Sony World Photography Awards 2017
- Published
Frederik Buyckx’s winning landscape series, Whiteout, captures the transformation of nature when winter arrives. Zelda Cheatle, who chairs the judges, says: "Landscape is often overlooked, but it is central to our existence. I hope this award will inspire many more photographers to take pictures that do not simply encompass the terrible aspects of life in these troubled times but also capture some of the joys and loveliness in each and every environment.”
The project was made in the Balkans, Scandinavia and Central Asia, remote areas where people often live in isolation and in close contact with nature. “There is a peculiar transformation of nature when winter comes, when snow and ice start to dominate the landscape and when humans and animals have to deal with the extreme weather. The series investigates this struggle against disappearance," says Buyckx.
The 2017 awards attracted more than 227,000 entries, with images submitted from 183 countries in 10 categories, as well as a youth, student and an open award. Tasneem Alsultan Saudi Tales of Love series won the Contemporary Issues category.
Chinese photographer Dongni won the Professional Architecture category with Space and City, a series that looks at how "a variety of urban form and minimalist architecture breaks the old structure, splitting it into triangles, squares and diamond shapes".
The Conceptual award went to Swiss photographer Sabine Cattaneo with a series documenting questions around assisted death.
Alessio Romenzi won the Current Affairs and News category with a series documenting the offensive to liberate Sirte, in Libya, from occupation by so-called Islamic State.
Sandra Hoyn won the Daily Life award for her series The Longings of Others, which looks at the lives of women who work at the Kandapara brothel in the district of Tangail in Bangladesh. In this image from the series, Meghla, 23, is pictured with a customer. She started working for a garment factory when she was 12 years old, where she met a man who promised her a better job with more money - he sold her to a brothel.
The Sport award went to Yuan Peng. The series was taken in a sports school in Jining, in Shandong province, China, where twins Liu Bingqing and Liu Yujie study and train.
Will Burrard-Lucas won the Natural World category with the series African Wildlife at Night. Burrard-Lucas wanted to show "nocturnal animals in their true element".
Indelible Marks by Henry Agudelo focuses on the war and violence in Colombia and looks at methods to identify the hundreds of bodies of disappeared people awaiting recognition. The project won the Still Life award.
The Portraiture award went to George Mayer for the series Light. Shadows. Perfect woman. All the winning and shortlisted images will be exhibited at Somerset House, London 21 April - 7 May. All photos courtesy: Sony World Photography Award