OPEN COMPETITION 2023

(Kuala Lumpur, 16 March 2023) – The World Photography Organisation is pleased to announce the category winners and shortlist in the Open competition of the Sony World Photography Awards 2023, recognising the best single shots from 2022.

Over 415,000 images from over 200 countries and territories were submitted to the Sony World Photography Awards 2023 and over 200,000 were entered into the Open competition. Each winner receives digital imaging equipment from Sony and will go on to compete for the prestigious Open Photographer of the Year title and a $5,000 (USD) prize.

The overall winner of the Open competition will be announced at the Awards’ ceremony in London on 13 April. Selected winning and shortlisted images will be shown as part of the Sony World Photography Awards exhibition at Somerset House from 14 April-1 May 2023.

The ten category winners are:

ARCHITECTURE

Mark Benham (United Kingdom) for The Silos, a collage-like image of silos and surrounding buildings in eye-catching rosy hues at the Port of Brest in France.

CREATIVE

Boris Eldagsen (Germany) for PSEUDOMNESIA | The Electricia, a haunting black-and-white portrait of two women from different generations, reminiscent of the visual language of 1940s family portraits.

LANDSCAPE

Giorgos Rousopoulos (Greece) for his image of a Greek mountain landscape featuring a hiker climbing up Mount Tymfi, standing majestically in the background and overlooking Pindus National Park.

LIFESTYLE

Azim Khan Ronnie (Bangladesh) for Childhood, capturing children weaving in and out of scores of giant cones (topas) in a Bangladeshi rice processing plant as they play with a cart used by workers to carry and dry rice.

MOTION

Zhenhuan Zhou (China Mainland) for Slam on the Brakes, capturing a cowgirl in a barrel racing competition in Ontario, Canada. In these competitions, cowgirls ride around barrels with the quickest one crowned as the winner.

NATURAL WORLD & WILDLIFE

Dinorah Graue Obscura (Mexico) for Mighty Pair, a black-and-white portrait taken during a trip in South Texas, featuring two crested caracara birds standing still and looking out beyond the camera in the same direction, as if posing for the photographer.

OBJECT  
Mieke Douglas (Netherlands) for Recycled, all is not as it seems in a trompe l’oeil shot of flower-like plastic bags and tulle arranged as a bouquet, inviting us to take a second look.

PORTRAITURE

Sukhy Hullait (United Kingdom) for Charlie, a portrait shot centre-frame of a young teenager who, along with his friends, decided to turn an abandoned pub car park into a skatepark when most of them were closed during the pandemic.

STREET PHOTOGRAPHY

Andreas Mikonauschke (Germany) for Exhausted, an evocative black-and-white portrait of men at the point of exhaustion after lifting and carrying heavy wooden frames with statues showing biblical scenes through the streets of Andalusia during the traditional Easter processions of ‘Semana Santa’.

TRAVEL

Max Vere-Hodge (United Kingdom) for Ghosts, a dramatic black-and-white photograph of the Mundari tribe of South Sudan appearing among the nightly fires they light to keep the tsetse flies and mosquitoes off their beloved Ankole-Watusi cows.

This year’s Open competition was judged by Eric Schlosser, Art Director, Tbilisi Art Fair, Georgia.

The overall winners in the Student, Youth, Open and Professional competition of the Sony World Photography Awards 2023 will be announced on 13 April 2023 and will go on display as part of the exhibition at Somerset House, London from 14 April-1 May 2023. For more information about winners and shortlists please visit www.worldphoto.org

OPEN COMPETITION 2023 WINNERS AND SHORTLIST

NOTES TO EDITORS

Images are available at: press.creoarts.com

PRESS CONTACTS

For further information, please contact:

Inbal Mizrahi / Polly Brack on media@creaoarts.com

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About Sony World Photography Awards

Produced by the World Photography Organisation, the internationally acclaimed Sony World Photography Awards is one of the most important fixtures in the global photographic calendar. Now in its 16th year, the free-to-enter Awards are a global voice for photography and provide a vital insight into contemporary photography today. For both established and emerging artists, the Awards offer world-class opportunities for exposure of their work. The Awards additionally recognise the world’s most influential artists working in the medium through the Outstanding Contribution to Photography award; the renowned Japanese photographer Rinko Kawauchi is the 2023 recipient of this award, joining a distinguished list of iconic names including Martin Parr, William Eggleston, Candida Hofer, Nadav Kander, Gerhard Steidl, Edward Burtynsky and Graciela Iturbide. The Awards showcase the works of winning and shortlisted photographers at a prestigious annual exhibition at Somerset House, London. worldphoto.org/sony-world-photography-awards-exhibition

