One light. A refugee hosted in an immigration shelter in Italy. This portrait was taken the night before he and the other mirants of his group were divided again and allocated in other destinations. This series of portraits is taken from a personal investigation about immigration in Italy. These photos depict some refugees temporarily hosted in an immigration shelter, more precisely in a school gym of a town in the North of Italy. Thanks to the solidarity and passion of a group of volunteers and citizens who welcomed and took care about these fifty migrants for nearly two months, the place has become a well-known and helpful example of integration and humanity. However, after that positive experience, the migrants had to move to other locations in order to free the place where they had been put up, as school had to start again. These pictures were taken the night before the members of that multi-ethnic family were divided again and sent to other destinations, without any certainty about their future. © Francesco Fratto, Italy, Shortlist, Professional People, 2016 Sony World Photography Awards
© Hongbo Zhu, China, Shortlisted, Youth Competition, Environment, 2016 Sony World Photography Awards
Chess / Youth Tournaments (2015, Czech Republic). Chess is, for many of us, the most boring sport in the world. Many even do not know that chess is officially classified as a sport discipline. This documentary photo series proves that for some people, chess represents a world full of strong emotions, adrenaline and stress. Professionals work on their chess between 6-8 hours a day and perform theoretically, practically, mentally and physically. All this mental tension and exertion manifests itself physically, as witnessed by Anatolij Karpov's 10 kilos weight-loss during his World Championship match against Garri Kasparov in 1984. In addition to that, this series focuses especially on the 'youth' tournaments, in order to motivate young people through the emotions captured in 'decisive moments' to replace electronic devices with a real-world 'physical' interpersonal communication and entertainment. © Michael Hanke, Czech Republic, Shortlist, Professional Sport, 2016 Sony World Photography Awards
Good things come together. 5 Years old. From Kodinhi ( Kerala )
*Attention for the most purists on photojournalism rules: this image has been retouched along the rules of photojournalism, nothing has been changed or altered, but a old frame has been add to this photograph in order to give the sense of an old photograph.* In Kodinhi, a small town in southern India, good things come in twos. To the mystery of doctors and several scientific studies, this small town in Kerala, has the highest rate of twin births in the world. Each year, a veneration ceremony is held in the small Christian church, where hundreds of identical twins congregate in celebration of their ìdouble identityî at the feet of St. Gervasis and St. Prothasis, two saints who, of course, are twins. They say that our memories are the architecture of our identity. Like discovering an old box of family photos, this vintage-style series makes you feel that you are looking back on a distant memory. A double reflection of yourself ñ and yet changed with time. The pictures allow you to linger in a mysterious place between fantasy and reality. Text by Line Hadsbjerg © Jordi Pizarro, Spain, Shortlist, Professional People, 2016 Sony World Photography Awards
Cock-fighting is a highly important ancient custom in Balinese culture dating back to at least before the 10th century. The death of a rooster leads to 'tabuh rah' (spilling of blood) which is used as a sacrifice to appease evil spirits. No religious ceremony in a temple may commence until the blood of at least three sabung (roosters) has been spilled on the ground. © Ruben Salgado Escudero, Spain, Shortlist, Professional, Portraiture, 2016 Sony World Photography Awards
Black Water. From Kuwait to Afghanistan, California to Nevada, BLACK WATER is a chronicle of how war and surveillance became permanently intertwined with contemporary culture, the visual vernacular and political identity. © Jason Koxvold, UK, Shortlist, Professional , Current Affairs, 2016 Sony World Photography Awards
A country named after a desert. One of the least densely populated places on earth. Defined by its rich variety of colors, yet in a forever changing, yet completely barren landscape. Namibia's landscape draws you in, through a vast brown plain of scorched earth, and steers you over the white surface of a salt pan to finally arrive in the gold tones of the sand dunes. Patience is required to discover the wide range of Namibia's subtle scenery. It literally takes you hours, driving though nothing, to at long last arrive at...more of nothing. The sight of other people is rare and only the strategically located gas stations are a reminder of the world beyond. This country is in another time zone, time seems to move slower but it feels more logical, somehow. Captivated by these washed out yet delicately colored landscapes, you can drive for hours.
