San Diego, CA—The World Photography Organization revealed the finalists and shortlisted photographers in the Sony WPA 2024 Professional competition. Now in its 17th year, the Sony World Photography Awards Professional competition rewards exceptional series of work both for technical mastery and an original approach to narrative.
Further, more than 395,000 images from 220+ countries and territories were submitted to the Sony World Photography Awards 2024. Consequently, this year saw the highest number of entries on record for the Professional competition.
What’s more, the WPO selects the Photographer of the Year 2024 winner from the Professional finalists. The organization will announce that honor on April 18, 2024. The Photographer of the Year garners a $25,000 (USD) cash prize as well as Sony digital imaging equipment. In addition, that winner receives a solo presentation of their work as part of next year’s Sony World Photography Awards exhibition.
“The jury was captivated by the passionate storytelling; capturing both the joys and the challenges of human existence across our planet,” commented jury chair Monica Allende, on behalf of the jury. “We were thrilled by the diverse, high-quality, and creative spectrum of photography styles on display.’
Furthermore, the WPO will showcase a selection of images by finalists and shortlisted photographers as part of the Sony World Photography Awards 2024 exhibition at Somerset House from April 19 to May 6, 2024. The exhibit will then travel to additional locations.
Sony WPA Professional 2024 Competition Finalists
The three finalists and projects per category of the Sony World Photography Awards 2024 Professional competition follow. The work of finalist as well as shortlisted photographers was judged by: Elena Navarro, photo curator, producer and consultant, Mexico; Mutsuko Ota, editorial director, IMA magazine, Japan; Elisabeth Sherman, senior curator, director of Exhibitions and Collections, International Center of Photography (ICP), United States; Tanzim Wahab, curator, Spore Initiative, Germany as well as festival director, Chobi Mela, Bangladesh; and Monica Allende, independent curator, photography consultant and chair of the jury.
ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN
In Sala Mayor (Living Room), Siobhán Doran (Ireland) documents the homes of families who acquired wealth in the sugar trade in the Philippines. Moreover, this is achieved through a series of portraits of their main living rooms.
In Tehran Campus Town, Yaser Mohamad Khani (Islamic Republic of Iran) explores the new neighborhoods being built on the outskirts of Tehran in a series of striking photographs of urban development within the rocky, mountainous landscape.
In addition, Karol Pałka’s (Poland) project Spa Island looks at how spa facilities are embedded in community life in Slovakia as spaces for meeting and interaction.
CREATIVE
In The Gay Space Agency, Mackenzie Calle (United States) reimagines the history of NASA, which has never flown an openly LGBTQ+ astronaut. The photographer conceptualized instead a space agency that welcomes and celebrates LGBTQ+ astronauts.
Further, Tine Poppe’s (Norway) series Gilded Lilies: Portraits of Cut Flowers considers the damaging environmental impact of cut flowers. She does so through carefully crafted images of bouquets against backdrops of landscapes devastated by climate change.
In Sujata Setia’s (United Kingdom) project A Thousand Cuts, she examines the pain and resilience of survivors of domestic abuse from the UK’s South Asian community. This is reflected through a series of intricately crafted portraits with incisions in the surface of the photographs, revealing a layer of red paper underneath.
DOCUMENTARY PROJECTS
In Critical Minerals – Geography of Energy, Davide Monteleone (Italy) investigates the mining of minerals needed for renewable energy. Thus, he looks closely at the grueling human toll of cobalt extraction in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Then, in Spiralkampagnen: Forced Contraception and Unintended Sterilisation of Greenlandic Women, Juliette Pavy (France) explores the lasting impact of the birth control campaign led by Danish authorities in Greenland between 1966 and 1975. During that time, thousands of young Greenlandic women were implanted with intrauterine devices without their consent. Tragically, in many cases, this led to their sterilization.
Meanwhile, Brent Stirton’s (South Africa) project LGBTQIA Refugees: Fleeing Uganda documents the lives of people who were forced out of Uganda by the strict laws prohibiting homosexuality. He reveals how they are now trying to rebuild their lives in safe houses in Kenya.
ENVIRONMENT
Mahé Elipe’s (France) Echoes of the Hive documents the efforts of the Mayan population in Southern Mexico to preserve a species of bees central to their religion and culture in the aftermath of their mass-poisoning by pesticides.
