Winner and shortlist announced: 2020 October youth competition

5 years ago

This year’s format for the Sony World Photography Awards Youth competition gives you more opportunities to be the next Youth Photographer of the Year. Below are the winning and shortlisted entries from the October competition, where we asked photographers aged 12-19 years old to submit their best portraiture images. Throughout time the best portraits have revealed qualities of the sitter. Be it beauty, power, confidence – or perhaps a secretive quality – a good portrait image invites the viewer to gain a deeper understanding of the person being photographed.

Studio, candid, lifestyle, fine art or conceptual, a portrait can be taken in many different environments. Judges were looking for strong images that clearly showcase the personality of a person or group of people, congratulations to all successful photographers below. The winner will also be featured on our weekly newsletter, social media channels and be in the running for the Youth Photographer of the Year title (announced in April 2020).

WINNER

Kolton Almany, United States, 16 years-old

"The model and I talked for a long time before this shoot because we're both at turning points in our lives and we decided to interpret this by choosing a library as the location of the shoot. The use of the library was to represent how we all have many stories and chapters in our lives. After taking a few photographs from inside the building I decided to go outside and take a photo through a window. I see it as the library is full of her stories and she’s looking out to see what's coming next."

'Winning October's Youth competition means so much to me. I never thought my photography would be able to have an impact on a global level. It's reinforced my confidence in my natural ability to compose a shot. I’m so grateful I’ve been given this opportunity and for the people to see the world through my eyes.'

SHORTLIST