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This year The Sony World Photography Awards celebrates its 11th anniversary. It is one of the most respected and influential photography contests. Every year the Awards gather the best photography from around the world and this year is no exception. We are presented with the most beautiful pictures by both professional and amateur artists.
The photo contest received a record total of 319,561 images. It hands out awards to the best photographers in 4 different categories; Professional (body of work), open (single images), youth (photographers aged 12-19), and student focus. One photo of each participating country is presented with a National Award.
All category winners will receive cutting-edge digital imaging equipment from Sony. Cash prizes of $25k will be presented to the Photographer of the Year and $5k to the Open Photographer of the Year.
Tell us which of these cool photos are your favorites in the comments and don't forget to check out the pretty pictures by last year's winners.
More info: worldphoto.org
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Brendon Cremer, South Africa National Award
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#2
Martin Stranka, Czech Republic National Award
Venomous Sloth 7 years ago
I can definitely see someone waking up from the car crash and seeing this...
#3
Paranyu Pithayarungsarit, Thailand National Award
Full Name 7 years ago
Dammit, I was all excited thinking there were two places like this in the world to visit.
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#4
Suphakaln Wongcompune, Thailand National Award
Richard Tylor 7 years ago
is it U Bain bridge from Myanmar? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U_Bein_Bridge
Heather Grover 7 years ago
Love the lines in this as well as the elegant display of a culture.
#5
Isabelle Bacher, Austria National Award
#6
Wenjie Qiao, United States National Award
Jeanne Beutell 7 years ago
This is the most amazing picture of an eclipse I have ever seen! ❤️🌕🌖🌗🌘🌑🌒🌓🌔🌕
Sue Knerl 7 years ago
We watched the eclipse in Wyoming and it was so awesome! I see why people chase them. I want to see another.
Full Name 7 years ago
Me too. I did a collage like this, but I added a couple fake foreground elements that were at the scene but not in frame. This looks great. For damn sure this isn't a "purist" photo contest though, haha. That ain't no single frame, and those ain't no natural colours nor shading.
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#7
Kyaw Win Hlaing, Myanmar National Award,
#8
Chin Boon Leng, Singapore National Award
HellCat 7 years ago
I wish I could turn into a giant for a few moments, and just gently caress the surface of those hills. They look so velvety.
Full Name 7 years ago
Go to a golf course and roll around on some bumpy greens. Basically the same thing.
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#9
Santiago Borja, Ecuador National Award
#10
Lynn Wu, Taiwan National Award
Full Name 7 years ago
Most likely with a pole mounted camera from a boat. Crocs aren't known to attack boats/canoes etc.
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#11
Pedro Jarque, Peru National Award
#12
Junghye Lee, South Korea National Award
#13
Veselin Atanasov, Bulgaria National Award
#14
Petar Sabol, Croatia National Award
#15
Yen Sin Wong, Malaysia National Award
#16
Bassam Allam, Egypt National Award
therealpixie 7 years ago
This is what a real pixie looks like; not some cutesy Tinkerbell--very powerful being.
Marnee DeRider 7 years ago
Would be perfect if she weren't wearing makeup (in the natural setting)
#17
Min Ly, Cambodia National Award
Karen Polak 7 years ago
Stunning black and white is so much more effective than colour these days.
#18
Ingrid Vekemans, Belgium National Award
Kika González 7 years ago
Based on the current president: how much longer do I have to live? Do I have a chance now at running for U.S. president?
#19
Justyna Zdunczyk, Poland National Award
#20
Sylvia Michel, Switzerland National Award
#21
Md. Tofazzal Hossain, Bangladesh National Award
#22
Au Hin Man, Hong Kong National Award
#23
Anton Novozhilov, Estonia National Award
#24
Takashi Nakazawa, Japan National Award
#25
Nicky Loh, Singapore National Awar
#26
Ales Krivec, Slovenia National Award
#27
Tina Signesdottir Hult, Norway National Award
jenna 7 years ago
Is it a real fox? It looks beautiful, however, I certainly don't like animals being killed for beauty.
Rita Maria Quezada 7 years ago
The animal wasn´t killed for beauty, it was killed to give shelter and protection
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#28
Zeyar Htun, Myanmar National Award
#29
Chul-Ui Song, South Korea National Award
Darren Shalla 7 years ago
Meh, It's a gas station in a snow fall. You know how many of these kind of shots there are in Canada? Not sure how this got an award.
Taina Mikkonen 7 years ago
You know how many forests and lakes are in Finland? And yet I am not complaining about those photographs getting awards just because I keep seeing these on a regular basis. Point is, it is art and sometimes artful things neeed to be the most mundane things in the world. There are alot of people in this world who have never seen snow and maybe in the future seeing a snowfall will be so rare that this picture will be regarded highly as a record of things we didn`t think of recording when we had the chance.
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#31
Mikkel Beiter, Denmark National Award
Per Arne Dahl 7 years ago
Thats Reine, Lofoten - Norway. Nice of them to put up a new building just for the photo https://www.google.com/maps/@67.9414988,13.1143911,3a,75y,317.76h,94.38t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sv0c1J7e3uEvEEQ3p-7uwXg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en
#32
Thu Huynh, Vietnam National Award
#33
Jonatan Banista, Central America National Award
#34
Jianguang Zhou, China National Award
#35
Erika Valkovicova, Slovakia National Award
#37
Nuket Uluc, Turkey National Award
#40
Min Ly, Cambodia National Award
#41
Abdulla Al-Mushaifri, Qatar National Award
#42
Damon Beckford, Finland National Award
#43
Sai Aung Main, Myanmar National Award
#44
Fajar Kristianto, Indonesia National Award
#45
Marie Moroni, France National Award
#47
Andrius Kundrotas, Lithuania National Award
Full Name 7 years ago
I upvoted it because it's a photography award, not a fishing award. The photo is gorgeous.
