Photography

The stunning overall winners of the 2022 Sony World Photography Awards

The stunning overall winners of the 2022 Sony World Photography Awards
Observing Fox. "Over eight months, I spent almost every night sitting at the window of my cottage in the middle of the forest – where wild animals live almost as neighbors of the villagers. I observed her movements and behavior from the darkened room, and took the exposure remotely."
Observing Fox. "Over eight months, I spent almost every night sitting at the window of my cottage in the middle of the forest – where wild animals live almost as neighbors of the villagers. I observed her movements and behavior from the darkened room, and took the exposure remotely."
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Overall Photographer of the Year Award. A series of self-portraits of migrants in Mexico, as they wait to cross the border into the United States
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Overall Photographer of the Year Award. A series of self-portraits of migrants in Mexico, as they wait to cross the border into the United States
"To capture a piece of this uncertain journey, I mounted a medium format camera on a tripod with a cable release and then stepped back, allowing the migrants to choose the moment of capture and give them agency in the process of documenting their lives".
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"To capture a piece of this uncertain journey, I mounted a medium format camera on a tripod with a cable release and then stepped back, allowing the migrants to choose the moment of capture and give them agency in the process of documenting their lives".
Winner, Photographer of the Year, Open Compeition. A wild mustang stallion kicks up a dust storm in northwestern Colorado
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Winner, Photographer of the Year, Open Compeition. A wild mustang stallion kicks up a dust storm in northwestern Colorado
Student Photographer of the Year. The traditional costume of Volendam is a masterpiece of Dutch culture
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Student Photographer of the Year. The traditional costume of Volendam is a masterpiece of Dutch culture
Winner, Professional, Architecture & Design. The photo is a photo montage of a historic village house and local forests and plants taken in the Croatian agricultural region of Slavonia
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Winner, Professional, Architecture & Design. The photo is a photo montage of a historic village house and local forests and plants taken in the Croatian agricultural region of Slavonia
Winner, Professional, Architecture & Design. The photo is part of a broader story about the mass exodus of people from the region
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Winner, Professional, Architecture & Design. The photo is part of a broader story about the mass exodus of people from the region
Winner, Professional, Portfolio. Queen's Park
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Winner, Professional, Portfolio. Queen's Park
Winner, Professional, Landscape. An uninhabitable volcanic desert in the Icelandic Highlands.
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Winner, Professional, Landscape. An uninhabitable volcanic desert in the Icelandic Highlands.
Winner, Professional, Environment. An inland area of Gabura Union. It is difficult to grow plants in this area due to lack of natural water, caused by rising salinity levels
9/25
Winner, Professional, Environment. An inland area of Gabura Union. It is difficult to grow plants in this area due to lack of natural water, caused by rising salinity levels
Winner, Professional, Wildlife & Nature. The Fox's Tale
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Winner, Professional, Wildlife & Nature. The Fox's Tale
Observing Fox. "Over eight months, I spent almost every night sitting at the window of my cottage in the middle of the forest – where wild animals live almost as neighbors of the villagers. I observed her movements and behavior from the darkened room, and took the exposure remotely."
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Observing Fox. "Over eight months, I spent almost every night sitting at the window of my cottage in the middle of the forest – where wild animals live almost as neighbors of the villagers. I observed her movements and behavior from the darkened room, and took the exposure remotely."
A murmuration of starlings over Lough Ennell in County Westmeath, Ireland
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A murmuration of starlings over Lough Ennell in County Westmeath, Ireland
A man is staring back at a life-sized photo of a T-Rex
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A man is staring back at a life-sized photo of a T-Rex
Geldingadalir, Iceland's youngest volcano
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Geldingadalir, Iceland's youngest volcano
Hide and Seek
15/25
Hide and Seek
Fly me to the Moon
16/25
Fly me to the Moon
Finalist, Spaces. Detachment
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Finalist, Spaces. Detachment
This night eruption of the Etna volcano was taken from San Teodoro
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This night eruption of the Etna volcano was taken from San Teodoro
Duty of Volunteer During Covid-19
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Duty of Volunteer During Covid-19
The Earth Belongings. "Damavand Mountain is located in northern Iran, in the Mazandaran province. It is known as the highest mountain in Iran and the highest volcano in Asia and the Middle East. In the past, the slopes of this mountain were covered with unique anemones, known as Lar and Rineh. In recent years, global warming, low snowfall and air pollution have affected the greenery of this region and led to drought."
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The Earth Belongings. "Damavand Mountain is located in northern Iran, in the Mazandaran province. It is known as the highest mountain in Iran and the highest volcano in Asia and the Middle East. In the past, the slopes of this mountain were covered with unique anemones, known as Lar and Rineh. In recent years, global warming, low snowfall and air pollution have affected the greenery of this region and led to drought."
Labyrinth of Speleothems. A diver navigating his underwater scooter through a chamber full of stalactites and stalagmites, showing the raw nature and amazing textures of the flooded caves in Mexico.
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Labyrinth of Speleothems. A diver navigating his underwater scooter through a chamber full of stalactites and stalagmites, showing the raw nature and amazing textures of the flooded caves in Mexico.
Out of the White Room. Gian Simmen in his natural habitat at Grindelwald First on a perfect day in the Swiss Alps.
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Out of the White Room. Gian Simmen in his natural habitat at Grindelwald First on a perfect day in the Swiss Alps.
Sumo Wrestling 10.
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Sumo Wrestling 10.
Chimpanzee.
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Chimpanzee.
Big Statue in the Middle of the City. Bangkok, Thailand.
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Big Statue in the Middle of the City. Bangkok, Thailand.
View gallery - 25 images

