Overview
- The award was announced in late February 2026 by Welt am Sonntag, which presents Germany’s most highly endowed sports photo prize.
- The winning photograph was taken at the July 2025 national ‘Finals’ in Dresden and captures Gould at the start of the swim leg against the city backdrop.
- Jury chair Axel Sven Springer praised the picture as a perfect moment that shows the magic of strong sports photography.
- Michael called the recognition a long‑held dream and said finally winning felt indescribable after entering the competition for years.
- Second place went to Thilo Wiedensohler for “Hoch und quer” featuring basketball player Justin Bean, and third to Mika Volkmann for “A Heartbeat in Stone” showing cliff diver Marco Ghioni.