© Maroesjka Lavigne, Belgium, Shortlist, Professional Landscape, 2016 Sony World Photography Awards
The Bats/La Batea. Following Mennonite colonies in Mexico and beyond, the impact of the reclusiveness, austerity and detached way of life on the lives of the children will be explored. © Aleksandra Kulak, Russia, Shortlist, Professional, Current Affairs, 2016 Sony World Photography Awards
Making Love To My Depression... This is the first shot I took several months ago—the one that really curbed my aesthetic. I decided to take a shot that reflected how I felt and I've been back and forth on whether or not I should actually post it anywhere. This shot was a turning point for me, a release, cathartic and it gave me confidence to pursue the other ideas and emotions whirling around in my head, to resume putting it on paper and bringing it to life in images...I was trapped in despair. Couldn't breathe, couldn't move, couldn't feel anything but the bludgeoning of emotional agony.
This unrelenting all-consuming pain, embraced me. And as it It held me tightly, comfortably, familiar, I struggled to find any other truth. So IT became my truth. My solace, my solitude. And I kept making love to my depression. © Seandel Edwards, Trinidad and Tobago, Shortlist, Open Enhanced, 2016 Sony World Photography Awards
Winter of Discontent. Since protests in Kyiv drove President Viktor Yanukovych from power in February 2014, Eastern Ukraine has been convulsed by a separatist insurgency that has evolved into a full-fledged civil war centered in the provinces of Donetsk and Luhansk, an industrial region known as Donbass. At the heart is a desire among the rebels for greater autonomy, out of widespread fear—justified or not—that Russian-speaking Ukrainians are at risk of political repression by the government in Kyiv. Russian propaganda has carried this storyline further, implying that the Ukrainian government is comprised of fascists and backed by neo-Nazi Ukrainian nationalists. Russia itself has been widely accused of backing the rebels with weapons, cash, training, and fighters, prompting the deepest divide between Russia and the West since the end of the Cold War. © Brendan Hoffman, United States, Shortlist, Professional , Current Affairs, 2016 Sony World Photography Awards
Logging on to Love. This project is influenced by the issues surrounding the development of sex robots and cybersex. This encouraged me to question what are our ethics when it comes to robots and what does this mean for the future of human interaction and intimacy? © Kate Davis, United Kingdom, Shortlist, Professional , Conceptual, 2016 Sony World Photography Awards
After a long, tiring day, a group of kids who are studying in Madrasa (a school for religious studies) find solace in a make-shift football game. It didn't matter to them who won or lost but to cherish the soft rays of the evening sun in what they might call a celebration with the sand and joy. This photograph was taken from near Dhaka, Bangladesh.
© MD Tanveer Rohan, Bangladesh, Shortlisted, Open competition, Smile, 2016 Sony World Photography Awards
In the summer, holidays at sea are a time of joy and fun for all ages. If we do not look at the different costumes, the scenes are the same as always. Sometimes, the elderly go back to being boys or the parents make jokes to the children. There is often the breaking of social labels, creating new relationships. Stopping to look at the different behavior of people on a pier is hilarious and often allows you to freeze the moments in memory. © Andrea Rossato, Italy, Shortlist, Professional , Candid, 2016 Sony World Photography Awards
Every year, in the month of January, groups of devotees come to Gangasagar fair in West Bengal. It is the 2nd largest fair in India. I captured the devotees while they worship the sun just after their bath. © Abhijit Banerjee, India, Shortlist, Open Competition, Travel, 2016 Sony World Photography Awards
HESTER. This is a continuation from my previous series "NOISE" and the photo book with the same title. © Kumi Oguro, Japan, Shortlist, Professional , Staged, 2016 Sony World Photography Awards
I go annually on holidays to Vu Lan. Here, people are signalling to their parents and to do so, they release candles on the river, on their way to the tempe. © Minh Ngo Thanh, Vietnam, Shortlist, Open Arts and Culture, 2016 Sony World Photography Awards
Image was taken in Bali during Melasti Festival. This festival is conducted once a year in conjunction with Nyepi or Silent Day. These young girls wait for their turn to perform. They looked stunning with their bright coloured costumes and heavy make-up on, however the expression on each of the girls' faces (especially the yawning girl) gives this image an extra "ummpph". © Khairel Anuar Che Ani, Malaysia, Shortlisted, Open Competition, Split Second, 2016 Sony World Photography Awards
