Striking winning images announced at the 2019 Sony World Photography Awards

Selected from a record-breaking number of entries submitted from 195 countries and territories, the judges have rewarded 10 exceptional photographs that each fit the brief of the diverse categories.

The winners are as follows: Architecture – ​Philippe Sarfati of France ​with the image ​Heatwave; Culture (supported by Culture Trip) – Pan Jianhua of China Mainland with the image ​Shadow Puppetry; Creative – ​Martin Stranka of Czech Republic​,​ with the image ​Dreamers and Warriors; Motion – Christy Lee Rogers from America with the image​ Harmony and Landscape – ​Hal Gage from America with the image ​Stumps, Alder Lake, Nisqually River, Oregon.

For Natural World and Wildlife – British photographer, Tracey Lund, was chosen for her image, ​Underwater Gannets. In Portraiture, Brit Richard Ansett won with his image of ​Grayson Perry entitled Birth. Still Life went to​ ​Rachel Yee Laam Lai of Hong Kong SAR with the image ​Peony and Leaves, while Street Photography: was won by French photographer, Carole Pariat, for her image ​Open-Air Toilet. Finally, for Travel (supported by Eurostar) – Nicolas Boyer of France ​with the image ​Woman Wearing a Wedding Dress.

The winning photographers come from a broad range of countries and backgrounds and include full-time professional photographers, photographers who have recently converted from other careers, and enthusiasts alike.

The 10 Open category winners will now go on to compete for the ​Open Photographer of the Year​, winning $5,000 (USD). This photographer, along with the Professional categories’ winners, will be announced at an Awards’ ceremony in London on 17 April 2019.

The winners of the Sony World Photography Awards’ National Awards are also revealed today. Now in its seventh year, the National Awards demonstrates the World Photography Organisation and Sony’s commitment to supporting local photographic talent by recognising the work of photographers from 62 countries and promoting it on a global scale.

With winners from Myanmar to Peru, Mexico to Vietnam, the National Awards offer a unique opportunity for photographers of all abilities showcase their work. The full list of National Award winners can be found at www.worldphoto.org.

Being recognised in the Open and National Awards competitions can change photographers’ lives. Successes from the past year include ​Pedro Jarque Krebs​, a Peruvian photographer who was shortlisted for the 2018 Open competition’s Wildlife category and won Peru’s National Award. He has gone on to win further prestigious international awards and has been published by media worldwide. The Awards have recognised the photographer again this year, shortlisting him in the Open competition’s Natural World and Wildlife category.

Produced by the World Photography Organisation, the internationally acclaimed Sony World Photography Awards are one of the most important fixtures on the global photographic calendar. The Awards are now in their 12th year of partnership with headline sponsor Sony and consist of four competitions in total: Professional (for a body of works), ​Open (for a single image), ​Student (for academic institutions) and Youth (for 12 to 19-year-olds).

The 12th edition saw a record-breaking 326,997 ​submissions by photographers from 195 countries and territories, presenting some of the world’s finest contemporary photography captured over the past year. Discover more at worldphoto.org.