A photograph can make you stop for a few seconds.

Sometimes it is because something beautiful is happening. Sometimes it is because the picture shows something you would rather not look away from. And sometimes, a single frame makes you see an ordinary moment completely differently.

From 15 August, Johannesburg will get the chance to see hundreds of those kinds of moments brought together in one exhibition.

A First for South Africa

Decisive Moment: Sony World Photography Awards opens at the Roger Ballen Centre for Photography in Forest Town, marking the first time a Sony World Photography Awards exhibition has been presented in South Africa.

The exhibition features a curated selection of award-winning images from the 2024, 2025 and 2026 Sony World Photography Awards.

The photographs cover a wide range of subjects, including documentary, portraiture, wildlife, sport, landscape and creative photography.

Why It Matters

You don't have to know your aperture from your shutter speed to enjoy this.

The photographs come from very different parts of the world and offer glimpses into people's lives, cultures, landscapes and experiences that most Johannesburg visitors would otherwise only encounter through a screen.

Seeing them printed and displayed together changes the experience.

For photographers and other creatives, there is also something practical to take away: a chance to see how professionals use composition, timing, light and storytelling to turn a single image into something memorable.

A Global Exhibition in a Local Setting

The Sony World Photography Awards are now in their 20th edition, and the 2026 competition attracted more than 430,000 submissions from over 200 countries and territories.

Bringing a selection of that work to Forest Town gives Johannesburg audiences access to photography that would otherwise require an international trip to see.

It also adds another interesting stop to Joburg's growing visual arts scene.

Worth Knowing

Decisive Moment: Sony World Photography Awards

Opens: 15 August 2026
Closes: 22 January 2027

Venue: Roger Ballen Centre for Photography, Forest Town
Address: 2 Duncombe Road, Forest Town, Johannesburg

Presented with: Creo and the World Photography Organisation

The World Photography Organisation confirms the Johannesburg exhibition dates, while current local listings give the venue address and opening information.

The Bottom Line

This is one of those exhibitions worth seeing even if you don't consider yourself an art person.

You are essentially being given a chance to look at the world through hundreds of carefully chosen frames, from photographers working across different countries, cultures and subjects.

And for Joburg, there is something special about that collection arriving here first.

You don't have to travel the world to see it. The world is coming to Forest Town.