30 Mesmerizing Moments Caught In Pictures That Were Crowned The Best Of 2023 By The Sony World Photography Awards

"A number of women and girls who used to play sports pose for portraits with the equipment of the sports they loved. They hid their identities with their burqas, robes, and hood that cover the face, leaving only a mesh to see through. They don’t normally wear the burqa, but said they sometimes choose to when they go outside and want to remain anonymous and avoid harassment.
The ban on sports is just one way the Taliban has shut down life for girls and women since their takeover in August 2021. It has also barred girls from attending middle and high school; ordered all women to be thrown out of universities; severely limited women’s ability to work outside the home; and, in November 2022, the Taliban’s Ministry of Virtue prohibited women and girls from going to parks or gyms."

"What do girls dream of? And what happens when a supportive environment is created where girls are empowered and given the opportunity to learn and dream? The Right to Play creates a playful world where girls are shown in an empowered and affirming way.

Worldwide, it is estimated that around 129 million girls are out of school and only 49 percent of countries have achieved gender parity in primary education, with the gap widening at the secondary school level. Every day, girls face barriers to education caused by poverty, cultural norms, and practices such as FGM, poor infrastructure, and violence.

For this project, I worked with girls from Kakenya’s Dream in Enoosaen, Kenya who have avoided FGM and child marriage, showing what the world can look like when girls are given the opportunity to continue learning in an environment that supports them and their dreams."

"Searching for stars near my hometown of Pollachi, India, I was led to the forests of the Anamalai Tiger Reserve. The further I moved away from the towns and their lights, the darker it got and the more I could see stars and fireflies.

I was fascinated by the hundreds of fireflies flashing at the edge of the forest but recalled hearing stories of trees laden with fireflies deep in the forest. So, in April 2022, I set out to a remote area of the reserve with forest officials. Flashes of green started appearing at twilight and as the Place; grew dark, millions of fireflies started synchronizing their flashes across several trees. The flashes would start in one tree and continue across other trees like a Mexican wave.

Such large congregations of fireflies are very rare, and this series captures the phenomenon of fireflies turning an entire forest into a magical carpet of yellowish-green light. The images were created by stacking several photographs."

"In 2011, my friend the photojournalist Anton Hammerl traveled to Libya to cover the conflict between pro-regime and anti-Gaddafi forces. On 5 April he was abducted and killed by government militia. Frustrated by the lack of progress in the investigation to find his mortal remains, in 2022 I traveled to Libya. This previously unseen body of work is structured as a portrait of Anton through the people he photographed and met, and others involved in the conflict."

"The Colorado River once stretched over 2,000 kilometers, from the Rocky Mountains to the Gulf of California, across the western United States. But the river has been drying up and no longer reaches the delta because extensive agriculture and diversion of water to metropolitan areas led to changes. Dams, huge canal systems, and growing cities in the desert. Today over 44 million people depend on the water of Colorado, but less snowfall in the Mountains intensifies the struggle for water rights. Farmers have to file for bankruptcy, hedge funds buy farms to get water rights. The Cucupá, live in the Colorado Delta. 'As a child, I often went swimming in the river, today I fish in the wastewater from agriculture,' says Leticia Galavis Sainz (51). 'The Cucupá have always made a living from fishing, but without the river, our culture dies too!'"

One of the most important Japanese photographers working today, Kawauchi has achieved international renown for her intimate and luminous images, capturing ephemeral moments of everyday life.

"While the authorities grapple with a growing demand for new housing in the densely populated Gaza Strip, a battle for space is pitting the living against the dead, as homeless squatters settle in the area’s cemeteries,

The pressure on space in the cemeteries reflects a mounting demographic crisis in Gaza, where the population is set to more than double within the next 30 years. The land is running out and competition for scarce Gaza real estate is understandably fierce, with an ever-increasing demand for both housing and farming land to help feed the growing population. Now, even the dead are affected, as their resting places are pressured by squatters and the relentless realities of a growing population with nowhere else to go."

"The Egungun association is a secret voodoo society that honors the spirits of their ancestors and perpetuates their memories. These ancestral spirits are believed to be in constant watch over their living relatives; they bless, protect and warn them, but can also punish them depending on whether they remember or neglect them.

The spirits can also protect a community against evil spirits, epidemics, witchcraft, and evil doers, ensuring their well-being, and may even be invited to come to earth physically. When they do, the Egungun are the receptacles of these spirits, appearing in the streets day or night, leaping, dancing or walking, and uttering loud cries. The spirit is supposed to have returned from the land of the dead to ascertain what is going on, so can be considered a kind of supernatural inquisitor who appears from time to time to inquire into the general domestic conduct of people and punish misdeeds."

"Nearly 20 years on from a conflict that killed five million people, the Democratic Republic of Congo is once again sliding into chaos. As the renewed conflict with the M23 rebels caught the world’s attention this year, the vital contribution of women to peace remains invisible. Despite escalating violence, some women track human rights violations, warn of impending violence and plead with rebel leaders to stop attacks. In doing so, they take immense risks."

"In 2022, much of the world reopened, and I could finally continue some of my long-term projects that had been interrupted by the Covid crisis. These images are a collection of contrasting moments found on the way: a Cuban actress shines in the Havana night; a woman about to turn 100 recalls the Soviet famine that took her father; a young girl crowned with dandelions embodies the spirit of youth. 2022 was a cruel year in many ways, but the possibility of encountering people again and listening to their stories was genuine solace."

