San Diego, CA—The World Photography Organization announced that independent curator and photography consultant Monica Allende is the new chair of the Professional Competition jury. Also announced was the judging panel for the Sony World Photography Awards 2024 and forthcoming dates for the exhibition. The exhibit returns to Somerset House, London, April 19 to May 6, 2024.
Now in its 17th year, the Sony World Photography Awards are one of the world’s largest and most prestigious photography competitions. Moreover, they champion the best contemporary photography from across the world. In addition, the program provides participating photographers with international exposure and career-building opportunities.
Further, Sony supports the awards to help with the development of the photographic culture by offering a global platform to today’s talent. Notably, entry to the awards is completely free, and photographers are judged anonymously by a panel of industry-leading judges.
Sony World Photography Awards 2024 Judges
This year, Monica Allende will chair the Jury for the Professional Competition. She is also the curator of the Sony World Photography Awards 2024 exhibition at Somerset House, London. Bringing her wealth of experience in the photography world, Allende has previously held numerous high-profile positions. They include artistic director of both the Landskrona Foto Festival and the GetxoPhoto International Image Festival. She is also a former photo editor at the Sunday Times Magazine, where she launched the award-winning photography section “Spectrum.” Additionally, Allende is curator of the Blues Skies Project and lectures at the London College of Communication and EFTI (Centro Internacional de Fotografía y Cine) in Madrid. 
“I feel very honored to chair the jury of such internationally renowned awards and excited to enter into meaningful discussions about photography with expert jurors from around the globe,” Allende commented. “I hope to engage with varied perspectives in an innovative and collaborative process. I look forward to seeing works that inspire me to pause, think and consider.”
In addition, this year’s judges bring a breadth of knowledge and expertise from varied photographic backgrounds. Following are the judges for each of the competitions.
Professional Competition
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; festival director, Chobi Mela, Bangladesh
Monica Allende, Independent curator, photography consultant and chair of the jury
Open and Youth Competitions
Daniel Blochwitz, curator, Foto Festival Lenzburg, Switzerland
Student Competition
Ravi Ghosh, deputy editor, British Journal of Photography, UK
2024 Exhibition Dates and 2023 International Tour Dates
Following the London exhibition and subsequent presentations in Tokyo, Ho Chi Minh City and Milan, the Sony World Photography Awards 2023 exhibition travels next to Berlin. It will exhibit at the Willy-Brandt-Haus, November 17, 2023, through January 28, 2024.
In 2024, the Sony World Photography Awards exhibition opens at Somerset House, London, April 19 to May 6, 2024.
2024 Prizes and Deadlines
The Sony World Photography Awards opened on June 1, 2023. For full competition and category descriptions, click here. worldphoto.org/sony-world-photography-awards
Deadlines for submission across the awards’ four competitions are:
Professional: January 12, 2024, 13:00 GMT
Open: January 5, 2024, 13:00 GMT
Student: November 30, 2023, 13:00 GMT
Youth: January 5, 2024, 13:00 GMT
Furthermore, all category winners of the Professional, Open, Youth and Student competitions will receive digital imaging equipment from Sony. In addition, cash prizes of $25,000 will go to the Photographer of the Year; $5,000 to the Open Photographer of the Year; and $5,000 to the winner of the Sustainability Prize.
The winner of the Photographer of the Year title will also receive a solo presentation as part of the Sony World Photography London exhibition the following year. All winning and shortlisted photographers’ works will also show at the annual Sony World Photography Awards exhibition in London and then tour internationally. The winning images will also be published in the annual Awards’ book.
