Geneva, Switzerland, 17 February 2026 – Giga, the joint initiative by UNICEF and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) to connect every school to the internet, today opened submissions for the 2026 Giga Photo Award under the theme “The Urgency of Connectivity.”
The global call invites journalists, photographers, newsroom collectives and youth visual storytellers to submit images documenting how communities rely on digital connectivity in fragile and crisis-affected contexts. This edition also highlights the digital impact of connectivity: how access, or the lack of it, shapes decisions, communication and daily life under pressure.
The 2025 inaugural edition received 3,420 submissions from 89 countries and showcased 30 winning photographs in Geneva, illustrating how internet connectivity shapes human experience. It was organized around the theme “The Joy of Connection”, exploring how digital tools bridge physical distance, support solidarity, and enable interaction across communities.
The 2026 edition focuses on settings affected by conflict, climate-induced disasters, health emergencies, political instability, and displacement. The initiative aims to build a global visual record of how internet connectivity sustains education, access to services and civic participation when physical infrastructure is disrupted.
Entries are open worldwide in three categories: Single Image, Multiple Image and Junior Visual Storyteller (under 21).
Since its launch in 2019, Giga has developed open-access tools that help governments plan and finance school connectivity. Its live platform has mapped more than 2.2 million schools globally and provides real-time connectivity data for over 135,000 schools.
Recent global estimates indicate that approximately half of the world’s schools remain offline, and an estimated 1.3 billion children lack internet access at home, limiting access to learning, verified information and essential services.
An international jury will review submissions in late March at the Giga Connectivity Centre in Geneva. Selected works will be exhibited in Geneva in June and October 2026, alongside an awards ceremony organised in partnership with the City of Geneva and cultural partners.
Awards include the Giga Photo Fellowship, mentorship opportunities, and an invitation to attend the award ceremony in Geneva.
Submissions from the Global South are strongly encouraged, including work by local reporters, stringers and newsroom collectives covering under-reported or fragile contexts.
Full submission details are available at: www.gigaphotoaward.global
About Giga
Giga is a partnership between UNICEF and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) working to connect every school in the world to the Internet and every young person to information, opportunity and choice. PR- 2026 Giga Photo Awards
Connecting the last third of humanity who remains offline is a complex problem. Solving this problem requires out-of-the-box thinking and disruptive innovation, and Giga is at the forefront. PR- 2026 Giga Photo Awards
For more information:
Giga Photo Award | Visual stories on the digital impact of connectivity
Press Release in French
For social media assets:
https://trello.com/b/DFUCoMHo/giga-photo-award-2026
For interviews, please contact:
Sandra Bisin, UNICEF (Giga) Geneva: sbisin@unicef.org +33 774745678
Daniel Ginsinamung, UNICEF (Giga) Geneva: dginsianmung@unicef.org +41 798293259