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Sony World photography award winners announced

Judges were faced with hundreds of thousands of photographs

Tuesday 26 February 2019 12:28 GMT

Sony World Photography Awards 2019 winners

Show all 40

1/40Sony World Photography Awards 2019 winners

Sony World Photography Awards 2019 winners

Underwater Gannets

"Whilst on a trip to Shetland, the biggest thing I wanted to do was photograph the gannets as they feed underwater. The photography takes place at sea around some of Shetland's remotest headlands. Dead bait is used, using fish the Gannets would normally eat, locally sourced around Shetland. To be able to capture what goes on under the water was an unbelievable experience and one I will never forget." - Tracey Lund. Winner of the Natural World & Wildlife category

Tracey Lund

Sony World Photography Awards 2019 winners

Dreamers and Warriors

"Whether you are physically male or female, strong or weak, ill or healthy - all those things matter less than what your heart contains. If you have the soul of a warrior, you are a warrior. All those other things are the glass that contains the lamp, but you are the light inside. We should never stop following our dreams, fighting for our ideals and protecting our visions which are all symbolised by the animals captured in this series Dreamers and Warriors." - Martin Stranka. Winner of the Creative category

Martin Stranka

Sony World Photography Awards 2019 winners

Grayson Perry - Birth

"I have been working closely with Grayson Perry for 5 years developing conceptual campaigns for his social documentary films. This 'Birth' concept is designed and inspired by the inexhaustible mother and child motif brought up to date for the 21st century and all shot 'in camera' at a studio near his home. Baby Dylan was supplied by the client's press officer recently on maternity leave. We thought it would be a great early memory." - Richard Ansett Winner of the Portraiture category

Richard Ansett

Sony World Photography Awards 2019 winners

Harmony

"Shot underwater in Hawaii, this image is part of my Muses Colllection. What started to work best for me was having a perspective from outside of the water, looking in and using the surface of a pool as a canvas, utilizing natural effects like the refraction of light with movement to bend reality, and shooting at night so I could really control my light." - Christy Lee Rogers. Winner of the Motion category

Christy Lee Rogers

Sony World Photography Awards 2019 winners

Shadow Puppetry

"Shadow Puppetry is an ancient folk art with a history of more than 2000 years in China. The village shadow Puppet performers perform for the local villagers in the courtyard of a stone house." - Pan Jianhua Winner of the Culture category

Pan Jianhua

Sony World Photography Awards 2019 winners

Heatwave

The 21st century museum's staff waters the lawn during a summer afternoon. Kanazawa, Japan, July 2018. Winner of the Architecture category

Philippe Sarfati

Sony World Photography Awards 2019 winners

Natural phenomena & man creation

"This stony forest, situated in the South of China, is composed of many stone peaks which were sculptured gradually by the process of erosion due to rain and wind. On the background, the mountain, shaped also during millions of years. And between the 2, these skyscrapers erected in no time at all in China contrast with this magic landscape without age. Nevertheless, in the similarity of their form, the stony constructions rising of the ground, seem to begin a silent dialogue, with the maze of high buildings drawn by the hand of the men." - Carole Pariat. Winner of the Street Photography category

Carole Pariat

Sony World Photography Awards 2019 winners

Peony and Leaves

Although the peony is beautiful, it depends entirely on help from the green leaves. (Chinese proverb) However brilliant you may be, you can't do anything without support from others. "This is a photograph of my resin artwork. Using self-made paint mixed with resin to capture colours in liquefaction and also in petrifaction form. It looks like an abstract flower garden. I hope this piece can remind everyone 'Don't just take, give!. And always appreciate and be thankful for the people that helped and supported you unconditionally." - Rachel Yee Lam Lai Winner of the Still Life category

Rachel Yee Lam Lai

Sony World Photography Awards 2019 winners

Familial Ryokan in Beppu

"A familial ryokan in Beppu with the mother drinking her tea while her daughter is reading a manga. Ryokans are traditional Japanese inns often run in a family home with bedding (futon) spread out on the tatami floor & common bathing areas." - Nicolas Boyer. Winner of the Travel category

Nicolas Boyer

Sony World Photography Awards 2019 winners

Stumps, Alder Lake, Nisqually River, Oregon

Stumps exposed from the water levels on the manmade Alder lake on the Nisqually River Dam, Washington. Winner of the Landscape category

Hal Gage

Sony World Photography Awards 2019 winners

Fish Eyes

A creative experiment of a conceptual portrait. Winner of the National Award in Indonesia

Hardijanto Budyman

Sony World Photography Awards 2019 winners

Whale Shark Encounter, Papua West, 2018

"This image represents my meeting with the whale sharks in West Papua last September. Here, in Teluk Cenderawasih National Park, you can swim with these beautiful animals, which are continually approaching the fishing platforms and surround you with their slow and impressive motion. The experience leaves you breathless." - Marco Zaffignani. Entered in the Travel category

