New categories and deadlines for entries in the Sony World Photography Awards 2021 have been announced

The World Photography Organization has announced the start of entries for the 14th round of the Sony World Photography Awards global photography competition, which will begin July 1, 2020, and introduced new categories and submission formats.

&copy Stanislav Stankovskiy, American Federation, Finalist, Open competition, Creative, 2020 Sony World Photography Awards

Established by the World Photography Organization, the Sony World Photography Awards is one of the world’s largest and most respected photography competitions. Successful entries are the gateway to widespread recognition and opportunity for the best entries from around the world. By fostering a culture of photography, Sony is providing support for the competition and providing a global platform to promote today’s talented photographers.

Participation is completely free, and photographers are judged anonymously by a respected jury of industry leaders. For the first time this year, photographers can register to enter using their Facebook, Weibo or Google accounts, and upload their work via Instagram.

Photographers from all over the world are invited to participate in the following four competitions: in the Professional Competition, authors are invited to submit a series of 5-10 impressive works in any of ten categories in the Open Competition the Jury chooses the best single work in one of ten categories in the Youth Competition young photographers aged 12-19 can submit single pictures once a month on a given theme and in the Student Competition the Jury chooses the most interesting works by photography students from around the world. In addition, national competitions are held to reward talented photographers at the regional level.

NEW CATEGORIES

In 2021, new categories were introduced in the Professional, Junior, and Open competitions, as well as updated themes for the Student competition. The organizers expect that the establishment of new categories will enable the competition to respond to a variety of requests and attract a wide range of contemporary photographers.

The Professional Competition introduces a new category for single entries called “Portfolios. It invites photographers to submit 5-10 pictures that are not related to each other by theme or certain narrative, but from which one can get a vivid and visual idea of the author’s qualifications and technical skills. In addition, the “Architecture” category has been expanded to include “Design”: photographers will be able to submit not only photographs of exteriors and urban landscapes, but also of interiors from an architectural perspective.

The Open Contest features two new categories: “Lifestyle” and “Object”. The Lifestyle category will evaluate editorial, fashion or family photos of people in various situations or during any event, taken in an artistic manner. The Object category will feature works depicting inanimate objects. These can be photographs created for commercial or promotional purposes, but they must reflect the author’s artistic approach.

The Junior Contest’s list of topics for the month has been completely revamped:

• “Composition and Design” July : creative images of any home theme that reflect good composition and design.

• “Culture” August : images that enrich and expand our understanding of the world and people – whether it’s an immersion in local culture or a story about an unusual journey away from home.

• “Natural World and Wildlife” September : the best wildlife, natural world and landscape photos taken in 2020.

• “Street Life” October : photographs of cityscapes, from vivid graffiti, images of architectural details to shots that tell the everyday life of city dwellers.

• “People” November : Studio portraits, reportage photos and even self-portraits.

• “Show Us Your World” December : Open Contest! Works on any subject, in any style and with any content are accepted.

As the first assignment, Student Contest participants will be asked to submit works on the theme “Building a Better Future,” which will showcase stories of people working to create a better future for all.

PRIZES AND DEADLINES FOR ENTRIES IN 2021

Entries for the Sony World Photography Awards are now open from July 1, 2020. A full description of the contests and categories is available on the contest website >

The organizers have set the following deadlines for entries:

• Professional competition: until January 14, 2021.

• Open competition: until January 7, 2021.

• Junior Contest: submissions on assigned topics are accepted from the first to last day of each month total contest period: July 1 to December 31, 2021 .

• Student Competition: November 30, 2020 first assignment

All winners of the Professional, Open, Junior and Student categories will receive Sony digital photography equipment. In addition, a sum of $25,000 will be awarded to the author honored as “Photographer of the Year,” and $5,000 to the winner of the “Open Competition Photographer of the Year” category.

All the winners and short-listed finalists will be shown at the Sony World Photography Awards exhibition in London, which will then open in cities around the world. In addition, the works of the winners will be published in the annual album of the Contest.