© Simon Murphy, United Kingdom, Shortlist, Portraiture; © Gerhard Hucke, Germany, Shortlist, Architecture; © Owen Harvey, United Kingdom, Portraiture; © Manuel Schmidt, Germany, Shortlist; Landscape; © François Philippe, France, Shortlist, Travel; © Memo Gómez, Colombia, Shortlist, Natural World & Wildlife; © Jacek Orzeł, Poland, Shortlist, Creative - Open competition, Sony World Photography Awards 2022
It's that time in the Sony World Photography Awards announcement season where we release one of our most highly anticipated results: the 2022 Open competition category winners and shortlist!
From more than 170,000 entries, 100 photographers made the shortlist with another 10 scooping a category winner title. The category winners, who each receive Sony digital imaging kit, inclusion in the Sony World Photography Awards exhibition and book, plus exposure on the World Photography Organisation social platforms and website, go on to compete for Open Photographer of the Year. Announced 12 April, 2022, the overall winner will receive $5,000 (USD and even more Sony digital imaging kit!
Speaking about judging the images this year, Hideko Kataoka, Director of Photography at Newsweek Japan says: ‘I enjoyed judging this wide variety of categories from Object to Street Photography. Creativity and originality were very important in choosing a winning image and it was terrific to see the excitement and joy of the photographers when they captured the moment. The photographs in this competition each make a coherent visual statement about a situation or particular circumstance in an elegant visual way.’
Here we take a look at a few of our favourite images, plus some unforgettable pictures from our category winners.
The Honey Collector
Utsab Ahamed Akash (Bangladesh) Lifestyle, Category winner
The honey collectors gather honey in winter. They place the bees’ nests near the mustard field as they can produce more honey that way. We often see this kind of scene in the Bangladesh countryside.
Air Sheep
Ioan Maga (Romania) Travel, shortlist
I was wandering near an airfield when I noticed this almost surreal image of sheep grazing in the field. The wind was mild.
Surfing festival
Raido Nurk (Estonia) Motion, Category winner
'The waves were the biggest I’ve ever seen in the evening when I took this photo in The Hague, Netherlands. The waves and the pouring rain created quite a unique atmosphere.'
James' Ice Cream
Simon Murphy (United Kingdom) Portraiture, Shortlist
'Jamie is a gardener in Glasgow. I caught him on a hot summer’s day, enjoying an ice cream.’
Untitled
Isabel Salmon (United Kingdom) Creative, Category winner
‘I began to document my mum’s experience with chronic vertigo and dizziness– a sensory documentation of her condition. I am finding ways to explore this through experimental techniques, with the intention of combining sound, and also considering other senses. I hope to create an installation in collaboration with my mum, using a series of conversations with her.’