(MANILA, PHILIPPINES, 15 April 2021) – The World Photography Organization is delighted to announce this year’s category winners and shortlist in the Open competition of the Sony World Photography Awards 2021, recognizing the best single images from 2020. 

Over 100 photographers were shortlisted in the 2021 competition alongside ten category winners. Each winner receives the latest digital imaging equipment from Sony to develop their vision and will go on to compete for the prestigious Open Photographer of the Year title and a $5,000 (USD) reward. 

The overall Open winner will be announced on the 15th April. Winning and shortlisted work will be presented in the form of a virtual exhibition available to view via the World Photography Organisation website from the 15th April.

Overall Winners of 2021

The ten category winners are:

ARCHITECTURE

Klaus Lenzen (Germany) for The Blue Window, depicting a ramp of stairs at the Hyatt hotel in Düsseldorf ascending towards a window from which a view of clear blue skies is reflected. Seemingly floating in space, the stairs and window are framed in dark shadows that highlight the design while also adding an element of surrealism. 

CREATIVE 

Tamary Kudita (Zimbabwe) for African Victorian, a portrait of a young black woman dressed in Victorian dress and holding traditional Shona cooking utensils. The image probes at stereotypical contextualizing of the black female body and offers an alternative visual language through which a multifaceted African identity is presented.

LANDSCAPE

Juan López Ruiz (Spain) for Electric Storm on Lavender, a dramatic photograph capturing the moment lighting strikes a flowering field of lavender with a solitary tree at its center, set against a dusky evening sky. Taken in the province of Guadalajara, Spain.

LIFESTYLE 

Mariano Belmar Torrecilla (Spain) for Dias de playa, a softly focused picture of two women enjoying a morning walk on the beach in Alicante, Spain.

MOTION 

Marijo Maduna (Croatia) for Girl Power, a black & white photograph recording the moment when a woman dives off a cliff on the island of Lokrum near Dubrovnik, Croatia, while her friends stand-by and watch.

NATURAL WORLD & WILDLIFE

Cristo Pihlamäe (Estonia) for Little Kiss, an amusing picture of a hare looking out into the field with its tongue sticking out.

OBJECT

Kata Zih (Hungary) for Memento, depicting a tailor’s mannequin in an empty room. For Zih, the stillness of the scene evokes a feeling of solitude and stirs up memories of lockdown.

PORTRAITURE

Lyudmila Sabanina (Russian Federation) for Son, featuring a young child sitting on a table while gazing into space, lost in contemplation. The photograph shows another side to childhood, one of calmness and reflection.

STREET PHOTOGRAPHY

F. Dilek Uyar (Turkey) for Disinfection, a cinematic image documenting an employee of the Health Affairs unit of Ankara Municipality in protective gear walking along the train platform while spraying it with disinfectant.

TRAVEL

Khanh Phan (Vietnam) for Drying Fish, a photograph of a lone woman surrounded by hundreds of trays of drying fish in the Long Hai fish market in Ba Ria – Vung Tau, Vietnam. Taken from above the pattern, of the fish in trays resembles a large piece of fabric with the woman seemingly weaving it all together.

This year’s Open competition was judged by Gastón Deleau, Director, FOLA, Buenos Aires, Argentina. 

The overall winners of the Open, Professional, Student and Youth competition of the Sony World Photography Awards 2021 will be announced on the 15 April 2021 via the World Photography Organization’s digital and video platforms. For more information about winners and shortlists please visit www.worldlphoto.org

