photographers and curators Dimpy Bhalotia and Kamal Kumaar Rao, who served as Creative Director and Art Director respectively, Pure Street Photography had grown into a global platform dedicated to the genre, with an audience of more than 300,000 photographers and photography enthusiasts. The 2026 edition was judged by two international figures from different areas of photography. In the Open Category, Daniel Kashi from France won the Grand Winner title for Chantilly June 2025. The image won First Place in the Open Category at the Pure Street Photography Awards 2026 In the Black & White Category, Brazil’s Cesare Simioni was named Grand Winner for Soul Beneath the Paint. Titled Soul Beneath the Paint, the photograph by Brazilian photographer Cesare Simioni was named the Grand Winner in the Black & White Category at the Pure Street Photography Awards 2026 Chris Mozyro of the UK won First Place for From Salute to Cheers, while Jonathan Varjabedian of the US was placed Second for Untold Story. The image was named First Place in the Black & White Category at the Pure Street Photography Awards 2026 The 2026 exhibition follows the success of the inaugural Pure Street Photography Awards 2025 Exhibition, held at Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai. Featuring 147 photographs and attracting more than 25,000 visitors over six days, it became India’s first dedicated street photography exhibition, establishing a new platform for photographers and audiences alike.
Because it is extraordinary, every photograph in this exhibition is a reminder that life doesn’t become meaningful just. Because someone truly saw it,” said Dimpy Bhalotia, Co-founder and Creative Director, Pure Street Photography, it becomes meaningful. Leone Von Dizic of Italy was named First Place Winner for Threshold, followed by Japan’s Taichi Naitou, who won Second Place for Guuin, and Italy’s Marco Cajazzo, who took Third Place for The Last Light.
Kamal Kumaar Rao, Co-founder and Art Director, Pure Street Photography, said the exhibition was intended to give photographers a platform beyond online recognition. That is where new conversations begin, and where photography truly comes to life,” he said. Through a car window, a crowded street scene unfolds in layers — people moving through bright sunlight, figures reflected across the glass and a dramatic sky stretching above them. Fiona Shields, Head of Photography at The Guardian, judged the Open Category, while acclaimed street photographer Rui Palha judged the Black & White Category. Raised hands fill the foreground of Leone Von Dizic’s Threshold, drawing the viewer into a religious celebration in Southern Italy. The photograph captured a moment of collective participation rather than a scene viewed from the outside. Framed between the bodies of the adults around him, a young boy looks directly into the camera, his face and skin marked with paint and water. The tightly packed frame brings the viewer into the middle of the Lambe Sujo and Caboclinhos Festival in Sergipe, Brazil, where generations come together in one of the country’s powerful folk traditions. France’s Sven Delaye took Third Place for The Rain. All entries were judged through a blind process, with judges reviewing photographs without access to the photographers’ names, nationalities, genders, biographies or other identifying information. Sailors in uniform gathered on a street in Westminster, sharing drinks and an unguarded moment, became the subject of Chris Mozyro’s From Salute to Cheers. The black-and-white photograph captured the shift from the formality of duty to the easy camaraderie of friends unwinding together. The selected works explored everyday life through different cultures, communities and perspectives, with an emphasis on observation, timing, storytelling and visual originality. “Street photography begins with honesty. It doesn’t wait for perfection or performance. It asks us to notice what everyone else walked past. “Photographs deserve to be printed, lived with and experienced together. Looking for trusted parenting advice? Follow TOI Parenting Circle on Instagram for expert guidance, relatable stories, and practical tips delivered every day.
