A tender image titled A Woman Eats in the Canteen of the Soviet-era Sanatorium, by British photographer Jo Kearney, is the Overall Winner of the World Food Photography Awards sponsored by Bimi®.

The image, which first won the Fortnum & Mason Food at the Table category, was taken at the Khoja Obi Garm sanatorium in the mountains of Tajikistan. The colossal concrete complex is built on radon-rich hot springs and dates back to the Soviet era. It remains one of the few such sanatoria still in operation, where guests follow prescribed treatments such as thermal bathing and steam therapy, and are served meals of nourishing food — soups, fruit, tea, and traditional Tajik fare — in keeping with the sanatorium’s restorative ethos. With a cost of about £33 per day for board, lodging, and treatments, the sanatorium is immensely popular.

“There is so much to see and so much to feel in this image,” says Caroline Kenyon, Founder, World Food Photography Awards sponsored by Bimi®. “An old woman pours herself tea – but it’s so much more than just that. The expression on her crevassed face is beautiful; it moved me to tears. She is alone, her simple breakfast on the table before her echoes the fruit in the painting on the wall behind. Against the parched colours of the scene through the window, the rich crimson chairs give a regal quality to the setting, and though humbly dressed, her dignified bearing is queenly too. She has seen much in life, we are sure, but holds her head high.”

The winners of the competition’s 27 categories were revealed by renowned chef and food writer Gennaro Contaldo at the Mall Galleries, London, today (June 2) at an awards evening gathering stars of the food and arts worlds.

“These Awards highlight the power of photography to tell food stories from around the world,” says Dave Samuels, Brand Director of Tenderstem® Bimi® Broccolini and headline sponsor of the Awards. “The remarkable images remind us of the essential role food plays in communities across the globe – through growing, harvesting, cooking, eating, celebrating and surviving. Whatever changes the world goes through, food remains central to our lives.”

Category Winners

This year’s global judging panel was tasked with assessing nearly 9,000 entries submitted from over 50 countries around the world. A free-to-enter exhibition of all 203 finalist images will premiere at the Mall Galleries, London, running from Wednesday, June 3 to Sunday, June 7. A selection of the images hand-picked by Fortnum & Mason will be displayed at their iconic store on Piccadilly from Tuesday, June 9.

To see the online gallery of all the 2026 finalists, visit www.worldfoodphotographyawards.com. Entries for the 2027 edition of the competition will open later this year, in September.

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