OPEN COMPETITION 2021 FINALISTS AND SHORTLIST

ARCHITECTURE:
Category Winner: Klaus Lenzen, Germany 
Shortlist:Farshid Ahmadpour, Islamic Republic of IranAbdulla Al-Mushaifri, Oman Steffen Ebert, GermanySimone Hutsch, GermanyVytenis Jankūnas, United StatesKlaus Lenzen, GermanyKunkun Liu, China MainlandAleksandr Lefler, Russian FederationJordan McChesney, CanadaVitaly Medvedev, Russian FederationDa Miane, GeorgiaJose Pessoa Neto, PortugalHolger Ostwald, GermanyAshwani Sarda, India
CREATIVE:
Category Winner: Tamary Kudita, Zimbabwe
Shortlist:Edita Bízová, Czech RepublicTatenda Chidora, ZimbabweMaximilien Diaz, FranceVyacheslav Ivanov, Russian FederationAli Jamshidi,, Islamic Republic of IranJoosep Kivimäe, EstoniaAngiolo Manetti, ItalyJarod Mauws, BelgiumAlireza Movahedi, Islamic Republic of IranHoije Nuuter, EstoniaNara O’Neil, AustraliaJing Shen, China MainlandGeorgе Shpuntov, Russian FederationKylli Sparre, Estonia
LANDSCAPE:
Category Winner: Juan López Ruiz, Spain
Shortlist:Luca Donegani, ItalyKevin Frank, SwitzerlandJinjing Lyu, China MainlandJoaquin Marco, SpainAndrea Ortiz Diaz, ColombiaMehdi Parsaeian Islamic Republic of IranLorenzo Poli, ItalyScott Portelli, AustraliaJames Rushforth, United KingdomHans Kristian Strand, NorwayMarkus Wiedmann, GermanyParker Yost, United States
LIFESTYLE: 
Category Winner:Mariano Belmar, Spain
Shortlist: Antonino Barone, ItalyIsabela Teresa Basilio Neri, BrazilGemma Brunton, United KingdomHolger Bücker, GermanyStefano Butturini, ItalyAimee Glucina, New ZealandMichail Karagiannis, Greece Hamed Rahmati, Islamic Republic of IranAlexey Tsiler, Russian FederationBrad Walls, Australia
MOTION: 
Category WinnerMarijo Maduna, Croatia
Shortlist:Sandi Bertoncelj, SloveniaHersley-Ven Casero, The PhilippinesSerkan Çolak, TurkeyTadiwanashe Murowe, ZimbabweMary Nhoileen Maypa, The PhilippinesRuud Peters, The NetherlandsDaniel Portch, United Kingdom Zdeněk Vošický, Czech RepublicBrad Walls, AustraliaXianshe Ye, China Mainland
NATURAL WORLD & WILDLIFE: 
Category Winner: Cristo Pihlamäe, Estonia
Shortlist:Thoedoros Apeiranthitis, GreeceHin Man Au, Hong KongAmish Chhagan, ZambiaYuta Doto, JapanArturo de Frias, SpainTatyana Nemova, Russian FederationAlex Pansier, The NetherlandsAlexandre Pietra, SwitzerlandMati Puum, EstoniaInger Rønnenfelt, DenmarkKoki Shinoda, JapanAndrew Suryono, IndonesiaIakovos Thoedoros, Greece
PORTRAITURE: 
Category Winner:Lyudmila Sabanina, Russian Federation 
Shortlist:Frederic Aranda, United KingdomShirsendu Banerjee, IndiaPaul Benns, United KingdomBella von Einsiedel, GermanyReinis Fjodorovs, LatviaSabbir Hossen, BangladeshZeng Jinwen, China MainlandHeun Jung Kim, South KoreaJustin Keene, United KingdomKing Mtambisi, ZimbabweKing Mtambisi,, South AfricaRhianna Payne, United KingdomJose Pessoa Neto, PortugalElif Öztürk, TurkeyMireia Vilaplana, SpainMireia Vilaplana, United Arab Emirates
OBJECT: 
Category Winner: Kata Zih, Hungary
Shortlist:Steve Chandler, United KingdomChristian Holz, ArgentinaUwe Langmann, GermanyKlaus Lenzen, GermanyAgata Mroczek, PolandPaolo Paccagnella, ItalyStefan Pankow, United KingdomAnn Petruckevitch, United KingdomManuel Schmidt, GermanyMasumi Shiohara, Japan
STREET PHOTOGRAPHY: 
Category Winner: F.Dilek Uyar, Turkey
Shortlist:Dina Alfasi, IsraelDimpy Bhalotia, IndiaDavid Keith Brown, United StatesGary Cummins, IrelandRamunas Danisevicius, LithuaniaBasu Deb, IndiaTommaso Galli, ItalyVytenis Jankūnas, United StatesAres Jonekson, IndonesiaBartlomiej Jurecki, PolandTomasz Kowalski, PolandFrancesco Lopazio, ItalyFrancesco Saverio Lopazio, ItalyZhang Weijian, China MainlandSoemyint Winn, Myanmar
TRAVEL: 
Category Winner:Khanh Phan, Vietnam
Shortlist:Marios Forsos, GreeceAlexis Guevara, MexicoGraeme Haunholter, CanadaMartina Lo Casto, ItalyRune Mattsson, NorwayHiroki Nose, JapanYukihito Ono, JapanFranz Sußbauer, GermanyF.Dilek Uyar, TurkeyMin Min Zaw, Myanmar









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