Sony World Photography Awards 2013 - Professional Competition

You have not yet entered, why don't you give it a go

Entry Start:: 01/06/2012
Entry Close:: 09/01/2013

Are you a serious photographer with a true passion for the job? Do you understand the craft of taking pictures, documenting a story, conceptualising an idea, capturing emotions and evoking a response from those who view the finished product?

Submit your best work for the chance to become the next Sony World Photography Awards, Professional Photographer of the Year and win our most coveted prize, the L’Iris d’Or, along with prize money of $25,000.

Important points to note:

Submissions must be based on a body of work.
Photographs submitted in to a category must be from the same body of work and will be judged as such.
Images entered in to the Professional Competition must have been completed or first published in 2012.
First published in 2012, means that the photographs entered may have been taken before 2012 but due to having been commissioned by a client to be published in 2012, have not been publicly exhibited or published in any online or print media before 2012. For more details see the rules below.

Basic, Advanced and Premium Members can enter a minimum of 3 and a maximum of 10 images into each category. You may enter as many categories as you wish; however you cannot enter the same series or images into more than one category. You may highlight a single “signature image” from each series.

Please note once you enter this competition you will not be able to enter the Open Competition or Youth Award.

Prizes

Winner of the “L’iris d’Or” will receive:

Title of “Sony World Photography Awards Photographer of The Year"
$25,000
Membership to the “World Photography Academy”
Exhibition showcase of entire winning series at the Sony World Photography Awards 2013 exhibition and winners book
International exposure on the WPO website
Global media coverage
Flights to London, 2 nights accommodation in a hotel and VIP tickets to attend the Sony World Photography Awards gala ceremony, April 2013
Digital SLR camera equipment from Sony

Winners of each individual category will receive:

Recipient of the title “Sony World Photography Awards Professional category name Winner"
Flights to London, 2 nights accommodation in a hotel and VIP tickets to attend the Sony World Photography Awards gala ceremony, April 2013
Winning images showcased in the London exhibition and the winners book
International exposure in the winners galleries on the WPO website
Global media coverage
Digital SLR camera equipment from Sony

Finalists of each individual category will receive:

Images showcased as part of the official Sony World Photography Awards 2013 exhibition in London
Images published in the winners book
Announced to international press
International exposure in the winners galleries on the WPO website

Category Details

David Airob, Spain, Professional Winner, Architecture, Sony World Photography Awards 2012

Architecture

Architecture offers rich, exotic and diverse photographic possibilities; from pencil sketches to 3D virtual models, basic domestic spaces to grand estates, dated office blocks to state of the art sports grounds. Capture buildings from different angles and perspectives to convey their vast scale, the beauty of their geometry, or a minute detail that might otherwise go unnoticed.

Rob Hornstra, Netherlands, Professional Winner, Arts and Culture, Sony World Photography Awards 2012

Arts and Culture

Arts and Culture covers a broad range of subjects – from theatre and musicals, gigs and dance, to film, literature and the visual arts (photography, video, installation). This category invites images of everything from passive consumers as well as performers, to those working behind the scenes, in productions from Bollywood to Broadway. Find your inspiration and explore the many delights of arts and culture to be found across our vast planet.

Peter Franck, Germany, Professional Winner, Campaign, Sony World Photography Awards 2012

Campaign

A ‘campaign’ series can be for the purpose of advertising, promotion or raising awareness. All photographic series submitted should clearly show the champion theme or critical message, fulfilling the original brief. The campaign could cover subjects as varied as an advertising campaign for a new product or brand, a political campaign, a health awareness campaign or an environmental campaign.

Manuel Geerinck, Winner, Professional Finalist, Conceptual, Sony World Photography Awards 2012

Conceptual

Set-up photographs can be literal, abstract or conceptual, and unlike other categories in the competition, are judged almost entirely on subjective and aesthetic qualities because of the absence of a hard narrative or figurative information. Evaluating these images draws more heavily on the fundamentals of photography – composition, rhythm, design, and use of and manipulation of colour or light.

Kasia Bielska, Poland, Professional Winner, Contemporary Issues, Sony World Photography Awards 2012

Contemporary Issues

Not to be confused with Current Affairs, photographs in this category focus on those issues which form the basis of work by campaigners, NGOs and charities, to rouse support, sympathy, donations and action. Photographs of contemporary issues force us to take note of dramas and tragedies, wars and crises both abroad and close to home, a method of keeping the world’s ‘fortunate’s’ in tune with those in need of assistance or support.