Moreover, Jean-Marc Caimi and Valentina Piccinni’s (Italy) series Tropicalia examines how Sicily has adapted to its changing climate and rising temperatures. The series focuses on the new agricultural practices pioneered by local farmers as well as scientists as they begin to grow more tropical fruits.
Next, using the UN Sustainable Development Goal to eradicate hunger as a starting point, Maurizio Di Pietro (Italy) looks at the promotion of insects as a food source in the series Zero Hunger.
LANDSCAPE
In Wildfires of Palermo, Jim Fenwick (United Kingdom) captures the extraordinary tones of Palermo’s skies lit up by raging wildfires in the Sicilian countryside.
Eddo Hartmann’s (Netherlands) series The Sacrifice Zone explores a remote area of Kazakhstan that was once the site of the Soviet Union’s major nuclear testing. Moreover, he uses infrared to evoke the impact of the radiation contamination invisible to the human eye.
In An Atypical Chinese Landscape, Fan Li (China Mainland) depicts an enigmatic, sparse landscape populated by abandoned objects as well as constructions. These discarded fragments are suggestive of unknown past lives, leaving behind permanent marks on the landscape.
PORTFOLIO
Furthermore, in Aly Hazzaa’s (Egypt) Quest for Coherence, the photographer’s eye for detail and playful approach to street photography catches witty visual moments in the streets of Cairo.
Angelika Kollin’s (Estonia) series Parenthood examines the concept of the family as the nucleus of life. She does so through a series of black-and-white portraits of parents and their children.
Then, in Jorge Mónaco’s (Argentina) Portraits and Landscapes, the photographer invites the viewer to delve into the intimate stories of his subjects. He also offers a reflective perspective on human diversity.
PORTRAITURE
Following extensive archival research as well as working with genealogists to trace his sitters, Drew Gardner’s (United Kingdom) series Descendants of Black American Civil War Combatants recreates photographs of Black American Civil War combatants through posed portraits of their descendants.
In Valery Poshtarov’s (Bulgaria) Father and Son, the photographer asked fathers and sons from Bulgaria, Georgia, Turkey, Armenia, Serbia, as well as Greece to hold hands. This small but important act of familial tenderness creates an intimate and moving portrait of masculinity and paternal relationships.
Further, in The First Car, Adali Schell (United States) portrays his friends in their first cars. He evokes the sense of a shared journey, half-forgotten memories, as well as the feeling of youthful restlessness growing up in LA.
SPORT
In Finger Wrestling in Bavaria, Angelika Jakob (Germany) spotlights the lesser known sport of finger wrestling. Exuding humor and also warmth, Jakob’s images depict the intensive training process using finger weights and the riotous atmosphere of the championships.
Additionally, in Thomas Meurot’s (France) Kald Sòl (Cold Sun), we follow a cold surfing expedition in Iceland. Moreover, Meurot uses the black-and-white format to emphasize the freezing temperatures that persisted even in the glaring winter sun.
Meanwhile, Tommaso Pardini’s (Italy) Surf in Dakar looks at the burgeoning Senegalese surf scene. He examines the journey of a promising young surfer aspiring to compete on the international stage.
STILL LIFE
In Peter Franck’s (Germany) Still Like Art, the photographer captures a series of strange and surreal compositions as well as still lifes. He shot them in stark black and white.
Next, in London Plane Tree, Beth Galton (United States) considers the peeling back of layers of our identity through photographing strips of tree bark overlaid on self-portraits.
In addition, Federico Scarchilli’s (Italy) series Flora highlights the vital role of plants in medicine. It juxtaposes photographs of key species that were instrumental in the development of modern medicine, with neat rows of pills laid out symmetrically.
WILDLIFE & NATURE
Eva Berler’s (Greece) Suspended Worlds invites the viewer to take a closer look into the world of spider webs, where time and action are frozen. She also captures the artful, irregular intricacies of these ephemeral creations.
Moreover, in Jasper Doest’s (Netherlands) In the Footsteps of Giants, the photographer reveals the delicate equilibrium between humans and elephants in rural parts of Zambia. It is an uneasy truce that is increasingly disturbed as both populations vie for limited resources.
In King Without a Throne: Poached or Dehorned, photographer Haider Khan (India) documents two rhinos in captivity in Germany and India. The series explores the complexities of “dehorning.” While helping to keep rhinos safe from poachers, the act conversely leaves them vulnerable without their natural defense system.
