The first ever photobook was made in 1843 when British photographer Anna Atkins created an album of her cyanotype studies. Her contemporary Henry Fox Talbot saw the potential of the medium and quickly followed suit the following year, creating the book The Pencil of Nature. The twentieth century saw the rise of the photobook and for it not only to be a mode of expression but also a lucrative commercial enterprise, with the likes of Henri Cartier-Bresson’s The Decisive Moment (1952) and Robert Frank’s The Americans (1958). This creative partnership between the photographer and the book medium was made.
In response to the importance of the photobook within photographic culture, the Sony World Photography Awards book showcases the winning and shortlisted imagery from the corresponding year. Since the first hardback was released in 2009, the book has evolved in tandem with the Awards, making it a visual testament to the global breadth of the programme and its continued focus on inclusivity. An insight into photography today in all its diversity, the annual book puts the photographers telling the stories of our time centre stage.
Today Creo launches a very special book sale, where selected copies of the Sony World Photography Awards books are half-price for a limited time only. Also available is a special book bundle deal, where you can purchase two previous editions of the book for £25.99.
Highlights in the 2023 book include Photographer of the Year Edgar Martins’ compelling series Our War and the first ever Sustainability Prize winner Alessandro Cinque with his intriguing series Atrapanieblas (Fog Nets). A thought-provoking essay on the Outstanding Contribution to Photography recipient Rinko Kawauchi is sure to inspire and the featured spreads on the Professional competition category winners and finalists are impressive in their depth and diversity.
We encourage you to grow your photobook collection and next time you’d like to open a window onto our world take the Sony World Photography Awards annual book from your shelf and spend time with it, immersing yourself into the unique perspectives and the stories printed on its pages.