"Cities Gone Wild is an exploration of three savvy animals --- black bears, coyotes, and raccoons --- that have uniquely equipped to survive and even thrive in the human-built landscape while other animals are disappearing. I tracked these animals in cities across America to reveal a more intimate view of how wildlife is adapting to increased urbanization."

"Designed by Ricardo Bofill, the Muralla Roja apartment complex is one of the most iconic pieces of Spanish architecture. Over the years I have revisited this place to photograph it again and again. On my last visit, in December 2021, my goal was to create a totally different series by capturing the Muralla Roja during the day, at sunset, at night and at sunrise. I started shooting very early in the morning and continued well into the night. I then woke early to experience an unforgettable sunrise. Sadly, Bofill passed away just a few weeks after my visit, so I consider this series to be a personal tribute to him and his legacy."

"Landscape gardening is a practice dating back to ancient times; Nebuchadnezzar II of the Babylonian Empire built a garden complex in the sky for his homesick princess consort, which was known as the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. The Sky Garden series takes its name from this history.
Three years ago I settled down in Wenjiang, and there is a tree nursery within walking distance of my home. Exotic trees and rocks from all over the world can be seen there, including Japanese black pines and maple trees. There are workers lifting these trees and rocks with mobile cranes every day, transporting them, and planting them in newly built parks, neighborhoods, or streets in the city. I walk through the woods and take photographs when the trees and rocks are being lifted into the air. Together, these images create The Sky Garden series."

"A portfolio of work from different projects including Riverland, an analog photography project that I started in 2020. It depicts various scenes – portraits, still lives, and landscapes – taken in and around the rivers and waterways of Southern France. With the series I want to portray the way a meandering river echoes the continuing and unexpected course that life takes."

"Miruku focuses on the Wayuus, an indigenous population from La Guajira, Colombia’s coastal desert. Commissioned by the 1854/British Journal of Photography and WaterAid, the project examines how a combination of climate change issues and human negligence has led its various members to experience a stifling water shortage. In the region, the problem is cyclical and polymorphous. While some communities can achieve certain stability during rainy seasons, temperatures are bound to rise, drying up the land again. Global warming only aggravates this, causing droughts and famine, and spoiling the facilities and installations that help source clean water."

"South Sudan has been plagued by political violence and instability since its independence from Sudan in 2011. Now it is experiencing massive floods for the fourth consecutive year. Since 2019, unprecedented rainy seasons have submerged large parts of the country’s landscape. Heavy rains and floods have swept away people’s homes, properties, crops, livestock, schools, and healthcare centers, and caused extensive infrastructural damage to roads and bridges. The climate crisis is bringing further challenges to this already vulnerable country."

"The popularity of avocados has exploded in recent decades, with the burden of the rising demand falling mainly on the Mexican state of Michoacan. High international demand has led to more extensive and numerous plantations, with forests now being cleared illegally to plant more avocados. It is easy to see why, as more than 300,000 jobs directly or indirectly depend on the production and trade of avocados in the region, which generates an annual revenue of US$2.5 billion.

In 2021, Michoacán produced some 1.8 million tons of green fruit, and drug cartels have now become drawn to the revenue potential from the avocado trade. As violence escalates, the government has had to send in the military to maintain order, and in mid-2022, exports to the United States – the largest consumer of the fruit – had to be halted temporarily."

"The last goodbye to ‘O Rey’ Edson Arantes do Nascimento Pelé, the most famous Brazilian footballer ever. Considered the best footballer in the world by many people, Pelé, who died at the age of 82, scored over 1,000 goals in his career."

"This portfolio was shot in the first half of 2022 in Saudi Arabia, where I was based at the time. Given more time, I think these pictures would have fallen into more defined projects or narratives, perhaps relating to the large migrant worker and expat population (of which I was part), or Saudi car culture. As it is, I believe this collection shows my style and technique as a photographer – there is no deliberate connection between the images other than I was searching for special photographs that could eventually develop into projects."

"At the start of winter, I set out on a journey in search of harmony. Driven by instinct, I ventured further and further until I passed the boundaries of rationality. Whether it was fog or snow, frost or thaw, I took to the sky to see if it was possible to fly. When I could, I flew over frozen bodies of water, fascinated by their icy forms. Between January and March, I made 76 solo flights in a gyrocopter or a motorized paraglider, covering around 10,000 kilometers (6,200 miles) and spending 200 hours in the air. My photographs were taken from a height of approximately 50-150 meters (165-495 feet) above bodies of water near Tricity in northern Poland."

"Lupus Hominarius refers to the legends of Calabria, Italy, surrounding the figure of the werewolf. According to folklore, you could become a werewolf as a result of a curse or through infections, bites or pacts with the devil. The legend shared by many towns in Calabria relates to the ‘first wedding night’, in which the bride dies at the hands of her werewolf husband while the two are consummating their marriage. Very often, such tales were created to prevent women from going out alone in the village, especially at night."

"Tieshan cement factory is located in Guilin City in south China. The factory was built in 1996 and played an important role in Guilin’s economic development and urban construction. However, because it was originally located in the Li River Scenic Area of Guilin, the factory has now been relocated, leaving behind the old buildings, water towers, pools, and railway tracks."