Photography

Stunning early highlights from the 2019 Sony World Photography Awards

Stunning early highlights from the 2019 Sony World Photography Awards
Three women workers painting traditional Myanmar umbrellas
Three women workers painting traditional Myanmar umbrellas
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View from above at first glance could be mistaken for a circuit board but this early morning shot of the funfair at Weston Super Mare along the beach
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View from above at first glance could be mistaken for a circuit board but this early morning shot of the funfair at Weston Super Mare along the beach
Swimming enclosures made up from thick rope meshes are pretty common in NSW (Australia), they get colonized by many forms of marine life seahorses in particular, for this reason among divers we call them "seahorses-hotels"
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Swimming enclosures made up from thick rope meshes are pretty common in NSW (Australia), they get colonized by many forms of marine life seahorses in particular, for this reason among divers we call them "seahorses-hotels"
Morning sunlight through archways in the mosque of Taj Mahal complex, Agra, India, March 2018
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Morning sunlight through archways in the mosque of Taj Mahal complex, Agra, India, March 2018
Dance at the foot of Yulong Mountain
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Dance at the foot of Yulong Mountain
Shot underwater in Hawaii, this image is part of the photographer's Muses Colllection
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Shot underwater in Hawaii, this image is part of the photographer's Muses Colllection
Yamal (Siberia). April 2018. The Nenets have had to face the threat of extinction before, having endured the challenges of colonial intrusions, civil war, revolution and forced collectivization. Today, their herding way of life is again seriously threatened
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Yamal (Siberia). April 2018. The Nenets have had to face the threat of extinction before, having endured the challenges of colonial intrusions, civil war, revolution and forced collectivization. Today, their herding way of life is again seriously threatened
PanShi town, Dazhou, Sichuan Province, China on July 19, 2018. People still maintain living the traditional lifestyle there, in the old barbershop, while a barber is busy taking care of an old customer's hair, through the window the customers are watching other residents rushing to the market
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PanShi town, Dazhou, Sichuan Province, China on July 19, 2018. People still maintain living the traditional lifestyle there, in the old barbershop, while a barber is busy taking care of an old customer's hair, through the window the customers are watching other residents rushing to the market
This photo depicts a banquet seen in a religious school during the Pourim celebrations in the ultra religious neighborhood of Mea Shearim in Jerusalem on march 2nd 2018
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This photo depicts a banquet seen in a religious school during the Pourim celebrations in the ultra religious neighborhood of Mea Shearim in Jerusalem on march 2nd 2018
Icebergs frozen in the sea ice in Svalbard
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Icebergs frozen in the sea ice in Svalbard
Nuns on Tour: Rome, Italy. April 2018
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Nuns on Tour: Rome, Italy. April 2018
The desert camels, set in the sunset, are photographed in Xinjiang, China
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The desert camels, set in the sunset, are photographed in Xinjiang, China
A young Indian boy during the festival of Holi
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A young Indian boy during the  festival of Holi
L'Aquila Temporary Concert Hall, Italy. Shigeru Ban Architect. A girl is waiting for the start of the concert in May 2018
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L'Aquila Temporary Concert Hall, Italy. Shigeru Ban Architect. A girl is waiting for the start of the concert in May 2018
Three women workers painting traditional Myanmar umbrellas
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Three women workers painting traditional Myanmar umbrellas
The photo was taken in May 2018 at Cathay Theatre (a historical theater in Shanghai) when a monthly live Audio Description movie screening event was taking place. The lady at the bottom right corner was narrating for the audiences. The services are provided for free to local blind or visually impaired people
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The photo was taken in May 2018 at Cathay Theatre (a historical theater in Shanghai) when a monthly live Audio Description movie screening event was taking place. The lady at the bottom right corner was narrating for the audiences. The services are provided for free to local blind or visually impaired people
A woman in Iran
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A woman in Iran
A photograph of Brookgreen Garden
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A photograph of Brookgreen Garden
Aerial shot of a pool in Hungary, Budapest
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Aerial shot of a pool in Hungary, Budapest
The diver from the Czech Republic, Michal Navrátil, makes one of his jumps next to the Guggenheim Bilbao, as part of the RedBull Cliffdiving world series 2018
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The diver from the Czech Republic, Michal Navrátil, makes one of his jumps next to the Guggenheim Bilbao, as part of the RedBull Cliffdiving world series 2018
King of the Ice Castle: Taken on the first of January 2018, at Igludorf Zermatt
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King of the Ice Castle: Taken on the first of January 2018, at Igludorf Zermatt
Grayson Perry - Birth
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Grayson Perry - Birth
A hyena in Jhalana National Park
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A hyena in Jhalana National Park
A Red Deer stag at dawn on a misty summer's morning in Bushy Park near London, UK
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A Red Deer stag at dawn on a misty summer's morning in Bushy Park near London, UK
An aerial of a road which winds its way around the edge of beautiful Lake Bled, Slovenia. The image was captured in the midst of a deep winter freeze that gripped the entirety of Europe
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An aerial of a road which winds its way around the edge of beautiful Lake Bled, Slovenia. The image was captured in the midst of a deep winter freeze that gripped the entirety of Europe
View gallery - 24 images

With its spectacular variety of submissions the Sony World Photography Awards never fails to disappoint, and the 2019 competition is shaping up to be the most impressive to date. Alongside announcing a strong professional jury for its 2019 Awards, a selection of the best submissions so far have just been revealed showing an astounding array of images from photographers all over the globe.

Last year's Sony World Photography Awards delivered a record-breaking 320,000 submissions spanning over 200 countries and territories. Submissions for the 2019 awards don't close for another few months but thousands of images have already come in, and this small selection just released suggest the exceptional standard of quality holds strong.

The competition is primarily divided into two categories, Professional and Open. The only real difference between the two categories is that the Professional group is judged on a body of work or series of images (5 to 10 photographs can be submitted), whereas the Open group concentrates on the power of single images. Within each category there are 10 different sub-categories spanning a broad array of genres and styles, from Architecture and Street Photography to Portraiture and Travel.

The diver from the Czech Republic, Michal Navrátil, makes one of his jumps next to the Guggenheim Bilbao, as part of the RedBull Cliffdiving world series 2018
The diver from the Czech Republic, Michal Navrátil, makes one of his jumps next to the Guggenheim Bilbao, as part of the RedBull Cliffdiving world series 2018

The 2019 jury is an impressive assortment of high-profile professionals from several different fields including Emma Lewis, an assistant curator at the Tate Modern in London; Oliver Laurent, Foreign Photo Editor at The Washington Post; and Brendan Embser, Managing editor of Aperture magazine.

Aerial shot of a pool in Hungary, Budapest
Aerial shot of a pool in Hungary, Budapest

Chair of Judges for 2019 is Mike Trow, a remarkably accomplished photographer and current Picture Editor at Vogue magazine. With entries still open Trow suggests potential entrants should try to avoid cliche and choose their submission category carefully.

"Photography techniques and styles are getting more adventurous and dynamic, so technical excellence is also necessary," says Trow. "To impress this world-leading panel of judges will take your best output, and the ability to edit your work so it is coherent, dynamic and beautiful."

A hyena in Jhalana National Park
A hyena in Jhalana National Park

Submissions for the 2019 competition close in early January with winners announced the following April.

Take a look through our gallery at all the incredible and inspiring early highlights from the 2019 competition.

Source: Sony World Photography Awards

View gallery - 24 images
1 comment
1 comment
guzmanchinky
Some of these are so beyond stunning (the dog and the mountain) and some are just like "why?" (the theater with the blue chairs).