The first wave of winners in the prestigious 2021 Sony World Photography Awards have been revealed. Spanning 51 countries, these National Award winners include a number of gorgeous drone shots and some compelling perspectives on the ways COVID-19 has transformed the world.
In its 14th year, the Sony World Photography Awards is one of the biggest photo contests around. It is split into two general categories: Professional (based on large submissions highlighting a body of work) and Open (the single image category). More than 165,000 images were submitted into this year’s Open category, spanning 10 thematic categories.
All entries in the Open category are automatically considered for this first wave of National prizes. This year there are 51 countries awarded with regional winners, with the final general prizes to be handed out in April 2021.
Some highlights from the impressive assortment of winners include Wong Chek Poh’s compelling shot of unused taxicabs in Singapore parked on top of a building; Patrick Mueller’s stunningly composed USA-winning shot of a sand dune snaking up between two mountains in Death Valley; and Mehmet Aslan’s incredible drone shot of a soccer pitch being repurposed for socially distanced prayer in Turkey.
Take a look through our gallery at more of this year’s spectacular National Winners, and check out all our prior coverage of the Sony World Photography Awards.
Source: World Photography Organization