Calling all photographers out there! There’s only one month left to enter the 2018 Sony World Photography Awards. This year marks the 11th edition of the awards, which has had some amazing winners so far.
To mark the one month deadline, the World Photography Organisation, creators of the Awards, have released a new selection of entries from the Open competition. Photographers from around the world submit images that cover a wide variety of topics. From aerial shots to intimate portraits and animals in the wild, the only thing that holds these photos together is how stunning they individually are.
The Entryway To Recognition
The Sony World Photography Awards are widely recognised as one of the world’s leading photography competitions. Many of its shortlisted and winning photographers gain global exposure and recognition from the experience.
For example, past shortlisted photographer Simon Butterworth said, “It’s impossible to overstate the importance of this achievement to my career. The global coverage was amazing, in fact, interest in my work as a direct result of the awards continues to this day.”
All entries to the Awards are free at the official site.
Deadlines And Jury
The 2018 judges have been tasked to reward the very best contemporary photography from the past year across the following competitions:
- Open – best single image
- Youth – photographers aged 12-19, best single image
- National Award – best single image taken by a local photographer from 60+ countries
Deadline: January 4, 2018
- Professional – best series of works
Deadline: January 11 2018
See the full category descriptions for all the competitions here.
Mike Trow, Picture Editor at British Vogue chairs the jury of the Professional competition. Zelda Cheatle, Curator chairs the jury of the Open, Youth competitions and National Awards. You can get more details about the 2018 jury here.
Key Dates
The shortlist for all competitions of the Awards will be announced on February 28, 2018. The Open and National Awards winners will be announced on March 20, 2018. The Photographer of the Year and the Professional category winners will be announced on April 19, 2018.
Prizes And Exhibition
Prizes include $25,000 (USD) for the Photographer of the Year and $5000 (USD) for the overall Open competition winner. All category winners will receive the latest Sony Digital Imaging equipment. Professional category winners are flown to London to attend the Sony World Photography Awards dinner on Thursday April 19, 2018.
The Awards’ winning and shortlisted images will once again be exhibited at Somerset House, London. The exhibition runs from April 20 to May 6 208. It will also include exclusive new works by the recipient of the Outstanding Contribution to Photography Award. This recipient will be announced in January 2018. Previous recipients include Martin Parr (2017), RongRong&inri (2016), Elliot Erwitt (2015), and Mary Ellen Mark (2014).
In addition, the winners of the Singapore National Award will receive the following prizes:
- 1st prize: α7R II, SEL2470Z and trip to Award Ceremony in London
- 2nd prize: A6500 and SEL1670Z
- 4rd prize: RX100 V
- Publication in the annual Sony World Photography Awards’ winners book (for the winner)
The winner of the Singapore National Award will have their image:
- Displayed digitally alongside winning and shortlisted photographers from around the globe as part of the 2018 Sony World Photography Awards Exhibition held in London in April-May 2018
- Showcased online at the World Photo official site.
Cover image: Haryadi Bakri, Indonesia
