Submissions for the 17th edition of the Sony World Photography Awards are open from 1 June 2023 and free for all to enter via www.worldphoto.org.
The Sony World Photography Awards are an authoritative voice in the industry and one of the most important fixtures in the international photographic calendar. Celebrating the best contemporary photography from the past year, the Awards give vast exposure and significant opportunities to photographers worldwide. Organised by Creo, the Awards form the core part of Creo’s photography programming strand, the World Photography Organisation. Sony supports the Awards to help the continued development of photographic culture by giving a global platform to today’s talent.
Entry to the Awards is completely free and photographers are judged anonymously by a panel of industry leading judges.
Photographers worldwide are invited to submit to the Awards’ four competitions: Professional, celebrating outstanding bodies of work between five to 10 images across ten categories; Open, rewarding the world’s best single images across ten categories; Youth, championing images by emerging talent under 19; and Student, highlighting the work of photography students across the globe.
Additional awards programmes include the National & Regional Awards, the Latin America Professional Award, the Alpha Female Award, and the Sustainability Prize, developed in collaboration with the United Nations Foundation and Sony Pictures.
NEW TO 2024
Student competition theme
For this year’s Student competition, we’re asking entrants to consider the theme of Home. From capturing a place held close to them, to documenting quotidian life, to what home symbolises to a group or community, the series of five to 10 images should encapsulate, in the photographer’s own visual signature, what home can signify. This might even be beyond the physical sense: home can for many unlock memories and events from the past.
Images can be taken on any device, shot in any style. While creative responses are encouraged, it’s key to stick to the brief.
Youth competition theme
The Youth competition invites entrants to submit up to three images related to the theme Through Your Eyes. The theme asks photographers to share their generation’s perception of the world. From their family to the local environment to their day-to-day life, the competition seeks to uncover through entrants’ eyes what are the subjects and themes they want to photograph and share. Judges will select a shortlist of up to 10 photographers who will go on to compete for the title of Youth Photographer of the Year.
2024 PRIZES AND DEADLINES
The Sony World Photography Awards is open to submissions from 1 June 2023. Full competition and
categories descriptions can be found at www.worldphoto.org/sony-world-photography-awards
Deadlines for submission across the Awards’ four competitions are:
Professional: 12 January 2024, 13:00 GMT
Open: 5 January 2024, 13:00 GMT
Student: 30 November 2023, 13:00 GMT
Youth: 5 January 2024, 13:00 GMT
All category winners of the Professional, Open, Youth and Student competitions will receive digital imaging equipment from Sony. In addition, cash prizes of $25,000 (USD) will be presented to the Photographer of the Year, $5,000 (USD) to the Open Photographer of the Year and $5,000 (USD) to the winner of the Sustainability Prize. The winner of the Photographer of the Year title will also be rewarded with a solo presentation of their work as part of the Sony World Photography London exhibition the following year. All winning and shortlisted photographers’ works will be exhibited at the annual Sony World Photography Awards exhibition in London and will then be toured internationally. The winning images will also be published in the annual Awards’ book.
PRESS CONTACTS
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
Polly Brock on media@creoarts.com
NOTES TO EDITORS
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 17th 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; previous recipients include William Eggleston (2013), Mary Ellen Mark (2014), Martin Parr (2017), Candida Höfer (2018), Nadav Kander (2019), Gerhard Steidl (2020), Graciela Iturbide (2021), Edward Burtynsky (2022) and Rinko Kawauchi (2023). 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.
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
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 Corporation supports the Sony Group with technology to create the entertainment of the future together with creators.
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.
About Sony Europe B.V.
Sony Europe B.V. is a subsidiary of Sony Corporation and is headquartered in UK. We drive Sony’s leading Entertainment, Technology & Services business for consumer and professional markets, as well as Imaging & Sensing Solutions business across Europe. From R&D and engineering, design, to sales, marketing, distribution and customer service, we work to deliver Sony’s purpose to fill the world with emotion through the power of creativity and technology.
For more information, visit: www.sony.eu/presscentre