Sony World Photography Awards 2019 winners

Tangshan, 2018

"A photo of extremes, showing the contrast of a newly built housing estate in Tangshan [China] versus a much older, decrepit one." - Jennifer Bin. Entered in the Architecture category

Jennifer Bin

Sony World Photography Awards 2019 winners

The Salt of the Sea

People doing healing baths in a pool of sea lye. The photo is taken over the sea salt mines near Bourgas, Bulgaria. Winner of the National award in Bulgaria

Yavor Michev

Sony World Photography Awards 2019 winners

A Walk on the Bike

"This is one shot from my series of shots taken in the yard of a private house with the help of a drone." - Alexandr Vlassyuk. Entered in the Creative category

Alexandr Vlassyuk

Sony World Photography Awards 2019 winners

#real #me #ad

"The image is part of my series “#real #me #ad”. It examines the line between vernacular and advertising photography, which is fading away since the rise of influencer marketing on social media platforms, and the way we consume photographs these days. Mixing the styles of advertisements and snapshots I staged performances that play with sense and nonsense in a domestic environment. Thereby I question the limit of plausibility in visual storytelling and the use of the body as an object. To shoot myself while performing I used a wireless remote control." - N. A. Vague. Entered in the Still Life category

N. A. Vague

Sony World Photography Awards 2019 winners

Diver light

"I took this photo as I was drawn to how the rays of light illuminate the bubbles as they race to the surface. I also wanted to convey the contrast of the diver in the vast expanse of ocean. The shot was taken on a shore diving excursion off the north coast of Grand Cayman in September 2018. It was taken with a GoPro Hero 5." - Laura O'Flynn Winner of the National Award in Ireland

Laura O'Flynn

Sony World Photography Awards 2019 winners

City Camping

On March 17, 2018, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China held a city camping event. - Zhou Dainan Entered in the Street Photography category

Zhou Dainan

Sony World Photography Awards 2019 winners

Győr, 23 March 2018. 11:03:39

One of the emblematic memories of the old industry of Győr, the blasting of the last chimney of the former Plant Oil Factory. Winner of the National Award in Hungary

Zoltán Nemes

Sony World Photography Awards 2019 winners

Garage

Barcs, Hungary, January 2018. Winner of the National Award in Croatia

Kozjak Boris

Sony World Photography Awards 2019 winners

Canoe in the dark

"We met Thomas with his canoe the night before when we noticed him sailing in the dark on a lake where we were timelapsing. The day after he was parked next to us and we asked him if we could shoot him once more. We drove to a more remote location and took every light we had with us to try and light up the forest around the gorge. He had built his own lights to put those in the water and make it look transparent. Shot at Walchenklamm, Germany when it was raining in the middle of the night. My best friend that was helping with the lights even fell in the water. It was only two degrees outside so I gave him my vest, we experimented a lot and this is the result. Good times." - Jasper Lefevre Winner of the National award in Belgium

Jasper Lefevre

Sony World Photography Awards 2019 winners

Dancing

This picture, I was taken at near Taunggyi city, the northern Shan State, in Myanmar. Shan performances, Gingala (Bird Dance), It will be performed in the festivals or in the important occasions eg. Welcome the guests or the official foreign visitors, end of Buddhist Lent day, and other traditions. The art performance "Gingala" is a kind of dancing that imitates the bird manner. Winner of the National Award in Myanmar

Kyaw Win Hlaing

Sony World Photography Awards 2019 winners

Family Destination

Winner of the National Award in Bangladesh

MD Tofazzal Hossain

Sony World Photography Awards 2019 winners

Norrköping

Sweden, November 2018. Winner of the National Award in Sweden

Jonas Dahlström

Sony World Photography Awards 2019 winners

Riyadh Entrepreneurs

"An entrepreneur is a person who sets up a business, taking on financial risk in the hope of profit." Nyree Cox. Winner of the National Award in Saudi Arabia

Nyree Cox

Sony World Photography Awards 2019 winners

Some Night

"Picoterealsim as a new way of transmitting sensory perception. This photograph was taken from 8 photographs taken from the same angle, but at different focal lengths. Evening street of Gdansk, one of the main streets in the Old Town." - Sergey Shcherbakov. Winner of the National Award in Russia

Sergey Shcherbakov

Sony World Photography Awards 2019 winners

Everyday Constructivism

We tend to ignore or not even realise the beauty that surrounds us. Everyday objects can be captivating if we approach them with an open mind. This shot was taken behind a supermarket in Debrecen, Hungary." - Dalma Szondy. Entered in the Still Life category

Dalma Szondy

Sony World Photography Awards 2019 winners

"It is a stormy day. There are 4 horses on two sites of a little creek. It seems the two horses in the foreground can't make up their mind to cross the water. One of the horses in the middleground, already on the other site of the creek has turned towards the ones in the foreground as if it wanted to say "join us". We're going to the ruin. The walls will protect us against the storm- The other horse is just looking over its shoulder and is heading towards the ruin." - Baerbel Brechtel. Winner of the National Award in Germany

