The invention relates to the field of sewage treatment and discloses a preparation method of a columnar array photocatalyst for sewage treatment. The preparation method comprises the following preparation processes: (1) masking a substrate surface with a resist thin layer, and then, preparing a substrate with a columnar array structure through photoetching technique; (2) preparing a mixed solutionfrom 25-28% of anhydrous zinc acetate, 15-20% of ethanolamine and 52-60% of ethylene glycol monomethyl ether, immersing the substrate with the columnar array structure in the obtained mixed solution,and lifting and drying the substrate, thereby completing absorption of the substrate to the zinc acetate; and (3) calcining the zinc acetate on the substrate to obtain a nano zinc oxide photocatalystwith a columnar array structure for sewage treatment. Compared with a common photocatalyst, the photocatalyst prepared by the preparation method disclosed by the invention has the advantages of beinglarge in specific surface area, high in light energy utilization ratio, high in photocatalysis activity, high in catalysis efficiency, good in stability, capable of realizing effective catalytic degradation of pollutants in water, simple in process, easily available in raw material, low in production cost and pollution-free to the environment and has large-scale popularization and production prospects.