The overall winners of the 2024 Sony World Photography Awards have been revealed. This year's selection of images showcases a sublime mixture of unspoiled landscapes, amazing animals, and extraordinary people going about their lives.
Now in its 17th year, the Sony World Photography Awards celebrates powerful photographs that resonate with audiences worldwide. Read on for a look at some competition standouts, and be sure to head to the gallery to see a selection of our favorite photographs from this year's winners.
The prestigious Photographer of the Year prize, which includes US$25,000 and Sony photography gear, was awarded to France's Juliette Pavy for her photo series Spiralkampagnen: Forced Contraception and Unintended Sterilisation of Greenlandic Women.
The haunting series draws attention to the lasting impact of a forced birth control campaign led by Danish authorities in Greenland in the 1960s and 1970s, in which several thousand Inuit women and children were implanted with intrauterine devices without their consent.
"‘I am truly honored to be named the Photographer of the Year and for my work to be recognized among such a remarkable selection of projects and stories celebrated here tonight," said Pavy. "With this award I hope to give a voice to those who were silenced for almost half a century, and to all the women in the world who are constantly fighting for their rights. By telling this story, I want to raise awareness of the violence against Inuit women and the social and psychological repercussions of this forced contraception campaign, and the unintended sterilisation of many of its victims."
The UK's Liam Man has been declared Open Photographer of the Year for his photograph Moonrise Sprites over Storr. This stunning image captures a rock formation named the Old Man of Storr on the Isle of Skye, Scotland, highlighting the rugged mountainous landscape and the winter sky.
The shot was challenging to realize and was taken at night and lit both by drone lights and the rising moon during a powerful blizzard.
Ian Ford, again from the UK, won the Natural World & Wildlife Category for this photo titled Caiman Crunch. Nearing the end of his adventure on the São Lourenço River in Brazil, he was told that a jaguar had been spotted nearby. Racing to the spot, he happened upon a female stalking her prey and was perfectly positioned as she pounced on an unsuspecting caiman.
Source: World Photography Organisation