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Abstract Applying the method of light-cone sum rules with photon distribution amplitudes, we compute the subleading-power correction to the radiative leptonic B → γℓν decay from the twist-two hadronic photon contribution at next-to-leading order in QCD; and further evaluate the higher-twist “resolved photon” corrections at leading order in α s , up to twist-four accuracy. QCD factorization for the vacuum-to-photon correlation function with an interpolating current for the B-meson is established explicitly at leading power in Λ/m b employing the evanescent operator approach. Resummation of the parametrically large logarithms of m b 2/Λ2 entering the hard function of the leading-twist factorization formula is achieved by solving the QCD evolution equation for the light-ray tensor operator at two loops. The leading-twist hadronic photon effect turns out to preserve the symmetry relation between the two B → γ form factors due to the helicity conservation, however, the higher-twist hadronic photon corrections can yield symmetry-breaking effect already at tree level in QCD. Using the conformal expansion of photon distribution amplitudes with the non-perturbative parameters estimated from QCD sum rules, the twist-two hadronic photon contribution can give rise to approximately 30% correction to the leading-power “direct photon” effect computed from the perturbative QCD factorization approach. In contrast, the subleading-power corrections from the higher-twist two-particle and three-particle photon distribution amplitudes are estimated to be of O3∼5% $$ \mathcal{O}\left(3\sim 5\%\right) $$ with the light-cone sum rule approach. We further predict the partial branching fractions of B → γℓν with a photon-energy cut E γ ≥ E cut, which are of interest for determining the inverse moment of the leading-twist B-meson distribution amplitude thanks to the forthcoming high-luminosity Belle II experiment at KEK.