Reviews |Tribute to photojournalist wins the Photographer of the Year title in Sony World Photography Awards

Tribute to photojournalist wins the Photographer of the Year title in Sony World Photography Awards

News

Edgar Martins (Portugal) has won the Photographer of the Year title in the Sony World Photography awards for his project honouring his friend and photojournalist Anton Hammerl who was abducted and killed on 5 April 2011 by government militia, during the Libyan Civil War.

Martins’ work, ‘Our War’, was selected as the winning project from the 10 category winners of the Professional competition. His images, and those of the other category winners, alongside some of the second- and third-placed photographers can be seen at Sony World Photography Awards exhibition at Somerset House in London from the 14th of April to the 1st of May 2023.

The exhibition also features works by the recipient of this year’s Outstanding Contribution to Photography award, the esteemed Japanese photographer Rinko Kawauchi.

As well as the Photographer of the Year title, Edgar Martins wins a $25,000 (USD) cash prize and a selection of Sony imaging gear. He is also granted a solo presentation of his work as part of next year’s Sony World Photography Awards exhibition.

© Edgar Martins, Portugal, Photographer of the Year, Professional competition, Portraiture, Sony World Photography Awards 2023
© Edgar Martins, Portugal, Photographer of the Year, Professional competition, Portraiture, Sony World Photography Awards 2023

Professional Category Winners

All the category winners receive Sony’s digital imaging kit, this year’s winners are:

Architecture and Design
Winner: Fan Li (China Mainland) for his series Cement Factory

Finalists: 2nd place Servaas Van Belle (Belgium); 3rd place Andres Gallardo Albajar (Spain)

© Fan Li, China Mainland, Winner, Professional competition, Architecture & Design, Sony World Photography Awards 2023
© Fan Li, China Mainland, Winner, Professional competition, Architecture & Design, Sony World Photography Awards 2023

Creative

Winner: Lee-Ann Olwage (South Africa) for her series The Right to Play

Finalists: 2nd place Noemi Comi (Italy); 3rd place Edoardo Delille & Giulia Piermartiri (Italy)

© Lee-Ann Olwage, South Africa, Winner, Professional competition, Creative, Sony World Photography Awards 2023
© Lee-Ann Olwage, South Africa, Winner, Professional competition, Creative, Sony World Photography Awards 2023

Documentary Projects

Winner: Hugh Kinsella Cunningham (United Kingdom) for his series The Women’s Peace Movement in Congo

Finalists: 2nd place Mohammed Salem (State of Palestine); 3rd place Tariq Zaidi (United Kingdom)

© Hugh Kinsella Cunningham, UK, Finalist, Pro competition, Documentary, Sony World Photography Awards 2023
© Hugh Kinsella Cunningham, UK, Finalist, Pro competition, Documentary, Sony World Photography Awards 2023

Environment

Winner: Marisol Mendez (Bolivia) & Federico Kaplan (Argentina) for their series Miruku

Finalists: 2nd place Jonas Kakó (Germany); 3rd place Axel Javier Sulzbacher (Germany)

© Marisol Mendez, Bolivia and Federico Kaplan, Argentina, Winner, Professional competition, Environment, Sony World Photography Awards 2023
© Marisol Mendez, Bolivia and Federico Kaplan, Argentina, Winner, Professional competition, Environment, Sony World Photography Awards 2023

Landscape

Winner: Kacper Kowalski (Poland) for his series Event Horizon

Finalists: 2nd place Bruno Zanzottera (Italy); 3rd place Fabio Bucciarelli (Italy)

© Kacper Kowalski, Poland, Winner, Professional competition, Landscape, Sony World Photography Awards 2023
© Kacper Kowalski, Poland, Winner, Professional competition, Landscape, Sony World Photography Awards 2023

Portfolio

Winner: James Deavin (United Kingdom) for his submission Portfolio

Finalists: 2nd place Marylise Vigneau (France); 3rd place Marjolein Martinot (Netherlands)

© James Deavin, United Kingdom, Winner, Professional competition, Portfolio, Sony World Photography Awards 2023
© James Deavin, United Kingdom, Winner, Professional competition, Portfolio, Sony World Photography Awards 2023

