Kenyan photographer Mwangi Kirubi, widely known as Mwarv, has won Gold in the Motor Sports category at the World Sports Photography Awards (WSPA) 2026, becoming the first Kenyan to achieve this distinction at the competition.
The award was announced on January 15, 2026, following the global judging process of thousands of entries from more than 100 countries.
Kirubi’s winning photograph, titled "Emerging Ford," was captured during the Shakedown stage at Sleeping Warrior at the WRC Safari Rally in Kenya. The image features rally drivers Grégoire Munster and Louis Louka in a Ford Puma Rally1 moving through the fine fesh fesh dust, which creates a splashy visual effect unique to the terrain of the Safari Rally.
The photograph was taken using a Canon R5C with an RF 100–500mm f/4.5–7.1 L IS USM lens, set at 1/3200 sec, f/5.6, ISO 400, at 324mm focal length.
Kirubi was one of a select group of Kenyan photographers granted accreditation for the 2021 Safari Rally, when the event made its long-awaited return to the World Rally Championship calendar. Since then, he has consistently documented every running of the WRC Safari Rally Kenya, with the 2025 event representing his fifth straight year covering the iconic motorsport spectacle.
His experience at the Shakedown stage, which allows drivers multiple runs, enabled him to experiment with shooting positions and capture the award-winning moment.
Available records indicated that Kirubi was the first Kenyan photographer to win a Gold medal at the World Sports Photography Awards.
While other Kenyan photographers have achieved recognition in national or international competitions, such as the Nation Photo Festival Awards or travel photography contests, none had previously won at WSPA in the motor sports category.
The World Sports Photography Awards, established in 2020, are considered the leading international competition dedicated exclusively to sports photography. Winners are selected by a specialist jury composed of senior international figures from sport, media, and major brands such as Canon, with entries judged on technical quality, composition, and storytelling ability.
Winning a WSPA Gold award provided photographers with global exposure, professional recognition, and access to international networks, exhibitions, and high-profile commissions.
Kirubi credited organisations, including World Sports Pix and Canon, for supporting photographers and providing platforms for showcasing talent internationally.
His achievement was part of a growing record of global recognition for Kenyan photographers, joining others such as Thandiwe Muriu, Kevin Ochieng, Osborne Macharia, and Boniface Mwangi, who have received international awards in various photography categories.
