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.
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.
- Open Photographer of the Year – Christy Lee Rogers, USA. Judged on a single image. Chosen from the 10 Open category winners.
- Youth Photographer of the Year – Zelle Westfall, USA. Best single image taken by any photographer aged 12-19.
- Student Photographer of the Year – Sergi Villanueva, Spain. Best series of work taken by any student aged 30 and under.
- Stephan Zirwes, Germany, 1st Place, Professional, Architecture (Professional competition)
- Peter Franck, Germany, 3rd Place , Professional, Architecture (Professional competition)
- Stephan Zirwes, Germany, 1st Place, Professional, Architecture (Professional competition)
- Kohei Ueno, Japan, 2nd Place, Professional, Sport (Professional competition)
- Cletus Nelson Nwadike, Sweden, 3rd Place, Professional, Still Life (Professional competition)
- Nicolas Gaspardel & Pauline Baert, France, 1st Place, Professional, Still Life (Professional competition)
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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