Sony WPA Professional Competition Finalists and Shortlisted
Following are the Sony World Photography Awards Professional competition finalists in each category, along with those photographers on the shortlist.
ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN
Finalists
Siobhán Doran, Ireland
Yaser Mohamad Khani, Islamic Republic of Iran
Karol Pałka, Poland
Shortlist
Francesco Amorosino, Italy
Maciej Czarnecki, Poland
Joseph Horton, United Kingdom
Marc Koegel, Canada
Julia Mustonen-Dahlkvist, Finland
Nick Ng, Malaysia
Albrecht Voss, Germany
ENVIRONMENT
Finalists
Jean-Marc Caimi & Valentina Piccinni, Italy
Mahé Elipe, France
Maurizio Di Pietro, Italy
Shortlist
Javier Arcenillas, Spain
Aletheia Casey, Australia
Sachin Ghai, India
Jonas Kakó, Germany
Maximilian Mann, Germany
Kathleen Orlinsky, United States
CREATIVE
Finalists
Mackenzie Calle, United States
Tine Poppe, Norway
Sujata Setia, United Kingdom
Shortlist
Daniela Balestrin, Brazil
Diana Cheren Nygren, United States
Peter Franck, Germany
Noru Innes, Finland
Lei Jiang, China Mainland
Romain Laurendeau, France
Qiu Yan, China Mainland
LANDSCAPE
Finalists
Jim Fenwick, United Kingdom
Eddo Hartmann, Netherlands
Fan Li, China Mainland
Shortlist
Liang Chen, China Mainland
Hendrik J. Hunter, Netherlands
Kevin Kraugartner, Germany
Alessio Paduano, Italy
Ekrem Sahin, Turkey
Yevhen Samuchenko, Ukraine
Haozheng Wu, Macao
DOCUMENTARY PROJECTS
Finalists
Davide Monteleone, Italy
Juliette Pavy, France
Brent Stirton, South Africa
Shortlist
Raphael Alves, Brazil
Ernesto Benavides, Peru
Natalia Garbu, Moldova
Eddo Hartmann, Netherlands
Jens Juul, Denmark
Frankie Mills, United Kingdom
Renaud Philippe, Canada
PORTFOLIO
Finalists
Aly Hazzaa, Egypt
Angelika Kollin, Estonia
Jorge Mónaco, Argentina
Shortlist
Paweł Bojarski, Poland
Lydia Grizzle, United States
Horst Kistner, Germany
Anna Neubauer, Austria
Mojtaba Radmanesh, Islamic Republic of Iran
PORTRAITURE
Finalists
Drew Gardner, United Kingdom
Valery Poshtarov, Bulgaria
Adali Schell, United States
Shortlist
Liang Chen, China Mainland
Owen Harvey, United Kingdom
Jiatong Lu, China Mainland
Michael O. Snyder, United States
WILDLIFE & NATURE
Finalists
Eva Berler, Greece
Jasper Doest, Netherlands
Haider Khan, India
Shortlist
Steven Begleiter, United States
Kathryn Cooper, United Kingdom
Massimo Giorgetta, Italy
Kathleen Orlinsky, United States
Jen Osborne, Canada
Jacques Smit, South Africa
Lukas Zeman, Czech Republic
SPORT
Finalists
Angelika Jakob, Germany
Thomas Meurot, France
Tommaso Pardini, Italy
Shortlist
Lorenzo Foddai, Italy
Oles Kromplias, Ukraine
James Rokop, United States
Piotr Sadurski, Poland
Kai Schwörer, Germany
Luis Tato, Spain
Lucas Urenda, Chile
STILL LIFE
Finalists
Peter Franck, Germany
Beth Galton, United States
Federico Scarchilli, Italy
Shortlist
William Abranowicz, United States
Raúl Belinchón Hueso, Spain
Kristina Kulakova, Austria
Helen McLain, United States
Michael Young, United States
Sony World Photography Awards
Now in its 17th year, the free-to-enter awards are a global voice for photography. They also provide vital insight into contemporary photography today. For both established and emerging artists, the awards offer opportunities for exposure of their work.
The also recognize the world’s most influential artists working in the medium through the Outstanding Contribution to Photography Award. Sebastião Salgado is the 2024 recipient of this award.
