San Diego, CA—The 2016 Sony World Photography Awards, organized by the World Photography Organization, are open for entries. In their ninth year, the awards have become an authoritative voice in the photographic world. Each year they attract both emerging talent and established artists and present the best contemporary photography from the last 12 months.
Free to enter at worldphoto.org, photographers of all abilities are invited to submit work to any of the awards’ five competitions: Professional; Open; Youth; National Awards; and Student Focus.
New for 2016, the 14 Professional categories are now divided into two distinct genres—Art and Documentary. The change is to provide a clearer structure in which photographers can be recognized. Both genres also include new category additions, with Art presenting the new Staged and Candid categories and Documentary now including Daily Life and Environment.
Also new, the British Journal of Photography (BJP) will partner with the World Photography Organization and its Student Focus competition. As part of this partnership, the winning Student Focus photographer will receive an online feature showcasing a body of work on BJP’s website. The winner will also have the opportunity to take over the magazine’s Instagram feed.
The Sony World Photography Awards offer a range of benefits to those who enter. Submitted images are seen by juries of leading experts from across the photographic industry. Awarded shortlisted and winning photographers are given global exposure and recognition, and they have the opportunity to promote and sell their work via the World Photography Organization.
The awards’ prizes include: the latest Sony digital imaging equipment; inclusion in the Sony World Photography Awards exhibition at Somerset House, London; inclusion in the 2016 awards’ book; and $30,000 for the overall winners.
The 2015 Sony World Photography Awards attracted 173,444 entries from 171 countries. The awards’ annual exhibition of the winning and shortlisted works returned to Somerset House, London, and saw a record 33,394 visitors.
The Sony World Photography Awards shortlist will be announced on February 23, 2016 and overall winners on April 21, with the exhibition at Somerset House, London, running from April 22 to May 8, 2016.
The World Photography Organization (WPO) works with professional, enthusiast and student photographers to provide a global network across the photographic industry, not only to raise the level of conversation around the subject but also to increase awareness and appreciation of this art form. WPO hosts a year-round portfolio of industry and public events, including: Sony World Photography Awards; the World Photography Student Focus Program, inspiring and working with the next generation of photographers; and Photo Shanghai, Asia Pacific’s premier art fair dedicated to photography. worldphoto.org