About World Photography Organisation

World Photography Organisation is a leading global platform dedicated to the development and advancement of photographic culture. Its programming and competition initiatives provide valuable opportunities for artists working in photography and help broaden the conversation around their work. The Sony World Photography Awards is World Photography Organisation’s principal programme. Established in 2007, it is one of the world’s biggest and most prestigious photography competitions; celebrating the work of leading and emerging practitioners and attracting tens of thousands of visitors annually to its exhibitions worldwide. World Photography Organisation is the photography strand of Creo, responsible for delivering initiatives and programming across three sectors: photography, film and contemporary art. Follow the World Photography Organisation on Instagram (@worldphotoorg), Twitter (@WorldPhotoOrg) and LinkedIn/Facebook (World Photography Organisation). Our hashtags to follow are #sonyworldphotographyawards #swpa #swpanews.

About Creo

Creo initiates and organises events and programming across three key strands: photography, film and contemporary art. Established in 2007 as World Photography Organisation, Creo has since grown in scope, furthering its mission of developing meaningful opportunities for creatives and expanding the reach of its cultural activities. Today, its flagship projects include the Sony World Photography Awards, Sony Future Filmmaker Awards, PHOTOFAIRS Shanghai, Photo London and the forthcoming PHOTOFAIRS New York (Sep 2023). Working in partnership with Angus Montgomery Arts, Creo helps deliver the group’s ventures, comprising some of the world’s leading art fairs. Taking its name from the Latin for ‘I create’, it is in this spirit that Creo sets out to empower and give agency to creative voices. www.creoarts.com

Sony Group Corporation

Sony Group Corporation is a creative entertainment company with a solid foundation of technology. From Game & Network Services to Music, Pictures, Electronics Products & Solutions, Imaging & Sensing Solutions and Financial Services – Sony’s purpose is to fill the world with emotion through the power of creativity and technology. For more information, visit: sony.com/en

About Sony Malaysia

Sony (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd. began operations in Malaysia on 31 October 1973. The company specializes in marketing, sales and services for a wide range of consumer electronics products as well as broadcast & professional products and solutions. There are in total of 2 Sony Stores and 35 Sony Centre outlets nationwide, which offering consumers the latest Sony products and services.

About Sony Corporation

Sony Corporation is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation and is responsible for the Entertainment, Technology & Services (ET&S) business. With the vision of “continuing to deliver Kando and Anshin(*) to people and society across the world through the pursuit of technology and new challenges,” Sony will create products and services in areas such as home entertainment & sound, imaging, and mobile communications. For more information, visit: http://www.sony.net/

* Both Japanese words, Kando means emotion and Anshin has various meanings such as peace of mind, reassurance, reliability and trust.

IMAGE CREDITS – GRID (FROM TOP ROW, LEFT TO RIGHT):

© Mark Benham, United Kingdom, Winner, Open Competition, Architecture, Sony World Photography Awards 2023

© Jordi Coy, Spain, Shortlist, Open Competition, Landscape, Sony World Photography Awards 2023

© Kinga Wnuk, Poland, Shortlist, Open Competition, Creative, Sony World Photography Awards 2023

© Isabel Bielderman, Netherlands, Shortlist, Open Competition, Landscape, Sony World Photography Awards 2023

© Paweł Jagiełło, Poland, Shortlist, Open Competition, Travel, Sony World Photography Awards 2023

© Dinorah Graue Obscura, Mexico, Winner, Open Competition, Natural World & Wildlife, Sony World Photography Awards 2023

© İsmail Serhat Şahin’, Turkey, Shortlist, Open Competition, Travel, Sony World Photography Awards 2023

© Max Vere-Hodge, United Kingdom, Winner, Open Competition, Travel, Sony World Photography Awards 2023

© Enda Burke, Ireland, Shortlist, Open Competition, Creative, Sony World Photography Awards 2023

© Xiaoye Jin, China Mainland, Shortlist, Open Competition, Object, Sony World Photography Awards 2023

© Michael Prince, United States, Shortlist, Open Competition, Landscape, Sony World Photography Awards 2023

© James Hunter, United States, Shortlist, Open Competition, Natural World & Wildlife, Sony World Photography Awards 2023

© Lorenzo Grifantini, Italy, Shortlist, Open Competition, Street Photography, Sony World Photography Awards 2023

© Azim Khan Ronnie, Bangladesh, Winner, Open Competition, Lifestyle, Sony World Photography Awards 2023

For media enquiries, please contact:

Alvin Chan
Sony Malaysia Sdn. Bhd.
T: + 019.3277536
E: Alvin.Chan@sony.com