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Photography

The remarkable winners of the 2021 Sony World Photography Awards

By Rich Haridy
March 20, 2021
The remarkable winners of the 2021 Sony World Photography Awards
'Hello World'.
'Hello World'.
View 31 Images
'Comet NEOWISE over Stonehenge'. Comet NEOWISE passes over Stonehenge in the United Kingdom. The comet is due to return in approximately 6,800 years.
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'Comet NEOWISE over Stonehenge'. Comet NEOWISE passes over Stonehenge in the United Kingdom. The comet is due to return in approximately 6,800 years.
'Morild'.
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'Morild'.
'Powder Blast'. Skiing in deep, fresh snow in the early-morning light in Zauchensee, Austria.
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'Powder Blast'. Skiing in deep, fresh snow in the early-morning light in Zauchensee, Austria.
'Green Court'.
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'Green Court'.
'Voyage'. Mount Fuji in winter, as seen from Hakone
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'Voyage'. Mount Fuji in winter, as seen from Hakone
'Ciara #5'. Storm Ciara at Newhaven, East Sussex
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'Ciara #5'. Storm Ciara at Newhaven, East Sussex
'Street Food'. Toronto, Canada
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'Street Food'. Toronto, Canada
'Heavy Metal'. metal scrap, spotted at the Düsseldorf industrial harbor
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'Heavy Metal'. metal scrap, spotted at the Düsseldorf industrial harbor
'Bus Stop'. Taken at a bus stop on an esplanade in Kolkata one summer’s afternoon
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'Bus Stop'. Taken at a bus stop on an esplanade in Kolkata one summer’s afternoon
'Electric Storm on Lavender'. The lavender fields of Brihuega, Guadalajara, Spain
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'Electric Storm on Lavender'. The lavender fields of Brihuega, Guadalajara, Spain
'Hello World'.
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'Hello World'.
'Memorable Buildings'. Lake Urmia
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'Memorable Buildings'. Lake Urmia
'Lake Tuz'. An algae called dunaliella salina gives Lake Tuz in Ankara its pink color in summer
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'Lake Tuz'. An algae called dunaliella salina gives Lake Tuz in Ankara its pink color in summer
'Ezo Red Fox'. Taken in Biei, Hokkaido, Japan
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'Ezo Red Fox'. Taken in Biei, Hokkaido, Japan
'Redyk'. A traditional annual march of shepherds with their sheep
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'Redyk'. A traditional annual march of shepherds with their sheep
'Fisherman's Lunch'.
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'Fisherman's Lunch'.
'Steel Frame Construction and Brick Walls'. Steel frame and brick walls at the Bauhaus-style UNESCO World Heritage Site of Zeche Zollverein in Essen, Germany.
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'Steel Frame Construction and Brick Walls'. Steel frame and brick walls at the Bauhaus-style UNESCO World Heritage Site of Zeche Zollverein in Essen, Germany.
'Little Kiss'.
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'Little Kiss'.
'A Quiet Autumn Day'. An old boathouse in Gildeskål, northern Norway.
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'A Quiet Autumn Day'. An old boathouse in Gildeskål, northern Norway.
'Golden Lands'. Bardenas Reales, Navarra.
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'Golden Lands'. Bardenas Reales, Navarra.
'Foggy Morning Fishing'. Myanmar
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'Foggy Morning Fishing'. Myanmar
'The Colour of Night'.
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'The Colour of Night'.
'The Blue Window'. The stairs at the Hyatt hotel in Düsseldorf, Germany.
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'The Blue Window'. The stairs at the Hyatt hotel in Düsseldorf, Germany.
'Drying Fish'. A woman dries trays of fish at Long Hai fish market in the Vung Tau province of Vietnam.
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'Drying Fish'. A woman dries trays of fish at Long Hai fish market in the Vung Tau province of Vietnam.
'Urban Animal'. India
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'Urban Animal'. India
'Balance Me'.
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'Balance Me'.
'Alone'. Mount Gongga
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'Alone'. Mount Gongga
'3X'. Aerial view of the Oosterscheldekering storm surge barrier in Zeeland, The Netherlands.
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'3X'. Aerial view of the Oosterscheldekering storm surge barrier in Zeeland, The Netherlands.
'Frío Cálido'. An ecosystem of large hills with pine trees surrounds the Laguna Larga in Los Azufres, Mexico.
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'Frío Cálido'. An ecosystem of large hills with pine trees surrounds the Laguna Larga in Los Azufres, Mexico.
'Disinfection'. During the coronavirus pandemic, the Health Affairs unit of Ankara Municipality sprays all public transportation, day and night.
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'Disinfection'. During the coronavirus pandemic, the Health Affairs unit of Ankara Municipality sprays all public transportation, day and night.
'Fury in the Slaughterhouse Car Concert'. Christof Stein-Schneider of the band Fury in the Slaughterhouse during a Covid-compatible concert in Hannover. They played in front of about 1,000 cars, with indicators, warning lights and high beams replacing the applause.
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'Fury in the Slaughterhouse Car Concert'. Christof Stein-Schneider of the band Fury in the Slaughterhouse during a Covid-compatible concert in Hannover. They played in front of about 1,000 cars, with indicators, warning lights and high beams replacing the applause.
View gallery - 31 images

