San Diego, CA—The World Photography Organization (WPO) announced the Outstanding Contribution to Photography recipient of the Sony World Photography Awards 2023. The honor went to acclaimed Japanese photographer Rinko Kawauchi. 
The Outstanding Contribution to Photography Award honors a person or group of people who made a significant impact on the photographic medium. As its 16th recipient, Rinko Kawauchi joins a distinguished list of iconic names. They include William Eggleston (2013), Mary Ellen Mark (2014), Martin Parr (2017), Candida Höfer (2018), Nadav Kander (2019), Gerhard Steidl (2020), Graciela Iturbide (2021), as well as Edward Burtynsky (2022).
One of the most important Japanese photographers working today, Kawauchi has achieved international renown for her intimate and luminous images. Her work captures the ephemeral moments of everyday life.
More than 200 images by the photographer will display at the Sony World Photography Awards 2023 exhibition. The exhibit returns to Somerset House, London, April 14 to May 1, 2023. 
Furthermore, the selection, made by the artist, spans more than 20 years of her career. It highlights significant milestones as well as themes across some of her most iconic series. They include Illuminance (2011), AILA (2004), Utatane (2001) and Ametsuchi (2013).
Outstanding Contribution to Photography Award Recipient
Here’s what the WPO said about Kawauchi’s work. “Kawauchi is influenced by Shinto, which holds that everything has a spirit or energy, called kami. Accordingly, Kawauchi’s lens is patient and empathetic towards its quotidian subjects: shimmering lights reflected in a mirror; a pair of hands braiding thread together; sunbeams flooding through the canopy of a forest.”
What’s more, her photographs have been compared to haikus. This style of short-form poetry originated in Japan. Through its lines, it often reflects upon a wider meaning or truth. Kawauchi’s spare visual language also gives seemingly small moments a sense of great weight and significance.
Her series Utatane, AILA and Illuminance exemplify her idiosyncratic style. They show glimpses of everyday scenes that reflect upon the cycle of life, and its fragility. For instance, the fraying of a net, a mouth opened to reveal a row of fillings, a blade of grass with droplets of morning dew. Further, Ametsuchi is a series that marks a departure both in terms of technique and style.
“This award is recognition of my work. It will encourage me in my future activities. The exhibition brings a body of work that not only characterizes my practice but also presents an ambitious series created with a different method and approach,” stated Rinko Kawauchi. “Through my photography, I seek to create works of art that act as a signpost for me to examine more closely the experiences I am living and what I am looking at.”
In addition, the WPO will announce the overall winners in the Student, Youth, Open and Professional competitions of the Sony World Photography Awards 2023 on April 13, 2023.