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Nicu Spinu, Romania National Award
therealpixie 7 years ago
I do not understand this road. It's not a switchback down a mountain, or it would curve downward in the bottom right of the picture. Instead, it curves upward to go back where it came from. Why? Does anyone know what it is?
Ana-Maria Dan 7 years ago
The Transfăgărășan was constructed between 1970 and 1974 during the rule of Nicolae Ceaușescu as a response to the 1968 invasion of Czechoslovakia by the Soviet Union.[3] Ceaușescu wanted to ensure quick military access across the mountains in case of a Soviet invasion. At the time, Romania already had several strategic mountain passes through the Southern Carpathians, whether inherited from the pre-communist era (the DN1 and the high-pass DN67C) or built during the initial years of the Communist regime (the DN66). These passes, however, were mainly through river valleys, and would be easy for the Soviets to block and attack. Ceauşescu therefore ordered the construction of a road across the Făgăraş Mountains, which divide northwestern and southern Romania.(source:Wiki)
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#50
Kenneth O Halloran, Ireland National Award
Wendy Greene 7 years ago
Catholics have that thing....I'm drawing a blank and if I exit out to google it makes me start all the way over. I think it's for a religious ceremony though
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Manuel Armenis, Germany National Award
D-m Keilman 7 years ago
You can lead a horse to water but you can't make it take horse pills.
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Louie Lam Shu Yan, Hong Kong National Award
#53
Panos Skordas, Greece National Award
kibhr 7 years ago
Greek Mythology - Theseus killing the Minotaur and escaping the Labyrinth via the string he tied to the entrance.
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#57
Swapnil Deshpande, India National Award
#59
Ajay Maharjan, Nepal National Award
#64
Yusuke Suzuki, Japan National Award
#65
Richard Winston, United States National Award
#66
Katy Gomez Lopez, Spain National Award
Full Name 7 years ago
The story is that the painting is horrified that the youngins would rather stare outside at the Starbucks on the corner instead of this classic work of art.
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Lennart Hessel, Sweden National Award
#68
Md Enamul Kabir, Bangladesh National Award
#71
Kai Fatt Eng, Malaysia National Award
#73
Mirella Lukens, Netherlands National Award
#74
Yoon Jeongvin, South Korea National Award
#75
Caterina Bruzzone, Italy National Award
#76
Pranishan Rajbhandari, Nepal National Award
#77
Aleksandr Bityutskih, Russia National Award,
HellCat 7 years ago
I don't know what to think about this one. It's a little out of place, in my humble opinion. Not saying that the other pictures are not photomanipulated, but this one it is to a more obvious degree. Unless that house is painted that way in real life, which I don't think it is. Or maybe I just don't get the message behind it, but overall I am not too impressed with it. I've seen breathtaking pictures in this collection. This one, to me, is a little strange.
#79
Chris Round, Australia National Award
#84
Milan Radisics, Hungary National Award
#85
Allan Borebor, Philippines National Award
Vita Vitriaulfa 7 years ago
Taman Nasional BROMO TENGGER SEMERU, North Java, Indonesia. My home sweet home 💝
#87
Hardijanto Budiman, Indonesia National Award
ispeak catanese 7 years ago
That reminds me... I need one of those flexible tubes to hide all the cables behind the tv
#89
Antony Trivet, Kenya National Award
#90
Achintha Dahanayake, Sri Lanka National Award
#91
Moin Ahmed, Bangladesh National Award
#92
Marcelo Cugliari, Argentina National Award
#93
Nick Dolding, United Kingdom National Award
Jocelyn Gonzalez 7 years ago
stop this coming from a 15 year old who loves photography every picture here catches my eye because they are all so stunning, I bet you criticize these photos because you can't even take a picture that is so amazing
Load More Replies... FleurTangClan 7 years ago
I go through the whole list, really excited to see the UK one and this is it??? I mean it's fine abd I know art is subjective but the UK has stunning scenery like I've seen in so many of these photos and a clichéd stuff upper lip guy in his front room is all I get!
#94
Chu-Ying Lui, Hong Kong National Award
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Rodd Young 7 years ago
st place whilst it is a stunning image, is also a staged and heavily photoshopped piece. Remember seeing a piece a while back about how it was done and the staging the photographer went through. I’m all for post processing but there should be seperate categories for this , it isn’t fair to judge a once in a life time shot captured in the exact moment against an image that has taken multiple shoots and massive amounts of editing in photoshop to create, this is a photo manipulation or composit rather than a photograph, still a stunning image tho:)
Rodd Young 7 years ago
st place whilst it is a stunning image, is also a staged and heavily photoshopped piece. Remember seeing a piece a while back about how it was done and the staging the photographer went through. I’m all for post processing but there should be seperate categories for this , it isn’t fair to judge a once in a life time shot captured in the exact moment against an image that has taken multiple shoots and massive amounts of editing in photoshop to create, this is a photo manipulation or composit rather than a photograph, still a stunning image tho:)
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