Last Updated on 02/09/2019 by Mark Beckenbach
Sony World Photography Awards have revealed their first selection of outstanding photos from their 2019 Open and Youth shortlist.
Above: © Pan Jianhua, China, Shortlist, Open, Culture (Open competition), 2019 Sony World Photography Awards
If you’ve been eagerly following the annual Sony World Photography Awards, we have some exciting news for you. This year’s first shortlist announcement is finally out, showcasing some of the past year’s best single images from across the globe. The first batch features exceptional photos chosen by the World Photography Organization for the Open and Youth competitions.
This year’s shortlist was culled from yet another record-breaking number of entries to this prestigious award, at 326,000 submissions from 195 countries and territories. Photographers from the United Kingdom, Italy, and the USA sent the highest volume of entries, with Mexico, India, Korea, and the UK having the biggest increase in number of submissions. Landscape and Portraiture remained the most popular categories, while more recent ones like Creative enabled photographers to push the boundaries of the craft.
The Open shortlist showcases outstanding works from across ten different categories, with subject matters ranging from underwater photographs to portraits, to urban scenes, and magical landscapes. The Open competition also has a new Creative category, while two categories are joined by new partners: Culture Trip for Culture and Eurostar for Travel.
The Youth shortlist, meanwhile, features eight impressive single images snapped by 12-19 year olds in response to the theme “Diversity”.
The shortlisted photographers for the Open competition will now vie for their respective categories and stand the chance to emerge as the Open Photographer of the Year with a prize of $5,000. One young photographer will also be chosen as the Youth Photographer of the Year in April. The Professional shortlist is slated to be announced next on February 26.
Visit the World Photography Organization’s official website for more information on the Sony World Photography Awards.
