PICTURES: Sony World Photography Awards recognises best of 2023
The World Photography Organisation has announced the winners in the Sony World Photography awards Open Competition, which recognises single images, for 2023.
Natural world and wildlife winner. A jaguar and caiman in the Pantanal, South America. “We had bid farewell to our Sao Lourenco River lodge, marking the end of our Pantanal adventure, but as we were leaving we heard that a jaguar had been spotted roughly 30 minutes away. We raced to the scene and encountered this sleek female jaguar stalking her prey. Our boat – and my camera – was perfectly positioned as she pounced on an unsuspecting caiman”. Picture: Ian Ford/Sony World Photography Awards
In this year’s competition, about 395 000 images from more than 220 countries and territories were submitted.
Motion winner. A rider passes through a muddy part of the course at the Norwegian National Championships in Hafjell Bike Park, Norway. Picture: Samuel Andersen/Sony World Photography AwardsLandscape winner. As a moonrise burns across the horizon, lights dance above the Old Man of Storr in Scotland. This iconic rock formation was illuminated with powerful lights attached to drones, which cut through the darkness to reveal the icy landscape. Blizzards howled for the majority of the night, leaving mere minutes to execute this photograph before the moon became too bright. Picture: Liam Man/Sony World Photography AwardsTravel winner. On Lake Titicaca, between Peru and Bolivia, a tranquil floating village stands in stark contrast to the approaching wildfire, a dramatic testament to nature’s dual disposition. Picture: Yan Li/Sony World Photography AwardsTravel Shortlist. Fishermen use bamboo traps in knee-deep water as they take part in a traditional fishing festival in Pabna, Bangladesh. The festival usually takes place in late winter, when the water of this lowland area starts to dry up. Picture: Joy Saha/Sony World Photography AwardsPortraiture Shortlist. “Sir David Attenborough sits on a stool from my kitchen in the grounds where Charles Darwin wrote Origin of the Species”. Picture: Mark Harrison/Sony World Photography AwardsNatural World and Wildlife Shortlist. A great blue heron swallows its early morning catch at the base of a small spillway that flows into wetlands in Madison, Alabama. Picture: Christopher Baker/Sony World Photography AwardsLifestyle Shortlist. Jama Elmi is a well-known member of the London Colour-Walk community, which meets every month to celebrate colour and personal style. This picture was taken when I met him in the street and approached him to take a portrait. Picture: Philip Joyce/Sony World Photography AwardsLandscape Shortlist. A lone camel thorn tree is dwarfed by a massive sand dune in Sossusvlei, Namibia. Picture: Barry Crosthwaite/Sony World Photography AwardsMotion Shortlist. “Photographing these galloping horses with a drone proved to be very challenging – smoke and dust were everywhere, and I had no idea where the horses would go and what they would do – but the result is like they are running in clouds.” Picture: F.Dilek Yurdakul/Sony World Photography AwardsPortraiture winner. Zenande, Sinawe, Zinathi and Buhle at Sea Point Pavilion, Cape Town, South Africa. “This image is part of my ongoing series Ballade, which is a poetic homage to my birthplace. My strongest memories are of Sea Point Promenade and the Pavilion swimming pool, although due to apartheid it was only for the privileged white population. Returning in 2023 I was again drawn to these spaces where little seems to have changed in terms of structure and recreation, but they now celebrate cultural and social diversity.” Picture: Michelle Sank/Sony World Photography Awards