Portraiture

Winner: Edgar Martins (Portugal) for his series Our War

Finalists: 2nd place Ebrahim Noroozi (Islamic Republic of Iran); 3rd place Jean-Claude Moschetti (France)

© Edgar Martins, Portugal, Photographer of the Year, Professional competition, Portraiture, Sony World Photography Awards 2023
© Edgar Martins, Portugal, Photographer of the Year, Professional competition, Portraiture, Sony World Photography Awards 2023

Sport

Winner: Al Bello (United States) for his series Female Pro Baseball Player Succeeds in All Male Pro League

Finalists: 2nd place Andrea Fantini (Italy); 3rd place Nicola Zolin (Italy)

© Al Bello, United States, Winner, Professional competition, Sport, Sony World Photography Awards 2023
© Al Bello, United States, Winner, Professional competition, Sport, Sony World Photography Awards 2023

Still Life
Winner: Kechun Zhang (China Mainland) for his series The Sky Garden

Finalists: 2nd place Carloman Macidiano Céspedes Riojas (Peru); 3rd place Jagoda Malanin (Poland)

© Kechun Zhang, China Mainland, Winner, Professional competition, Still Life, Sony World Photography Awards 2023
© Kechun Zhang, China Mainland, Winner, Professional competition, Still Life, Sony World Photography Awards 2023

Wildlife and Nature

Winner: Corey Arnold (United States) for his series Cities Gone Wild

Finalists: 2nd place Adalbert Mojrzisch (Germany); 3rd place Sriram Mural (India)

© Corey Arnold, United States, Winner, Professional competition, Wildlife & Nature, Sony World Photography Awards 2023
© Corey Arnold, United States, Winner, Professional competition, Wildlife & Nature, Sony World Photography Awards 2023

Open Photographer of the Year

This competition celebrates the power of a single image and it was won by Dinorah Graue Obscura (Mexico) who receives a $5,000 (USD) cash prize and Sony digital imaging equipment.

© Dinorah Graue Obscura, Mexico, Winner, Open Competition, Natural World & Wildlife, Sony World Photography Awards 2023
© Dinorah Graue Obscura, Mexico, Winner, Open Competition, Natural World & Wildlife, Sony World Photography Awards 2023

Student Photographer of the Year

Students were invited to submit 5 to 10 images on the theme ‘In a Changing World’, highlighting positive stories of development and progress from across the world. The competition was won by Long Jing (China Mainland) of Yunnan Arts University. Along with the title, Student Photographer of the Year, Long Jing won his university €30,000’s worth of Sony digital imaging equipment.

© Long Jing, China Mainland, Shortlist, Student competition, Sony World Photography Awards 2023
© Long Jing, China Mainland, Shortlist, Student competition, Sony World Photography Awards 2023

Youth Photographer of the Year

The theme for this year’s Youth competition was ‘Your Everyday’. It was won by Hai Wang (China Mainland, 17 years-old) whose work was selected from a shortlist of 7 by photographers under the age of 19.

© Hai Wang, China Mainland, Shortlist, Youth competition, Sony World Photography Awards 2023
© Hai Wang, China Mainland, Shortlist, Youth competition, Sony World Photography Awards 2023

Sustainability Prize

Alessandro Cinque (Italy) has been announced as the first winner of the Sustainability Prize. He receives a $5,000 cash prize and a presentation of his project as part of the Sony World Photography Awards exhibition in London.

This new prize was developed in collaboration with the United Nations Foundation and Sony Pictures’ Picture to recognise the stories, people and organisations whose actions highlight one of the United Nations’ environmental Sustainable Development Goals.

Cinque won the prize for his series ‘Atrapanieblas’ (Fog Nets) which documents an innovative solution helping to tackle chronic water shortages in Lima, Peru.

© Alessandro Cinque, Italy, Shortlist, Professional competition, Documentary Projects, Sony World Photography Awards 2023
© Alessandro Cinque, Italy, Shortlist, Professional competition, Documentary Projects, Sony World Photography Awards 2023

Outstanding Contribution to Photography

This year’s Outstanding Contribution to Photography award was bestowed on Rinko Kawauchi who is regarded to be one of the most important Japanese photographers working today.

© Rinko Kawauchi, Untitled, from the series Illuminance”, 2009
© Rinko Kawauchi, Untitled, from the series Illuminance”, 2009