The shortlists for the Youth and Student categories of the Sony World Photography Awards have just been announced. As you might expect, there are some cracking images from up-and-coming artists. Here are some of our favorite picks.
The Youth World Photography Prize
The Youth category of the Sony World Photography Award works a little differently than most competitions. Admission was free and the winner will receive “the best Sony digital imaging equipment”, possibly a mirrorless camera.
The contest was open to photographers between the ages of 12 and 19. Each month between June and December last year, a theme was announced and young photographers could submit up to three images. One winner (along with 10 runners-up) was chosen each month, and those seven winners make up the shortlist for the overall prize.
June: Composition and Design
Elijah Baptiste from the United States won the Competition and Design category for his contrasting, mysterious and incredibly composed portrait.
July: Street Photography
Zinuo Shi from China won the Street Photography category with this outstanding shot. When I first saw it, I assumed it was made up. It’s good.
August: Landscape
Canada’s Emery Sanderson won the Landscape category with his fantastic winter shot. I love how the track draws my eyes into the scene.
September: Culture and travel
Cameron Borg from Australia won the Culture and Travel category with this photo (presumably by drone) of a surfer catching a wave. It’s the color contrast that does it for me with this one.
October: Wildlife and Nature
Rayhan Mundra from the USA won the Wildlife and Nature category with this awesome action shot of a bear killing a fish – salmon, maybe? The spray circles give it so much intensity and action.
November: Portrait
Tri Nguyen from Vietnam won the Portrait category with this super interesting shot. I love how the mirror adds another perspective. It’s almost like two portraits in one.
December: open call
Benjamin Joel from the United States won the Open Call category with his portrait as a fencer. I love how the slightly low angle and center framing gives the subject such a strong feeling.
The World Student Photography Award
Like the Youth award, the Student category of the Sony World Photography Award is a bit different. It is open to students between the ages of 18 and 30 who were studying for an accredited photography degree, Bachelor of Arts or Master of Arts. In addition to personally winning Sony photo equipment, the grand prize winner will win photo equipment for their establishment.
Given the somewhat restricted group eligible to participate, the brief was also a bit more specific. Students were asked to interpret in their own way:
Recently, we’ve had to think differently about how we connect in more ways than we could have imagined. Around the world, we have embraced a modern evolution of communication, giving us a new perspective on connection. It was also an opportunity to reflect on establishing new relationships while maintaining old ones as well as reconnecting with our surroundings.
How do you connect with your surroundings or the local environment? How do you bond with your family, friends and colleagues? How do you nurture and develop these connections to ensure they last for years to come?
Whether connecting virtually or in real life, show us in five to ten images how you, or someone you’re documenting, interact with the world.
You can view each finalist’s gallery on the World Photography Organization website.
The short list
The ten photographers who made the shortlist are:
- Angela Stoll, University of Wollongong, Australia
- Xu Han, Nanjing University of the Arts, China
- Ezra Bohm, Nederlandse Acedemie voor Beeldcreatie, Netherlands
- Dennis Mubanga Kabwe, Open Window University Zambia
- Alexander Komenda, Aalto University, Finland
- Chris Rosas Vargas, Parsons, USA
- Oriel Naxhielly Martins, ENFO Escuela Nacional de Fotografía, Argentina
- Aidan Murgatroyd, Stellenbosch Academy of Design and Photography, South Africa
- Sergey Pronin, Docdocdoc, School of Modern Photography, Russian Federation
- Sachi Deshmukh, Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti, Italy
How to Enter Next Year’s Contest
In addition to the Youth and Student categories, the World Photography Awards also has Professional and Open categories, as well as regional awards based on entrants to these categories. The different categories all have different entry requirements, submissions and closing dates, so keep an eye on the World Photography Organization website for more information.
If it’s the same as this year:
- The Youth competition will take place from July to December 2022.
- The student competition will end in November 2022.
- The professional competition will end in January 2023.
- The open competition will end in January 2023.
