Winner of the Sony World Pictures Awards 2020
Following the recent announcement of the open competition winners at this year's Sony World Photography Awards, the World Photography Organization has now announced the winners of the main competition as well as the overall photographer of the year. Given the changes to events this year, the winning works and finalists will all be shown in a virtual exhibition.
At another Sony World Photography Award, the title "Outstanding Contribution to Photography" was given to someone who is not a photographer. The honor was given to Gerhard Steidl, the founder of the Steidl publishing house, who produced books on everyone from Henri Cartier-Bresson to Nan Goldin, Jürgen Teller to Robert Frank.
Pablo Albarenga from Uruguay was awarded the Photographer of the Year award and the associated cash prize of $ 25,000 for his work entitled Seeds of Resistance. The series features images of landscapes threatened by mining, deforestation and agricultural exploitation, as well as portraits of people trying to protect the country, who are often at risk themselves.
Above: Natural gas torch, Ughelli, Niger Delta, Nigeria, 2020 © Robin Hinsch (professional, environmental winner). Above: Seeds of Resistance 3, 2020 © Pablo Albarenga (photographer of the year; professional, creative winner)
Seed of Resistance 1, 2020 © Pablo Albarenga; All pictures: 2020 Sony World Photography Awards
“With this important award, I see two victories: first, the opportunity to tell the stories of traditional Amazonian communities, highlighting the people who are still fighting not just for their future but for everyone. We have to look beyond the trees, oxygen and "undiscovered" species of the rainforest, "Albarenga said in a statement.
“Second, the photographer of the year award landed in Latin America, a continent historically told through the eyes of foreigners. I hope that many more photographers from our region will contribute with our voices and thus strengthen the amazing community of Latin American storytellers. "
Black Francis, 2020 © Tom Oldham (Open Photographer of the Year; Open, Portrait Winner)
Other winners include British photographer Tom Oldham, who was one of the ten winners of the open competition and was named Open Photographer of the Year with his monochrome portrait of Pixies front man Charles Thompson.
Ioanna Sakellaraki's Aeiforia series earned her the Student Photographer of the Year award. The Greek student, who is studying at the Royal College of Art in London, used her night series to focus on the sustainable initiatives taken on the small Greek island of Tilos – the first in the Mediterranean to be powered almost entirely from renewable energy.
Aeiforia, 2020 © Ioanna Sakellaraki (Student Photographer of the Year)
Aeiforia, 2020 © Ioanna Sakellaraki
The 19-year-old Hsien-Pang Hsieh from the Taiwan region was awarded his picture Hurry as youth photographer of the year.
The picture shows a street artist in Germany, whom Hsien-Pang took up for study shortly after his move, and reflects the pace of life.
Hurry up 2020 © Hsien-Pang Hsieh, Taiwan (Youth Photographer of the Year)
The World Photography Organization has also announced the ten winners in the various professional categories listed below. This includes Pablo Albarenga's series shown above, while the other nine winners are shown below.
Architecture: Sandra Herber for her series Ice Fishing Huts, Lake Winnipeg
Ice fishing hut XIV, 2020 © Sandra Herber (professional, architecture winner)
Ice fishing hut XV, 2020 © Sandra Herber (professional, architecture winner)
Discovery: Maria Kokunova for her series The Cave
Facelessness, 2020 © Maria Kokunova (professional, discovery winner)
Maternity, 2020 © Maria Kokunova (Professional, discovery winner)
Documentary: Chung Ming Ko for his series Wounds of Hong Kong
Wounds from Hong Kong 10, 2020 © Chung Ming Ko (professional, documentary winner)
Wounds from Hong Kong 7, 2020 © Chung Ming Ko (professional, documentary winner)
Environment: Robin Hinsch for his series Wahala
Name: 85 Trader, a local police officer in Ughelli, Niger Delta, Nigeria, 2020 © Robin Hinsch (Professional, environmental winner)
Natural gas flare site, Ughelli, Niger Delta, Nigeria, 2020 © Robin Hinsch (professional, environmental winner)
Landscape: Ronny Behnert for his series Torii
Torii Bentenjima, 2020 © Ronny Behnert, category winner (professional, landscape winner)
Torii Einootsurugi, 2020 © Ronny Behnert, category winner (professional, landscape winner)
Nature and wildlife: Brent Stirton for his series Pangolins in Crisis
Pangoline in Crisis 1, 2020 © Brent Stirton (Professional, Natural World & Wildlife winner)
Pangoline in Crisis 10, 2020 © Brent Stirton (Professional, Natural World & Wildlife winner)
Portrait: Cesar Dezfuli for his series of passengers
Malick. Gambia. (1998), 2020 © Cesar Dezfuli (professional, portrait winner)
Oumar. Guinea Conakry (1999), 2020 © Cesar Dezfuli, Spain (professional, portrait winner)
Sport: Ángel López Soto for his Senegalese Wrestlers series
Senegalese Wrestlers 3, 2020 © Ángel López Soto (professional, sports winner)
Senegalese wrestlers 8, 2020 © Ángel López Soto (professional, sports winner)
Still life: Alessandro Gandolfi for his Immortality, Inc. series
Immortality 10, 2020 © Alessandro Gandolfi (professional, still life winner)
Immortality 8, 2020 © Alessandro Gandolfi (professional, still life winner)
View all works on worldphoto.org