In May 2015, hundreds of Rohingya refugees from Myanmar landed in several areas of Aceh, Indonesia, including Lhoksukon, Kuala Cangkoi, Kuala Langsa, Bayeun and Kuala Simpang. Some of them reached the shore on their own, but most of them were rescued at sea by the Acehnese fishermen. The Indonesian government, NGOs and local communities have given humanitarian assistance to these refugees ever since. They were on their way to Malaysia, when the smugglers suddenly left the boat and abandoned the refugees. Many of them were women and children. A former paper factory in Bayeun, East Aceh is now sheltering to hundreds of Rohingya asylum seekers. It has been months and there were serious unanswered questions about a long-term solution. These women are stateless, but should they feel hopeless? © Fauzan Ijazah Shortlist, Professional Portraiture, 2016 Sony World Photography Awards
Home of 40,000 Buddhist monks in Sichuan province. © Attila Balogh, Hungary, Shortlist, Open, Architecture, 2016 Sony World Photography
Madou, China, July 24: Tibetan nomads put up a string of Buddhist prayer flags near a government resettlement community on July 24, 2015 on the Tibetan Plateau in Madou County, Qinghai, China. Tibetan nomads face many challenges to their traditional way of life including political pressures, forced resettlement by China's government, climate change and rapid modernization. © Kevin Frayer, Canada, Shortlist, Professional, People, 2016 Sony World Photography Awards
Fatal CKDnT and Agricultural Workers. Chronic Kidney Disease of non-Traditional causes (CKDnT), once known as Chronic Kidney Disease of unknown causes, is a deadly epidemic decimating the worlds agricultural workers and their families. Affecting 70% of the population in some communities, the disease has claimed at least 20,000 lives in Nicaragua and El Salvador since the start of the millennium. These images capture moments of hope, despair, work and play, joy and sorrow, birth and death. They are intended to intimately illustrate the multigenerational impact of CKDnT, to bring the plight of agrarian communities and the workers lives into world view and give them a voice; to make this crisis resonate on a very personal, human level. After all, since nearly everyone in the world consumes the agricultural harvests from these countries, we must all be made aware of the shocking human cost associated with their production. © Ed Kashi, United States, Shortlist, Professional, Campaign, 2016 Sony World Photography Awards/ VII Photo
Running Away with the Circus. There are more than 300 people that work with the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus blue unit, representing 25 different countries and speaking everything from Russian to Arabic to Guarani. A few travel in cars and trailers, but a majority, 270, live on the trains. Most come from multigeneration circus families, to the extent that collectively, the circus staff represents thousands of years of circus history. The men and women all say that only circus people like them can understand the lifestyle. They spend 44 weeks of the year traveling an average of 20,000 miles from coast to coast on a train that is 61 cars and a full mile long. It is a life of close quarters and rigorous training, a life that many of the performers began in childhood. Their job is to convince the world that the circus still matters. © Stephanie Sinclair, US, Shortlist, Professional Daily Life, 2016 Sony World Photography Awards / National Geographic Creative
Cows Guard. Since 2015, in many localities in Romania (an EU member country), there is a special category of people: a category of people who care for their cows. These are called "ciurdarii" villages. Gusti and Fraguta are gypsies, parents of 8 children, who are employed by the community Tur, located near the border with Ukraine, in order to care for cows, especially buffalo. © Tiplea Remus, Romania, Shortlist, Professional Daily Life, 2016 Sony World Photography Awards
Lesbos. According to UNHCR, approximately 850,000 refugees and migrants, including children, arrived in Greece by sea in 2015. Of these, just over 500,000 landed on Lesbos, a Greek island that lies around eight nautical miles from the Turkish coast. Although at the center of migration flows, Lesbos had nothing to offer the (mainly) Syrian, Afghan and Iraqi refugees, asylum seekers and migrants who arrived there. Once they reached Europe's beaches, they were welcomed with a long trek across the islands mountainous interior, followed by days and nights spent in crowded refugee camps, where not even a place in a tent was guaranteed and where basic amenities such as toilets and showers were lacking. But it was in those under-serviced and poorly managed camps that they had to stay, in order to obtain the required registration to allow them to travel legally through Greece and continue their journey of hope towards other European countries, such as Germany and Sweden. © Alessandro Penso, Italy, Shortlist, Professional , Current Affairs, 2016 Sony World Photography Awards