Donald Weber, Canada, Professional Winner, Current Affairs, Sony World Photography Awards 2012

Current Affairs

Headline stories in newspapers and on international TV channels are often illustrated by photographs, as they can speak louder than words. Increasingly, images are used instead of words, for this very reason. This category follows the stories – global and on your doorstep – inviting images which freeze moments, capture key personalities and celebrities, mark the news of the day, week or month and document turning-point events.

Peter Franck, Germany, Professional Winner, Fashion, Sony World Photography Awards 2012

Fashion & Beauty

Fashion photography covers a wide spectrum – narrative, reportage, conceptual and studio covering the creation, exhibition, and or demonstration of garments, accessories, and style concepts. Beauty explored and found across surfaces; wildly colored and quietly enhanced.

Mitch Dobrowner, USA, L'Iris d'Or, Professional Winner, Landscape, Sony World Photography Awards 2012

Landscape

Aerial shots of vast sandy dunes, panoramic shots of rice terraces on a mountainside, a long view down a village street: the scale of Landscape photography has no limits. Industrial, agricultural, urban and rural landscapes all share the rich benefits of the relationship between the objects in view; buildings, trees, lakes, rolling hills, fields, the sea, and even humans.

Saja Seus, Professional Winner, Lifestyle, Sony World Photography Awards 2011

Lifestyle

One of the most popular and consistent types of photography in the commercial market is now also being shaped and informed by bloggers. Set up in natural settings, on location, or in studio, Lifestyle shoots focus on the human relationship. The aim is to make the images appear natural, a moment from every day life. This genre documents, and, or creates "real" life situations in order to sell a brand or a product.

Jacek Kusz, Poland, Professional Winner, Nature & Wildlife, Sony World Photography Awards 2012

Nature & Wildlife

Venture off in to the great outdoors, do some exploration and put your skills to the test! Nature and Wildlife photography is regarded as being one of the more challenging fields of photography and refers to a wide range of photography taken outdoors and devoted to displaying natural elements such as wildlife, insects, plants, and close-ups of natural scenes and textures.

Simon Norfolk, United Kingdom, Professional Winner, People, Sony World Photography Awards 2012

People

Photographs of people most often fall into two categories: portraits or candid. Within the photojournalism and documentary genre, this category requires the images to be of either current personalities within global current events, or to be documenting personalities which form part of a chosen subject you are documenting, whether you are photographing people from a specific culture, lifestyle or social membership. Street photography is one of the most popular forms of People photography.

Irina Werning, Argentina, Professional Winner, Portraiture, Sony World Photography Awards 2012

Portraiture

Traditionally, portraiture typically involves the subject in eye contact with the viewer. This said, portraits can reveal a great deal about the subject through different perspectives; down-turned or closed eyes, or a rear view. The context of a portrait can be rich in information; all over the world, people take portraits of family and friends in settings, which remind us of that moment.

Palmer + Pawel, United Kingdom, Professional Winner, Sport, Sony World Photography Awards 2012

Sport

This category invites much more than just front-page action shots; it is looking for photographs capturing drama and tension, character studies of performers, players and spectators, the skills and physical transformations associated with every sport. There is also great potential for theatricality, and an opportunity to illustrate the inventive improvisations conjured by sports men and women everywhere in the world.

Helen Thompson, UK, Professional Winner, Still Life, Sony World Photography Awards 2012

Still Life

In fine art photography, the still life field demands a highly refined sense of lighting, coupled with compositional skills similar to those that painters possess. The still life photographer makes pictures rather than takes them. Such a photograph may depict a classic scene such as a fruit bowl, or composed objects such as a vase with flowers, an empty bed, the torso of a human body, a candle lit dinner table. In essence any object or product can be the subject of a still life photograph.

Krzysztof Browko, Poland, Travel, Open Winner, Sony World Photography Awards 2012

Travel

Travel photography involves the documentation of the landscape, people, cultures, customs and history of a place. Images could capture the buzz of a city, the tranquillity of countryside, the marvel of natural wonders, the intrigue of abandoned places or the action of cultural traditions and everyday life.