The winners of the 2021 Sony World Photography Awards deliver an eclectic assortment of incredible images, spanning everything from a once-in-a-lifetime shot of a comet over Stonehenge to a portrait of the unique way COVID-19 changed live music performances.

The Sony World Photography Awards is one of the biggest annual photography contests in the world and is composed of four separate competitions: Professional, Youth, Student, and Open. The Open competition focuses on the best single images spanning 10 general categories. The overall winners will be announced next month but this initial announcement covers the main Open category winners.

'Disinfection'. During the coronavirus pandemic, the Health Affairs unit of Ankara Municipality sprays all public transportation, day and night.
'Disinfection'. During the coronavirus pandemic, the Health Affairs unit of Ankara Municipality sprays all public transportation, day and night.

Unsurprisingly, several of this year’s winners and shortlisted entries present unique perspective on the recent pandemic year. Turkish photographer F.Dilek Uyar won the Street Photography category with a beautifully composed surreal shot of a worker conducting a daily disinfection of a train station.

'Comet NEOWISE over Stonehenge'. Comet NEOWISE passes over Stonehenge in the United Kingdom. The comet is due to return in approximately 6,800 years.
'Comet NEOWISE over Stonehenge'. Comet NEOWISE passes over Stonehenge in the United Kingdom. The comet is due to return in approximately 6,800 years.

German photographer Holger Bücker was shortlisted in the Lifestyle category for an image of a musician playing to 1,000 cars in Hannover. The shot is one for the ages, seemingly normal to us right now but inarguably bizarre to anyone looking at it with no knowledge of the last 12 months.

'Foggy Morning Fishing'. Myanmar
'Foggy Morning Fishing'. Myanmar

Other highlights from this year’s Open competition affirm the Awards focus on compelling compositions, such as Klaus Lenzen’s Architecture category-winning shot of a set of stairs leading up to a hotel, or Min Min Zaw’s fairytale-like shortlisted image of a foggy morning in Myanmar.

Take a look through the gallery of our handpicked highlights from this year’s Open competition for more incredible photographic visions.

Source: World Photography Organization

View gallery - 31 images

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PhotographySony World Photography AwardsPhotographyAwardsCompetition
3 comments
Rich Haridy
Rich Haridy
Rich has written for a number of online and print publications over the last decade while also acting as film critic for several radio broadcasters and podcasts. His interests focus on psychedelic science, new media, and science oddities. Rich completed a Masters degree in the Arts back in 2013 before joining New Atlas in 2016.

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3 comments
Ron
As a photographer I can really appreciate a well composed natural image, of which three of these are as phony and a three dollar bill. Who is judging this that they can't see digital manipulation al over these, especially the oriental fisherman and his apprentice which isn't even a good digital rendering. There is haze all around the fisherman but he is perfectly silhouetted in black!
Leo.G
Welcome to the modern electronic age where deepfake video's can get you hanged.
I too love photography and have been involved with it for over 50 years and see more and more image manipulation creeping into these awards and have one question: WTF?
The majority of award winning images have so much trickery involved in the final image they should be winning magic awards, not photography awards.
Oculus Reparo
ljaques
My favorites are Morad, Voyage, and Electric Storm Over Lavender.