Everyone wants recognition in their field of work. One such platform in the field of photography that is conducted every year around April in London is the Sony World photography Awards. It is a global platform that supports and nurtures photography initiatives around the world and it was established in 2007 by Scott Gray(CEO) and has been conducted every year since then.
The Sony World photography awards are for the photographs captured around the previous year across many categories.
Sony world photography awards feature four competitions:
- Professional competition
- Open competition
- Youth competition
- Student competition
Registration and participation under all categories are absolutely free. In 2021, they are celebrating the best photos from the past year and the registration for the year 2022 has begun from June 1,2021 and has varying deadlines for each competition.
Professional Competition
People who pursue photography as a profession can enroll in this competition. The entries will be judged based on the body of the work. Photographers who enroll in this competition must submit a minimum of 5 images and a maximum of 10 each with a series description.
The categories to enter multiple series of work are:
Architecture & Design, Creative, Documentary Projects, Environment, Landscape, Natural World & Wildlife, Portraiture, Still Life, Sport, and Portfolio.
Deadline for submission: January 14, 2022 13:00 GMT
Open Competition
Anyone who is willing to participate with outstanding standalone images can enroll in this competition under the categories: Architecture, Landscape, Lifestyle, Natural World & Wildlife, Portraiture, Still Life, Object, Street Photography, Culture, Creative, Motion and Travel. Participants can submit multiple single images.
Deadline for submissions: January 7, 2022 13:00 GMT.
Youth Competition:
This competition is held to encourage, support and nourish the art of photography among the next upcoming generation. The young photographers should be aged from 12-19 years old. Monthly competitions will be held with a theme for every month around the year where the judges will shortlist 10 images every month including a winner. And the winners compete for the ‘The Youth photographer of the year award’.
Deadline: Last day of every month
Student Competition
Student competition is to provide a platform for students worldwide. A theme or concept will be provided by the team upon which the photographs should be submitted for the event. Students can register through their institutions to participate in this competition. It is free to enter for students in the age group 18-30 who are into a full-time photography programme. Students get to submit 5-10 photographs and the winner will be awarded with “Student photographer of the year title”.
Deadline: 30 November, 2021 at 13.00 GMT
All category winners of the competition are awarded top sony digital imaging equipment. In addition to it, cash prizes of $25,000 and $5,000 are given to the Photographer of the and the Open Photographer of the Year. Not only that but the winning photographs are also displayed in the galleries and published in the Annual Sony world photography awards book.
The winners will be decided by the jury members from across the world for this event. So what are you waiting for?
Enroll in and capture your dream of photography come true!
Here are some winning and shortlisted photographs from the year 2020.
Winners and shortlisted images link:
Official website : Sony World Photography Awards
All category winners of the Professional, Open, Youth and Student competitions receive digital imaging equipment from Sony. In addition, cash prizes of $25,000 (USD) are presented to the Photographer of the Year and $5,000 to the Open Photographer of the Year.
All winning and shortlisted photographers’ works are exhibited at the annual Sony World Photography Awards Exhibition in London and toured internationally. The winning images are also published in the annual Awards’ book.
The 2021 Awards introduces new categories across the Professional, Youth and Open competitions and a refreshed theme for the Student competition. In choosing these new categories, the Awards hopes to continue appealing to a diverse range of contemporary photographers.
In the Professional competition, a new category for single images is introduced titled Portfolio in which photographers are requested to submit 5-10 images not related to each other in subject matter or narrative but where the photographer’s quality and technical skills are evident and consistent throughout. The Architecture category has also been expanded to include Design giving photographers the option to showcase exteriors and urban landscapes alongside interiors with an architectural approach.
In the Open competition, two new categories have been introduced: Lifestyle and Object. Lifestyle features editorial, fashion or family images of people in situations or events taken in an artistic manner while Object presents images depicting inanimate subject matters. This can include photography for commercial and advertising purposes but must show the photographer’s artistic approach.
In the Youth competition monthly themes have all been updated to include the following:
- Composition and Design (July): creative images from around the home that encapsulate good composition and design.
- Culture (August): images that have enriched and expanded our appreciation of the world and its people. Be it immersing in local culture or capturing a unique travel experience away from home.
- Natural World & Wildlife (September): photographs of the best wildlife, nature and landscape taken in 2020.
- Street Life (October): images of urban landscapes from eye-catching graffiti, architectural details or snapshots that offer a glimpse into everyday life.
- People (November): portrait shots, be it studio, candid or even a self-portrait.
- Show Us Your World (December): Open Call! Entries can be on any topic, style or subject matter.
For the first brief in the Student, competition entrants are being asked to submit images under the theme of Building a Better Future which showcases the stories of people who are working towards creating a better future for all.
Created by the World Photography Organisation, the Sony World Photography Awards are an authoritative voice in the industry. Celebrating the best contemporary photography from the past year, the Awards give vast exposure, visibility, and opportunity to photographers worldwide on an annual basis. Sony supports the Awards to help the continued development of photographic culture throughout the world, celebrating the best of past and present practitioners, as well as giving a global platform to today’s talent.
The article is written by Arthy Ramkumar (@arthy_ramkumar)
This article is edited by Alisha and her Instagram id is @yeah_me_alisha
and Curated by Vaibhav and his Instagram id is @frameshade
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