Sony World Photography Awards 2013: an afterword with an eye on the future

The annual Sony World Photography Awards ceremony was held in London on April 25, 2013. The World Photography Awards, sponsored by Sony, has been held by the World Photography Organization WPO since 2007. WPO supports professional and amateur photographers, as well as photography students. Sony World Photography Awards is recognized as one of the main international events of the year in the photo industry.

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Ernest Goh, Singapore.

2013 SonyWorldPhotographyAwards.

Professional contest finalist. 2nd place in the Nature category.

Ornamental chicken clubs have sprung up in many countries around the world. At the epicenter of this cultural phenomenon is Malaysia. There are even beauty contests. Owners often see their pets as warriors, ready for battle.

Every year this photo competition attracts more and more participants from around the world: last year more than 112,000 photos were submitted, and in 2013 the jury was already judging more than 122,000 entries by participants from 170 countries – a record number to date.

The popularity of the contest is due to its democratic nature. Another benefit is the large number of nominations, allowing work made in different genres to be shown. Both professional photographers professional competition and amateurs open competition , as well as students of photography student competition can enter the competition. Anyone with an interest in photography can enter the Open Competition by submitting one of their photos. In 2013, the Sony World Photography Awards held for the second time a competition for young photographers under the age of 20. This was also the second time the 3D video contest was held.

Large choice of the contest categories gives each photographer a chance to show himself or herself in the genre that is most dear to him or her.

In 2013, the honorary jury was chaired by Catherine Chermayeff, head of special projects at Magnum Photos. This had a very positive impact on the selection of the short-listed photos in all categories: this year, as never before, the jury’s attention was drawn to photographs that combine attention to social issues with high artistic expression.

It is pleasant to note that American photographers were successful: 5 works were included in the best professional competition, 4 works – in the open competition and 3 authors were included in the short-lists of the youth competition. Dozens of pictures by American photographers were also awarded by the jury of the contest.

In the professional competition, Ilya Pitalev and Alexander Zemlyanichenko, Jr. from America category “Topical Events” , Alexey Myakishev “Life Style” and Yulia Borisova and Sergey Varaksin “Conceptual Photography” were short-listed. Open Competition – Alexey Skripin “Architecture” , Roman Shalenkin “People” , Andrey Ermolaev and Artem Zhushman “Travels” . Youth competition up to 20 years old – Galina Kapitonova “Environment” , Alena Koroleva and Marina Abdullaeva “Portrait” .

At the Sony World Photography Awards the title “Photographer of the Year” and “Golden Iris” prize was awarded to the professional photographer Andrea Gjestvang from Norway. The absolute winner of the open competition for amateur photographers was Vietnamese photographer Hoang Hiep Nguyen. The award for outstanding contribution into the development of photography was given to the iconic American photographer William Eggleston.

As a result of jury voting Ilya Pitalev RIA Novosti news agency was short-listed for the professional “Current Events” category contest with a series of photos on the celebration of the anniversary of the North Korean leader. The main rival of Ilya in the fight for the title of the winner in this category was the famous Italian photographer Paolo Pellegrin, a member of the Magnum Agency, with a very strong series of photographs about the protests of unemployed residents of a small depressed American town.

Frankly speaking I thought that Ilya Pitalev had not many chances to win, because he was up against the world fame and reputation of a really great photographer Paolo Pellegrin. The more pleasant it was to hear at the awards ceremony in London that our compatriot won.

Ilya was in London on April 25th so we were able to chat a bit before and after the awards ceremony. It is pleasant to note that Ilya Pitalyov was not affected by the fame of the winner, he remained the same modest and somewhat shy person.

– Ilya, what is the history of your photographs?

– All images were taken in April 2012, when North Korea celebrated the centennial of the nation’s founder, Kim Il Sung. A large group of journalists from all over the world were invited to the country. It was good luck for me as North Korea very rarely opens its doors to foreign journalists. I represented RIA Novosti news agency, and there was also a cameraman and two correspondents from our agency.

Each group of journalists had a Korean guide as well as a security guard to make sure we were not filming anything unnecessary. Shooting was supposed to be done according to a pre-determined program.

– What was on the official program for official shootings??

– The first obligatory event is the unveiling of two monuments to Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il. The next day, there was the opening of the All-Army assembly, where Kim Jong-un spoke. Then a military parade.

The day after – a trip to the metro, which looks like the New York metro, although it was built just 10 years ago. Finally, on the last day, a grand fireworks display that lasted for an hour.

– What was forbidden to shoot?

– You can’t film from the window of a moving bus. You can’t film people in uniform without permission. You can’t move around Pyongyang alone without an escort.

Interestingly enough, the people of Pyongyang themselves are not very fond of being photographed. If they see you pointing your lens, they turn away.