Sarah, my sister, December 28th, 2015. © Sam Delaware, United States, Shortlist, Youth, Portrait, 2016 Sony World Photography Awards
Untitled. © Javad Rooein, Iran, Shortlist, Open Architecture, 2016 Sony World Photography Awards
This photograph was taken in Walvis Bay, Namibia. This couple of pelicans were quite the attraction on the boat! Two tourist were obstinate about photographing those birds. Finally they were just looking the same. © Elie Kauffmann, France, Shortlist, Open People, 2016 Sony World Photography Awards
Praying. Prayer is a form of religious activity which requires the establishment of a relationship with God, gods, spirits or supernatural powers. Prayer can be done jointly or individually. In some religious traditions, prayer may involve the form of hymn singing, dancing, reading of religious texts to be sung or sung or spontaneous utterance of those who pray. Essentially, it is a form of communication between man and the unknown. © Agung Krisna Wibawa, Indonesia, Shortlist, Youth Culture, 2016 Sony World Photography Awards
People swim at the sea in Havana, April 28, 2015. On Sunday, Cuba registered a temperature of 39.7 degrees Celsius, 0.1 degrees less than the island's historic record, according to Jose Rubiera, Director of the National Forecast Center of the Institute of Meteorology of Cuba.
© Alexandre meneghini, France, Shortlist, Youth, 2016 Sony World Photography Awards
Real world aliens. This series represents an exploration of the most extreme and far cold-water seas, washing the coasts of Russia, because only few people in the world have had a chance to dive there. These seas are true pearls of nature, hiding mysteries and treasures not only for divers and scientists. Indeed, there is another universe with its own aliens and fantastic creatures. These strange animals are mostly undescribed. Some of them are tiny, some are hidden because of their complete transparency, some are beautiful and gentle giants. In the underwater world, you can find living things for the first time in the history of humanity, but they have been there for millions of years. Modern diving and photo equipment give us a chance to reveal this beauty, once hidden in the dark. © Alexander Semenov, Russia, Shortlist, Professional Environment, 2016 Sony World Photography Awards
Fire of Hatred. Acid throwing is a specific and horrible act of violence which, according to official statistics, is on the rise in Iran. This kind of violence is mostly against women and children. These attacks are often done with the intent to disfigure, maim, torture and destroy the social life and future of their victims. The motivation to commit this type of violence is cultural destitution and intolerance. It most often happens in situations of family conflict: whether rejected marriage proposals, divorce requests or revenge. In addition to physical and psychological damage, the victims faced the experiences of social stigma and blame. Across Iran, such victims are in dire need of medical and financial support as well as counseling services. Unfortunately there is no governmental or even non-governmental organizations who attend to these issues in the country. Thus, burn victims have to treat themselves only through public aid and charitable donations. © Asghar Khamseh, Iran, Shortlist, Professional , Contemporary Issues, 2016 Sony World Photography Awards
Jenny and Dirk cuddling in bed. Jenny comforts me. She is the best therapist for me. She has completely changed my life, my thinking, my definition of freedom, of love and partnership. The series "Jenny's Soul" shows the relationship between a man and his silicone doll. Is it possible for a human being to develop feelings for a doll, to love her? Dirk (name changed) has been living together with his silicone doll Jenny for four years now. He bought the doll for 6,000 Euros after suffering a breakdown and because he was feeling lonely. Because the doll looks so real, she is not just a sex toy, she has become a partner to him. Dirk has forged a strong emotional relationship with Jenny. He is able to hear Jenny, talk to her and perceive her soul. Dirk is happy. His doll gives him a sense of closeness and security. He would not want to live without her. Their everyday life takes place in the apartment, never outside. Dirk keeps their life together secret.
