Winners Revealed For 2019 Sony World Photography Awards

David J. Crewe

Updated on:

On April 17th, Sony announced the winners of the prestigious 2019 Sony World Photography Awards photo contest. The coveted Photographer of the Year title and $25,000 (USD) prize was presented at a London ceremony to the Italian artist Federico Borella for his series Five Degrees. Borella’s series focuses on male suicide in the farming community of Tamil Nadu, Southern India, which is experiencing its worst drought in 140 years.. The work was praised by the jury for its sensitivity, technical excellence and artistry in bringing to light a global concern.

The Sony World Photography Awards are a global platform for photography and provide a vital insight into contemporary photography today. For both established and emerging artists, the Awards offer world-class opportunities for exposure of their work.

India, Tamil Nadu, May 2018. Rasathi, 56, the wife of Selvarasy, 65, a farmer who committed suicide on May 2017 by hanging himself in his field. He got into debt with a Cooperative Society. According to a study carried out by Tamma A. Carleton, the warming over the last 30 years is responsible for 59.300 suicides in India. She estimates that fluctuations in climate, particularly temperature, significantly influence suicide rates.
Copyright: © Federico Borella, Italy, Photographer of the Year, Professional, Documentary (Professional), 2019 Sony World Photography Awards

Borella was selected from the ten category winners of the Professional competition who were announced today alongside those in 2nd and 3rd place in each Professional category.

The judges praised this year’s winners for giving expression and interpretation to the lives and issues faced across the globe. Mike Trow, Chair of the Professional competition, commented that this year’s submissions “provoked a lot of debate and interest amongst the jury” with works “pushing the boundaries of photography and challenging the perceptions and expectations of the audience.”

The Overall winners of the 2019 Sony World Photography Awards:

  • Photographer of the Year – Federico Borella, Italy. World’s best series of work.  Chosen from the 10 Professional category winners.
Copyright: © Federico Borella, Italy, Photographer of the Year, Professional, Documentary (Professional), 2019 Sony World Photography Awards
  • Open Photographer of the Year – Christy Lee Rogers, USA. Judged on a single image. Chosen from the 10 Open category winners.
Copyright: © Christy Lee Rogers, United States of America, Open Photographer of the Year, Open, Motion (Open competition), 2019 Sony World Photography Awards
  • Youth Photographer of the Year – Zelle Westfall, USA. Best single image taken by any photographer aged 12-19.
Copyright: © Zelle Westfall, United States of America, Youth Photographer of the Year, Youth, Diversity (2019 Youth competition), 2019 Sony World Photography Awards
  • Student Photographer of the Year – Sergi Villanueva, Spain. Best series of work taken by any student aged 30 and under.
Sergi Villanueva (Universidad Jaume I) "In my dialect, Valencian, there is a word that describes pride for the land where I belong: La Terreta. A feeling that surrounds us all, be part of La Terreta is to love our roots, the richness of our land, our culture, our people, our identity.Every time I go to La Terreta there is a sign that I see on the road that welcomes me home: the orange groves. That is why in this series I have focused on capturing daily life around the orange trees. From the farmers who plant and care for the trees to harvest the fruit, to the women who choose the oranges that will end up around the world. The orange tree is the essence of my land, it maintains the feeling of belonging and leaves the door open to future generations, spreading a message about the value of taking care of what nature gives us as a part of our identity."
Copyright: © Sergi Villanueva, Spain, Student Photographer of the Year, Student, 2019 Sony World Photography Awards

 

Copyright: © Sergi Villanueva, Spain, Student Photographer of the Year, Student, 2019 Sony World Photography Awards

 

  • Stephan Zirwes, Germany, 1st Place, Professional, Architecture (Professional competition)
Copyright: © Stephan Zirwes, Germany, 1st Place, Professional, Architecture (Professional competition), 2019 Sony World Photography Awards
Copyright: © Stephan Zirwes, Germany, 1st Place, Professional, Architecture (Professional competition), 2019 Sony World Photography Awards
  • Peter Franck, Germany, 3rd Place , Professional, Architecture (Professional competition)
Copyright: © Peter Franck, Germany, 3rd Place , Professional, Architecture (Professional competition), 2019 Sony World Photography Awards
Copyright: © Peter Franck, Germany, 3rd Place , Professional, Architecture (Professional competition), 2019 Sony World Photography Awards
  • Stephan Zirwes, Germany, 1st Place, Professional, Architecture (Professional competition)
Copyright: © Stephan Zirwes, Germany, 1st Place, Professional, Architecture (Professional competition), 2019 Sony World Photography Awards
Copyright: © Stephan Zirwes, Germany, 1st Place, Professional, Architecture (Professional competition), 2019 Sony World Photography Awards
  • Kohei Ueno, Japan, 2nd Place, Professional, Sport (Professional competition)
Copyright: © Kohei Ueno, Japan, 2nd Place, Professional, Sport (Professional competition), 2019 Sony World Photography Awards
Copyright: © Kohei Ueno, Japan, 2nd Place, Professional, Sport (Professional competition), 2019 Sony World Photography Awards
  • Cletus Nelson Nwadike, Sweden, 3rd Place, Professional, Still Life (Professional competition)
Copyright: © Cletus Nelson Nwadike, Sweden, 3rd Place, Professional, Still Life (Professional competition), 2019 Sony World Photography Awards
Copyright: © Cletus Nelson Nwadike, Sweden, 3rd Place, Professional, Still Life (Professional competition), 2019 Sony World Photography Awards
  • Nicolas Gaspardel & Pauline Baert, France, 1st Place, Professional, Still Life (Professional competition)
Copyright: © Nicolas Gaspardel & Pauline Baert, France, 1st Place, Professional, Still Life (Professional competition), 2019 Sony World Photography Awards
Copyright: © Nicolas Gaspardel & Pauline Baert, France, 1st Place, Professional, Still Life (Professional competition), 2019 Sony World Photography Awards

 

There are many other incredible images and you can view in the full gallery of winning photographers, including the 2nd and 3rd-place winning images on the Sony World Photography Awards page here.

*All images shared with permission from Sony World Photography Awards. Do not share or reuse images without direct permission.

**Featured Image credits – Copyright: © Pol Kurucz, France, 3rd Place , Professional, Creative (Professional competition), 2019 Sony World Photography Awards

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