Photographers from across the globe have submitted their breathtaking entries to the most diverse photography competition in the world.
The World Photography Organisation has today offered a glimpse of some of the submissions to the 2019 Sony World Photography Awards taken by amateurs and professionals from more than 50 far-flung destinations.
Entries include a striking snapshot of icebergs stuck in frozen water in Svalbard, a diver in motion outside the Guggenheim Bilbao, and images of swirling images of people entangled in water.
Other show-stoppers include desert camels against the backdrop of the setting sun in Xinjiang, China, a red deer stag on a misty summer’s morning in Bushy Park near London, and morning sunlight seeping through the doors of the Taj Mahal in Agra, India.
Polly Rusyn’s image of nuns in Rome in April 2018. She said: ‘I was determined to take a photograph of nuns whilst in Rome and it was on my last day that I came across these two, looking cool in their sunglasses happily taking selfies. I positioned myself in front of them, and took a couple of shots re-positioning myself slightly to ensure the phone was clearly separated from the buildings in the background. I’d convinced myself they were oblivious to my presence even though I was only a matter of feet away from them, but I was wrong! They didn’t seem to mind though and we exchanged smiles and waves as we went our separate ways. I love the shot, as it shows nuns as being just like the rest of us when on holiday!’
View from above at first glance could be mistaken for a circuit board but this early morning shot shows the funfair at Weston Super Mare along the beach, taken by Nicholas E Jones
Sebastien Leban’s image of a banquet in a religious school during the Pourim celebrations in the ultra religious neighborhood of Mea Shearim in Jerusalem in March 2018. Purim commemorates the saving of the Jewish people from Haman, who was planning to kill all the Jews. This took place in the ancient Achaemenid Persian Empire. The story is recorded in the Biblical Book of Esther (Megillat Ester in Hebrew) and celebrated with an annual banquet
Entrant Marco Gaiotti, from Italy, submitted this image of icebergs stuck in frozen water in Svalbard to the landscape category
Now in its 12th year, the awards celebrate the finest contemporary photography from the past 12 months across all genres of the medium, welcoming amateurs and professionals alike.
Judges on this year’s panel include Olivier Laurent, Foreign Photo Editor at The Washington Post (USA), Emma Lewis, Assistant Curator at the Tate in London and chairman Mike Trow.
Mr Trow said: ‘What makes the Sony World Photography Awards so exciting is the range of subjects and global reach of the stories and images selected.
‘My advice for entrants is to choose your categories carefully and believe in your story. Show how you see the world, and avoid cliché.
‘Photography techniques and styles are getting more adventurous and dynamic, so technical excellence is also necessary. To impress this world-leading panel of judges will take your best output, and the ability to edit your work so it is coherent, dynamic and beautiful.’
The Open competition, judged on a single image across 10 categories, will be chaired by Rebecca McClelland, Photography Director and Head of Art Production for Saatchi Saatchi & Prodigious (UK).
Judged upon a single image, the submissions include Marco Gaiotti’s (Italy) image of icebergs stuck in frozen water in Svalbard (Landscape category), Pedro Luis Ajuriaguerra Saiz’s (Spain) image showing a diver in motion outside the Guggenheim Bilbao, Christy Lee Rogers’ (USA) and images of swirling images of people entangled in water (both Motion category).
The closing dates for the 2019 Sony World Photography Awards are: November 30, 2018 – Student competition; January 4, 2019 – Open, Youth and National Award competitions, January 11, 2019 – Professional competition.