© Sandra Hoyn, Germany, Shortlist, Professional Daily Life, 2016 Sony World Photography Awards/Laif
Towards the past. A local family. Oksana and her two kids. Over 50% of their small salary is spent for utilities. They own this little room in the old house. Girl with ginger hair, Sothia, was born with heart disease. Government paid her operation in Bakulev clinic, Moscow, which saved her life. In the 16th century, Solvichegodsk was found as a salt mine. The name of the city is formed with russian word "sol" wich means salt, and the name of the nearby river Vichegda. In that times, salt was quite expensive and valuable, which made the city prosperous. Since that time, salt had lost its meaning to the Russian economy. Today, no one is interested in Solvichegodsk salt, and the unique therapeutic mud is the last source of money for the city. Since 1992, Solvichegodsk's population has been reduced by half. After the breakdown of communism, Solvichegodsk (as many small towns in Russia) remain stuck in the past. But despite everything, the people of Solvichegodsk still belive in their positive future and wait for the winds of change © Anton Unitsyn, Russia, Shortlist, Professional Daily Life, 2016 Sony World Photography Awards
In Mexico, Mennonite Farmers Struggle With Water Shortage. Nearly a century after the Anabaptist Mennonites migrated from Canada to Chihuahua State, hundreds are trading the land they call home in search of cheaper land, where water is more plentiful. Underground reservoirs in Chihuahua have been drained by thirsty crops, like corn, that are the mainstay of the Mennonitesí success. Meanwhile, competition for groundwater has strained their relations with other farmers. © Daniel Berehulak, Australia, Shortlist, Professional People, 2016 Sony World Photography Awards
© Ekaterina Yashenko, Russia, Shortlisted, Youth Competition, Environment, 2016 Sony World Photography Awards
Greeting From Mars. This project is about space exploration and discovery, but it's also about our behavior in front of landscapes and how we create pictures that will share our personal story with the world. In every spots, carefully chosen for their similarities with the red planet, the photographer imitated stereotypical tourist poses. It's interesting to observe the way we act in front of the camera, how we include ourselves in the landscapes, how those landscapes trigger the desire to affirm our presence. And how the way we take pictures exposes the vanity involved in our endless pursuit of self-definition. © Julien Mauve, France, Shortlist, Professional , Conceptual, 2016 Sony World Photography Awards
Heaven meets Hell as the Milky Way ascends over the Darvaza gas crater in the Karakom desert of Turkmenistan. © Tino Solomon, UK, Shortlist, Open Low Light, 2016 Sony World Photography Awards
How to think inside the box. Instructions: Step 1: You find a box. Step 2: You check if the box is empty. Step 3: You check so that no one can see you. Step 4: You give the box a try. Step 5: You seem to like the box. Step 6: You take the box in different places. Step 7: You find a friend. Step 8: You try to understand your new friend. Step 9: You fail and get sad. Step 10: You have no clue what to do with your life. Use the box with extreme caution! © Oana Stoian, Romania, Shortlist, Professional , Staged, 2016 Sony World Photography Awards
I want to explore how self-portraiture for many people has become an obsession, and how presence in a self-portrait situation is absent, or becomes a peculiar part of the selfie act. This can lead to absurd situations and my project is a play around such situations. © Kristoffer Eliassen, Norway, Shortlist, Professional , Staged, 2016 Sony World Photography Awards
Lion. There are now more captive lions in South Africa than wild ones; approximately 8,000 compared to the 2,000 living in the wild. Many of these animals are reared specifically to be shot and owned by wealthy tourists from Europe and North America. Between 2001-2006, 1,830 lion trophies were exported from South Africa and in the following five years, 4,062 trophies were exported from the country—an increase of 122%! As result of this increase, in 2011, the South African government effectively banned the practise of "canned hunting" by requiring an animal to roam free for two years before it could be hunted, severely restricting breeders and hunters' profitability. But lion breeders challenged the policy in South Africa's courts and a high court judge eventually ruled that such restrictions were "not rational." Thus, the number of trophy hunted animals has again soared. Demand from the Far East is also driving profits for lions breeders. © David Chancellor, United Kingdom, Shortlist, Professional , Campaign, 2016 Sony World Photography Awards
