"Like in works of Modernism, the shadow in this portrait is symbolic itself. Occupying nearly the whole picture, it holds some mystery, and occasional points of light give us a chance to guess at its significance. It may be said that along with the woman’s body there is another inanimate character in the photograph. It is the shadow. The human figure is likened to the light fighting with the dark. In this struggle harmony is born." From the series "Light, Shadows. Perfect Woman." © George Mayer, Russian Federation, 1st Place, Professional, Portraiture (professional), 2017 Sony World Photography Awards
"Overlap: Freeway." From the series "Space & City." Rules ordering a regular intensive repetition sum up
the feeling of the modern city.
A variety of urban form and minimalist architecture breaks the old structure, splitting it into triangles, squares and diamond shapes, refracting a new living style on extant spatial structures. © Dongni, China, 1st Place, Professional, Architecture, 2017 Sony World Photography Awards
"Meghla, 23, with a customer in the Kandapara brothel in Tangail. She started working for a garment factory when she was 12 years old. There she met a man who promised her a better job with more money and he sold her into a brothel." From the series. "The Longing of Others." © Sandra Hoyn, Germany, 1st Place, Professional, Daily Life, 2017 Sony World Photography Awards
"In Switzerland, three out of four people would rather die at home". From the Series "Art.115." Because of the advances in medicine and the shift in attitude towards one’s own mortality, the past few decades have seen the emergence of a demand for assistance in hastening the end of life. So far, only a handful of countries around the world have allowed assisted dying, either in the form of euthanasia or assisted suicide, and Switzerland is one of them. While active euthanasia remains illegal there, assisted suicide is regulated by Article 115 of the Swiss Criminal Code, which has been in force since 1942. © Sabine Cattaneo, Switzerland, 1st Place, Professional, Conceptual, 2017 Sony World Photography Awards
"November 25th, 2016, Changchun city, Jilin province, China. Fire treatment is another weight loss treatment. Ingredients are applied to the body’s meridian system, with the fire process unblocking meridian points that hinder the speed of the body’s metabolic processes, all with the aim of transforming fat into energy that can be eliminated from the body. From his initial fear to this point, Li Hang has been greatly tormented, but he is supported by his faith in doing what is necessary to live a normal person’s life and to look after his mother." From the Series " I want to have an Ordinary Life." In November 2016, Li Hang, an eleven-year-old boy from Harbin, arrived at Changchun weight loss centre determined to lose weight. He had been diagnosed with Prader-Willi Syndrome when he was 3 years old, and on admission, his weight had reached 155 kilograms. © Li Song, China, 2nd Place, Professional, Contemporary Issues, 2017 Sony World Photography Awards
"A donkey is getting up after rolling in the snow in the mountains in Albania." From the series "Whiteout." These photos were made in the Balkans, Scandinavia and Central Asia; remote areas where people often live in isolation and in close contact with nature. A harsh existence, fighting against superhuman forces. © Frederik Buyckx, Belgium, 1st Place, Professional, Landscape, 2017 Sony World Photography Awards
Zhang Zhiyii, Gansu province. She wrote down: "Dad lost money gambling, he also severely hit mother." From the series "Left-behind Children" Gansu province, 2016. More than sixty-one million children in rural China have been ‘left behind’, by parents who have gone to the cities to work. 80% of left behind children who are bullied don’t know who to tell, whilst 90% of those who experience difficulty do not tell their parents. © Ren shi Chen, China, 3rd Place, Professional, Portraiture (professional), 2017 Sony World Photography Awards
"On the Top of the World" Standing above Lake Pehoa in Chile, I felt invincible. I looked at a view that surpassed all the pictures I had ever seen in my life. I took this image in Torres del Paine National Park, in the south of Chile, during my trip there in March of 2016. © Katelyn Wang, United States of America, Shortlist, Youth, Beauty, 2017 Sony World Photography Awards
Sirte, Libya, November 26, 2016: A fighter of the Libyan forces affiliated with the Tripoli government gets some rest whilst outside, clashes with ISIS continue in the Al Jiza neighbourhood. From the series "We are taking no Prisoners" © Alessio Romenzi, Italy, 1st Place, Professional, Current Affairs & News, 2017 Sony World Photography Awards
“I didn’t mean to snoop around in your stuff, I just wanted to order your room, and it came in my hand this diary, and since the first page talks about me, I decided to sit on your desk and give you few answers.” —Valeria. From the series "My (M)other." The project is a personal reflection on the relationships between family members. My family was the core of my research. The aim was to capture the dynamics typical in families. What I found was how much hiding occurs in family relationships; hiding one another’s uncertainty, suffering, character flaws and, of course, love.