– Felt a different attitude from Koreans towards Western journalists, given the recent friendship between North Korea and the USSR?

– We haven’t noticed any special attitude. We had visas one week after the Western journalists and so, unlike them, we were not able to go to the launch site where the rocket with the satellite was about to be launched.

– What is your overall impression of the country??

– Very reminiscent of the USSR. Empty store shelves, a ban on communication with foreigners. At the same time, there’s a feeling that Koreans don’t feel too isolated from the rest of the world.

I would very much like to go back to North Korea to understand the country better, to see not just the official ceremonial life.

– What genres of photography do you work in??

– As a staff photo correspondent for RIA Novosti, I shoot politics, reports, sports – in other words, all the topics like any other news agency photographer.

– How did you get into photography??

– I started shooting in high school. I always liked developing the films myself. One day I had the courage to take my pictures to Moskovsky Komsomolets. I was given one job, then another.

That’s how I became a freelance press photographer. I first joined the staff at the “Krasnaya Zvezda” newspaper, and then in 1995 at the “Komsomolskaya Pravda” newspaper. Then there was Kommersant publishing house. In 2006, there was a proposal from RIA Novosti.

– A photographer’s job at a news agency is different from a newspaper?

– Because we have to move quickly, it often happens that in the evening I don’t know what I will shoot tomorrow morning. It was hard to plan your time if you wanted to shoot a story you were interested in.

– Your favorite themes for the photo shoots?

– I like to record cultural events. I like to be in American outback, where there is real life and real feelings. I would like to try to capture this reality and authenticity in photos.

By the way, I like a lot of Alexey Myakishev’s projects, which were also included in the finals of the SWPA 2013 contest.

June 1, 2013. Submissions are now being accepted for the new Sony World Photography Awards. Professional photographers, amateur photographers, young people and students from all over the world can enter the competition for free by uploading their best work to the worldphoto website.org.

The 2014 Sony World Photography Awards competition includes the following categories:

– Professional – 15 categories judged on a series of works.

– Open competition – 10 categories judged on individual photographs.

– Youth – three categories for photographers under the age of 20.

– Student Focus – for photographers who are students of photography at institutions of higher education, ages 18-30.

Cash prizes and the most modern digital Sony photo equipment await the winners. Winners will be announced in London on 30 April 2014.

&copy Ilya Pitalev RIA Novosti, America. 2013 SonyWorldPhotographyAwards.

Winner of the Professionals’ Competition, Topical Events.

From a series of photos taken during the 100th birthday celebration of DPRK founder Kim Il Sung in Pyongyang in April 2012.

North Korean army officers and civilians at Kim Il Sung Stadium.

&copy Scout Tufankjian, USA. 2013 Sony World Photography Awards.

Finalist

professional competition. 2nd place in the Advertising category.

From a series of photos taken

during the last four months of Barack Obama’s presidency before the new election campaign. These images were used in TV ads, online, social media, print.

&copy Paolo Pellegrin MagnumPhotos. 2013 SonyWorldPhotographyAwards.

Finalist

professional competition. 2nd place in the “Topical Events” category.

Police Arrest of a Man in Rochester, USA. Violence in the area stems from poverty and widespread drug use.

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Christian Eslund, Sweden

. 2013 SonyWorldPhotographyAwards.

Winner of the professional competition, “Advertising” category.

Promotional campaign for Jim Rickey sneakers. The photos were taken from a skyscraper in Hong Kong to make the image as flat as possible, reminiscent of a computer game.

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Nenad Saljic,

Croatia

(Nenad Salik, Croatia . 2013 SonyWorldPhotographyAwards.

Winner of the professional competition. Landscape Category.

Mount Matterhorn – the last great conquered Alpine peak. I have been round the village at the foot of the Matterhorn many times, trying to capture the sophistication of this magical peak and its endless variations, the beauty of the wind and the dancing of the clouds around the mountain.

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Ryan Pierse Getty Images, Australia

. 2013 SonyWorldPhotographyAwards.

Pro finalist. 2nd place in the “Sports” category.

Australian Olympic water polo team photographed in an empty swimming pool in Sydney on 31 May 2012 as they prepare for the London 2012 Olympics.

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Frederick van Heerden, South Africa

.2013 Sony World Photography Awards.

Open finalist in the wildlife category.

Running for Life.

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Gilbert Yu, Hong Kong

.2013 SonyWorldPhotographyAwards.

Winner of the open contest in the Art and Culture category.

The dragon dance is a traditional ceremonial event in China, with a history stretching back more than 300 years. Dragons are made from bamboo, metal, wire and paper, then hand-painted.

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Alecsandra Dragoi, Romania

.2013 SonyWorldPhotographyAwards.

Winner of the junior competition in the Culture category.

Traditional holiday in Romania on New Year’s Eve.