The Bhopal Medical Appeal: Toxic Trespass. "Toxic Trespass" was commissioned in 2015 by The Bhopal Medical Appeal in London as part of an awareness campaign designed to raise funds for The Chingari Children Rehabilitation Clinic located in Bhopal, India. The specialized therapy and rehabilitation clinic has just over 750 children registered - most of whom are severely disabled having been born to parents contaminated by a carcinogenic and mutagenic water supply. December 2nd, 2015 marked the 31st anniversary of the 1984 Union Carbide gas tragedy that killed up to 10,000 of the citizens of Bhopal within 72 hours and, has gone on to claim, in total, over 25,000 lives to date. The original site of the heavily-polluted pesticide plant was never cleared up and remains, as referred to by Greenpeace, one of the world's "toxic hotspots." The photographer has returned and documented the aftermath in Bhopal for the past 7 years with The Bhopal Medical Appeal. © Giles Clarke, United Kingdom, Shortlist, Professional , Campaign, 2016 Sony World Photography Awards / Getty Images Reportage
VULNERABILITY. A personal account of photographer Jean-Marc Caimi's time spent in the city of Tokyo. From depicting the daily life in the parks and in the street, to the night life in Shinjuku, bringing the intimacy of people in search of their vital space. Hints of a nation suffering from an economic and social stagnation, scared by what the future might bring, struck by environmental catastrophes. A city surprisingly fragile and vulnerable. © Jean-Marc Caimi, Italy, Shortlist, Professional Daily Life, 2016 Sony World Photography Awards / Redux Pictures
Veterans of Spetsnaz. The Russian Special Forces & Anti-Terror units (Spetsnaz) are the elite of Russia's armed forces: the country's toughest and best-trained crack force. They are deployed only in the military's most secret and dangerous operations. They played key, front-line roles in both the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the war in Chechnya. The fighters of MOD SF (GRU combat intelligence) and FSB SF are deployed currently in Syria, where they take active part in "black ops," eliminating high value targets from the ISIS battalions. The men portrayed in this series were all senior Spetsnaz officers of 3 different structures: MOD, KGB/FSB & MOI. Many of them fought in Afghanistan, Chechnya and were sent in to put an end to some of the world's most spectacular terrorist attacks—including the Moscow theatre siege (Nord-Ost hostage crises) and the Beslan school massacre. © Dmitri Beliakov, Russian Federation, Shortlist, Professional , Portraiture, 2016 Sony World Photography Awards
Beached humans on unknown shores. © Alejandro Beltran, Spain, Shortlist, Professional , Conceptual, 2016 Sony World Photography Awards
This photograph was taken at the peak of Barf in the Lake District in the UK in April of 2015. © Thomas Hanks, UK, Shortlist, Youth Portrait, 2016 Sony World Photography Awards
Women's Team Free Synchronised Swimming Kazan, 2015. Teams compete in the Women's Team Free Synchronized Swimming Preliminary on day four of the 16th FINA World Championships at the Kazan Arena on July 28, 2015 in Kazan, Russia. © Matthias Hangst, Germany, Shortlist, Professional Sport, 2016 Sony World Photography Awards/Getty Images
Polar bear enjoying his bath. © Michaela Smidova, Czech Republic, Shortlist, Open Nature and Wildlife, 2016 Sony World Photography Awards
© Ivana Pejak, Serbia, Shortlist, Youth Portrait, 2016 Sony World Photography Awards
The season of a firefly comes around in Japan at the beginning of a rainy season. This firefly is a species called Luciola parvula, and repeatedly blinks. [Hime-HOTARU] is what we call a firefly in Japan. This species flies in the beautiful forest. In particular, the firefly in the bamboo forest is valuable. The population of these fireflies decreases every year in Japan. This may be caused by environmental destruction. This picture was taken under a little moonlight. © Kei Nomiyama, Japan, Shortlist, Open Low Light, 2016 Sony World Photography Awards
Four centimeters of mightiness that moves slowly and relentlessly on a tree, while the moon rises on the background. The rhinoceros beetle is a nocturnal insect: during the day they stay safe under the cortex of the trees and with the summer, they become very active, flying at dusk to find a mate. © Simona Tedesco, Italy, Shortlist, Open, Nature and Wildlife, 2016 Sony World Photography Awards