Baerbel Brechtel

Sony World Photography Awards 2019 winners

Rubber Identity

Rubber Identity is a series of portraits where the model's hair is hidden by vintage rubber swimming caps. The models are unnervingly visibly uncomfortable with the caps, when they are no longer able to affect their own character with their hair. Winner of the National Award in the Netherlands

Arwe Art

Sony World Photography Awards 2019 winners

Risky Journey

The overcrowded train and station at the early morning in Tongi railway station. Bangladeshi Muslim devotees attending the Akheri Munajat by train, On the third day of Biswa Ijtema, Bishwa ijtema is the second largest Muslim congregation after the Hajj, in Bangladesh, 14 January 2018, around one million Muslims from Bangladesh and abroad observed the three-day congregation with prayers on the banks of the Turag River, Tongi, Gazipur, Bangladesh. Entered in the Street Photography category

MD Akhlas Uddin

Sony World Photography Awards 2019 winners

Bedraggled Hare Ballet

"For some time, I have been photographing a colony of hares on a local farm on the Isle of Wight, UK. I noticed that they often gathered at dawn on a field ridge, where shafts of early light through a nearby wood provide ideal lighting for photography. Additionally, we had a very wet Spring, so the animals were often bedraggled and creating spray as they ran. It was then a matter of waiting for very many days for light, hares and their antics to come together for a photograph." - Nick Edwards. Entered in the Natural World & Wildlife category

Nick Edwards

Sony World Photography Awards 2019 winners

A Red River of Faith

Thousands of women Buddhists line up the hillside to go to the mountains to practice the dharma, which is called Da Yuan Sheng Hui, in Sichuan, China. Entered in the Culture category

Lifeng Chen

Sony World Photography Awards 2019 winners

Converge

Photographed in Kuitun Grand Canyon, Xinjiang. Entered in the Travel category

Lu Quanhou

Sony World Photography Awards 2019 winners

Open-air toilet: when will it end?

"Why go to public toilets when one can urinate outside freely? That is surely what this well-dressed young Indian thought. While two Indian musicians were posing, he began to pee on the wall just behind them. There is a very common and deep-seated habit of urinating and defecating outdoors in India. The current Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, campaigned with the slogan “toilets before temples”. He allocated more than $40 billion for a latrine building and behavior change operation called Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (Clean India Mission). It is a challenge to improve public health drastically knowing that, in the world, diseases caused by poor sanitation and unsafe water kill about 1.4 million children a year!" - Carole Pariat. Entered in the Street Photography category

Carole Pariat

Sony World Photography Awards 2019 winners

Illusion

France. Entered in the Landscape category

Gérard Bret

Sony World Photography Awards 2019 winners

Yellow Vest Protestor

"Photography taken during the yellow vest protest in Paris at the Avenue des Champs Elysées. When I got closer to the fire I saw this man and his surrealist outfit. He certainly chose what he was wearing to protect him from the heat, gas and others dangerous objects. On one of the most famous and fashion street in the world, the whole scene was certainly unusual. When the time has come to fight for your rights, there is no need to be fashion." - Arnaud Guillard. Entered in the Street Photography category

Arnaud Guillard

Sony World Photography Awards 2019 winners

Open water swimming competition in Cabo de Palos, Region of Murcia, Spain. Entered in the Motion category

Sergio Ferreira Ruiz

Sony World Photography Awards 2019 winners

Synergy of Humanity

A humanity view of one of the minority tribes in Yunnan going about their daily working life. Team work, coordination and cooperation are essential for efficiency otherwise it will be chaos . An impression of once upon a time in Yunnan. Entered in the Culture category

Eng Chung Tong

Sony World Photography Awards 2019 winners

The Harvest

Winner of the National Award in Nepal

Dikpal Thapa

Sony World Photography Awards 2019 winners

Intense

"These Pacific species of squid will come to the west coast of Canada from the distant sea every autumn, return to the birthplace of the inland river through the estuary, and look for the estuary of the estuary, the temperature of the river, and the environment. After entering the inland river, you will start a long journey back to the river. In addition to the Sockeye, which was listed as the “Squid Conservation Program” by the Canadian federal government throughout the late autumn, you can also see other Coho, Chum, and Chinook from the Pacific Ocean.) Going home, I don’t eat or drink water for 800km in three months. When I arrived at the same year, I was ruined and dying. Exhausting the only force, the carp parents died after spawning and fertilisation, and the most important mission of this life was finally completed." - Yung-Sen Wu. Winner of the National Award in Taiwan Region

Winners of the 2019 Sony World Photography Awards have been announced.

With both professionals and amateurs welcome, entrants to the open competition were required to submit a single image in the hope of winning a place in an international exhibition and a chance to compete in the Photographer of the Year award.

Faced with hundreds of thousands of entries, the judges have chosen a winner for each of ten categories that include architecture, culture and landscape.

Also announced were the winners of the National Awards. Chosen from the same pool of images as the open competition, the National Award recognises the best entrant from each of 62 countries.

Here The Independent has collected the winners along with some of the best photos from the shortlist.

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