Following spectacular smaller winner announcements, the Sony World Photography Awards has announced its overall prizes. Australian photographer Adam Ferguson took the prestigious Photographer of the Year title with series of self-portraits of migrants waiting to cross the border into the United States.

The professional Photographer of the Year prize went to a series by Ferguson called Migrantes. The unique series involved Ferguson traveling to Mexico in early 2021 to chronicle the stories of migrants waiting in shelters at the US border.

"To capture a piece of this uncertain journey, I mounted a medium format camera on a tripod with a cable release and then stepped back, allowing the migrants to choose the moment of capture and give them agency in the process of documenting their lives".
"To capture a piece of this uncertain journey, I mounted a medium format camera on a tripod with a cable release and then stepped back, allowing the migrants to choose the moment of capture and give them agency in the process of documenting their lives".

Ferguson attempted to make the images a collaborative work, giving the subjects of each photograph control over the release shutter. Ferguson set the scene, mounted a camera on a tripod and gave the subjects a cable with the release for the shutter. This allowed the migrants to have agency in how they were represented.

“This set of portraits speaks volumes about how moral intentionality and respect can help avoid some of that sense of manipulation and invasion of the private which photography is often accused of,” explained Mike Trow, chair of the Professional competition judging panel. “By giving his subjects the shutter release Adam hands a certain power to the sitter to make that decision on how to be perceived. These photographs are beautiful, meaningful and kind.”

Winner, Photographer of the Year, Open Compeition. A wild mustang stallion kicks up a dust storm in northwestern Colorado
Winner, Photographer of the Year, Open Compeition. A wild mustang stallion kicks up a dust storm in northwestern Colorado

UK photographer Scott Wilson won the top prize for Open Photographer of the Year, the competition’s top single image award. Wilson’s spectacular shot of a wild mustang taken in northwestern Colorado is titled "Anger Management."

“Viewing mustang behavior in the wild is a raw and dynamic wildlife experience,” said Wilson. “The image tension is symbolic of the conservation challenges facing wild horses in the American West, where these treasured animals are being rounded up in record numbers and removed from public lands.”

Winner, Professional, Landscape. An uninhabitable volcanic desert in the Icelandic Highlands.
Winner, Professional, Landscape. An uninhabitable volcanic desert in the Icelandic Highlands.

These top prizes follow earlier announcements revealing the top national winners and individual category winners. The winners cap off a strong showing for one of the world’s biggest and most influential photography contests.

Take a look through our gallery at more overall winners alongside other handpicked highlights from this year’s sensational contest.

Source: World Photography Organization

View gallery - 25 images
1 comment
1 comment
ljaques
Too much "migrant" propaganda, but I love the foxes, starlings, and T-REX!