© Alice Cannara Malan, Italy, 3rd Place, Professional, Daily Life, 2017 Sony World Photography Awards
Iraqi men from the Hawija region of Iraq wait to be questioned by Kurdish security personnel at a base near Kirkuk. Having fled areas still under the control of ISIS militants, men and boys of fighting age are vetted for any links to the group before being allowed to join their families in camps for displaced people in the Kurdish-controlled region of the country. From the series "Caught in the Crossfire." © Ivor Prickett, Ireland, 3rd Place, Professional, Current Affairs & News, 2017 Sony World Photography Awards
"Dandong, Liaoning, China." From the series "Sweet Water Bitter Earth." Chinese people outside of China often struggle with their Chinese identity, with many having an idealized image of what the motherland is like, whether it’s from stories told by our relatives or from the romanticized views of movies. The reality is often very different, especially given the accelerated speed at which China is changing. © Kurt Tong, United Kingdom, 2nd Place, Professional, Landscape, 2017 Sony World Photography Awards
Society constrains the divorcee. What you can or can't do remains under the control of others. As an independent single mother, I've made peace with the sacrifices I've had to make, but also managed to find happiness on my own. Nassiba, fashion designer. Jeddah. From the series "Saudi Tales of Love." Whilst Saudi Arabia is an international symbol of Islam, many Saudis would agree that there’s a strong disconnect between the Qur’an and local traditions. I wanted to answer questions shared by many, such as "do we need marriage to signify that we have love?" and "do you need a husband to have a meaningful life?" © Tasneem Alsultan, Saudi Arabia, 1st Place, Professional, Contemporary Issues, 2017 Sony World Photography Awards
"Illusion-twins." From the series "Illusion." I shot common people and natural views, combined together in one scene, forging “funny” or “meaningful” pictures. An artist creates a piece of his or her rejection of the world, which could also be the illusion you hold in your heart. © Gao Peng, China, 3rd Place, Professional, Conceptual, 2017 Sony World Photography Awards
From the series "Seascapes." These pictures tell stories of the sea. They show nature, but nature seen through the lens of our cultural history. They show time moving on and the unchanging view of the seascape. © Peter Franck, Germany, 3rd Place, Professional, Landscape, 2017 Sony World Photography Awards
China, Fuling, Chongqing municipality. January 2015. New hot spring spa complex. From the series "China West." In western China, the pace of economic development has ushered in a new and unprecedented period of transformation, one that has radically redefined the topography of the country whilst displacing significant parts of its population from rural areas to vast, newly-built mega cities. © Julien Chatelin, France, 2nd Place, Professional, Architecture, 2017 Sony World Photography Awards
Participants wait backstage during a regional bodybuilding championship in Stavropol, southern Russia, April 10, 2016. From the series "Pumping Iron in Russia." © Eduard Korniyenko, Russian Federation, 2nd Place, Professional, Sport, 2017 Sony World Photography Awards
From the series "The Twins' Gymnastic Dream." This series was taken in a sports school in Jining, in Shandong province, China. Liu Bingqing and Liu Yujie are twin sisters who have liked gymnastics since their childhood. They have studied, trained and grown up here. © Yuan Peng, China, 1st Place, Professional, Sport, 2017 Sony World Photography Awards
"Russia Close-Up #2." Inspired by the work of A.Siskind, R.Gibson and M.Parr, I’m trying to visualize the trends and going-ons that I feel are important to document
in modern Russia. © Alexander Anufriev, Russian Federation, 2nd Place, Professional, Conceptual, 2017 Sony World Photography Awards
From the series "Indelible Marks." In Colombia there are more than 130,000 people who are listed as "disappeared." Hundreds of bodies of disappeared people are waiting to be recognized or identified by different departments of the Colombian state Public Prosecutor’s Office, which is why a mark on some part of their body, whether a tattoo, a mark on one of their bones, a prosthesis, or some item (a chain, rings, glasses, watches, shoes, etc.) is important. © Henry Agudelo, Colombia, 1st Place, Professional, Still Life (professional), 2017 Sony World Photography Awards
Bucharest, Romania, April 2016: A 33-year-old cam model after his day shift in a room at Studio N2. From the series "Live Chat Studio Industry." The adult webcam industry is worth $1 billion annually, and is growing fast as the technology becomes better and cheaper. Romania, a country with one of the highest rates of youth unemployment in the EU, is now the undisputed world capital of studio-based cam operations, thanks to widespread wireless broadband access. © Lorenzo Maccotta, Italy, 3rd Place, Professional, Contemporary Issues, 2017 Sony World Photography Awards
From the series "Athens Studio." Prostitution is legal in Greece, and Greek authorities recently decided to implement a 1999 law that stipulates that all brothels must have permits.
