Open Competition 2024 Category Winners & Shortlist Announced

The World Photography Organisation is pleased to announce the category winners and shortlist in the Open competition of the Sony World Photography Awards 2024, recognising the best single images from across the world in 2023.

Over 395,000 images from over 220 countries and territories were submitted to the Sony World Photography Awards 2024. Each category 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 18 April. Selected winning and shortlisted images will be shown as part of the Sony World Photography Awards exhibition at Somerset House from 19 April – 6 May 2024, and will then travel to additional locations.

The ten category winners are:

ARCHITECTURE

Ana Skobe (Slovenia) for the image Falling Out of Time, depicting a lighthouse against a clear sky at dusk, its sleek, geometric design contrasting with the coastal landscape and a solitary figure.

CREATIVE

Rob Blanken (Netherlands) for his macro photograph of crystals of amino acids B-alanine, L-glutamine and glycine, showing the remarkable colours and textures contained within these complex structures.

LANDSCAPE

Liam Man (United Kingdom) for Moonrise Sprites over Storr, capturing the earliest moments of the rising moon and several drone lights over the Old Man of Storr hill on the Isle of Skye, Scotland. Taken during a blizzard, this image was carefully executed just before the moonlight became too bright.

LIFESTYLE

Alvin Kamau (Kenya) for Twende Ziwani (Let’s go to the Lake), a studio photograph inspired by fashion photography, depicting a model striking a pose and looking out beyond the frame.

MOTION

Samuel Andersen (Norway) for Rider Getting Down and Dirty, an action-packed shot of a mountain bike rider passing through a muddy part of the course at the Norwegian National Championships in Hafjell Bike Park, splashing the camera lens.

NATURAL WORLD & WILDLIFE

Ian Ford (United Kingdom) for Caiman Crunch, a striking photograph of a jaguar attacking a caiman crocodile on the river bank. The photographer followed along as the jaguar stalked her prey, and caught the precise moment she pounced.

OBJECT

Toni Rinaldo (Indonesia) for Coalition, a meticulously composed image portraying two chairs in a waiting room. The photographer describes how the different colours of the chairs evoke the togetherness of different cultures existing side by side within Indonesian society.

PORTRAITURE

Michelle Sank (United Kingdom) for Zenande, Sinawe, Zinathi and Buhle at Sea Point Pavilion, Cape Town, depicting a group of teens on a day out at the swimming pool. The photographer considers the ways in which the city has changed since the end of apartheid, reflecting on the ways cultural and social diversity is now celebrated.

STREET PHOTOGRAPHY

Callie Eh (Malaysia) for The Hand, which captures a fleeting moment from a wedding procession in Bhaktapur, Nepal. The groom is all but obscured, revealing only a waving hand through the passing car window.

TRAVEL

Yan Li (China Mainland) for Between Calm and Catastrophe, an image of a tranquil floating village standing on the still shore of Lake Titicaca, contrasted with the approaching peril of a wildfire on the nearby land mass.

This year’s Open competition was judged by Daniel Blochwitz, Curator, Foto Festival Lenzburg, Switzerland.

The overall winners in the Student, Youth, Open and Professional competitions of the Sony World Photography Awards 2024 will be announced on 18 April 2024 and will go on display as part of the exhibition at Somerset House, London from 19 April – 6 May 2024. For more information about winners and shortlists please visit www.worldphoto.org

OPEN COMPETITION 2024 WINNERS AND SHORTLIST