There are different kinds of brothels, and the high-class ones are called Studio. © Diego Mayon, Italy, Shortlist, Professional, Architecture, 2017 Sony World Photography Awards
Cristóbal Arenas Moncayo is 10 years old. To fight a bull is something beautiful, there are a lot of emotions, adrenaline, and excitement. The danger is always there. As a torero you are always afraid, but this is normal, it makes you stronger and helps you to take control of your fears. From that point you move ahead." From the series "The Little Bullfighters of Mexico." © Christina Simons, Iceland, 2nd Place, Professional, Daily Life, 2017 Sony World Photography Awards
A person is seen on the front porch of a home as it is surrounded by flood waters in Port Vincent, Louisiana. From the series "Louisiana Flooding." © Joe Raedle, United States of America, 2nd Place, Professional, Current Affairs & News, 2017 Sony World Photography Awards
Mexico, Baja California, Sea of Cortez. A big school of Jacks forming a ceiling found at the protected marine area of Cabo Pulmo. From the series "Silent Kingdom." © Christian Vizl, Mexico, 3rd Place, Professional, Natural World, 2017 Sony World Photography Awards
Is a panda cub fooled by a panda suit? That’s the hope at Wolong’s Hetaoping center, where captive-bred bears training for life in the wild are kept relatively sheltered from human contact, even during a rare hands-on checkup. From the series "Pandas gone wild." © Ami Vitale, United States of America, 2nd Place, Professional, Natural World, 2017 Sony World Photography Awards
When I was a child, my grandmother said "Anything with a shape will eventually be gone," and what she told me has remained in my mind to this day. Back then, I had no doubt that some things would definitely last forever. From the series "Hanafuda Shouzoku." © Shinya Masuda, Japan, 2nd Place, Professional, Still Life (professional), 2017 Sony World Photography Awards
Sequence as Gael Monfils dives at Australian Open 2016. From the series "‘Superman’ Gael Monfils dives at Australian Open 2016." © Jason O'Brien, Australia, 3rd Place, Professional, Sport, 2017 Sony World Photography Awards
"Mathilda." My art work is a portrait of a young girl called Nastya, who modeled for me in a Moscow studio in the summer 2016 after I got inspired by a famous French movie called "Leon" with Natalie Portman and Jean Reno. © Alexander Vinogradov, Russian Federation, 1st Place, Open, Portraits (Open), 2017 Sony World Photography Awards
"I was in Liuwa Plain at the end of the dry season. When the rains finally arrived, thousands of Wildebeest migrated to the area. I positioned a remote flash in front of the herd and drove round so that I could use the flash to back-light the rain. It was a challenging shot as I had to predict the movement of the animals and hope they passed between me and the flash. I had to compose and manually focus in complete darkness, all while attempting to keep my equipment dry in the driving rain!" From the series "African Wildlife at Night."
© Will Burrard-Lucas, United Kingdom, 1st Place, Professional, Natural World, 2017 Sony World Photography Awards
"Student at University." From the series "I know what beauty looks like." © Romina Ressia, Argentina, 2nd Place, Professional, Portraiture (professional), 2017 Sony World Photography Awards
The Lover. Everyday objects photographed in the harsh sun. From the series "The Cave." © Christoffer Askman, Denmark, 3rd Place, Professional, Still Life (professional), 2017 Sony World Photography Awards
