Submerged Field: Colombian photographer Camilo Diaz captured this moment during the European Junior Championship of Underwater Rugby in 2016. “The Colombian national team is immersed in white, gray, and black, fighting together for the ultimate position,” says Diaz. “The volume of water suggests a calm while the surface gives constant chaos. It is in this scenario that the South American team is named youth world champion winners in Norway.”
Copyright: © Camilo Diaz, Colombia, 1st Place, Open, Motion, 2017 Sony World Photography Awards
Oculus: British photographer Tim Cornbill was awarded best architecture photo for this shot taken in Berlin. “Having just arrived in Berlin on a bright summer’s day, my wife and I decided to take a morning walk along the River Spree. We soon came across a large concrete building, and I was immediately struck by its geometry and scale,” says Cornbill.
Copyright: © Tim Cornbill, United Kingdom, 1st Place, Open, Architecture, 2017 Sony World Photography Awards
Halloween Protagonists: This reveler at last year’s Halloween parade in New York City might not be the most original cosplayer, but he allowed Greek photographer Constantinos Sofikitis to take the best street photography picture at 2017 Sony World Photography Awards.
Copyright: © Constantinos Sofikitis, Greece, 1st Place, Open, Street Photography, 2017 Sony World Photography Awards
Borderline: Named the best nature photo this year, Japanese photographer Hiroshi Tanita describes his photo as “the boundary line between blue and white, ice and snow which appeared in the pond to which thin ice came into winter.”
Copyright: © Hiroshi Tanita, Japan, 1st Place, Open, Nature, 2017 Sony World Photography Awards
#3 Hearth: The Open competition’s enhance category celebrates the best images that have been technically manipulated. Lise Johansson’s “#3 Hearth” is part of a series that explore the notion of home. Johansson says, “The inspiration for the work came from the personal experience of returning to Denmark after many years of living abroad, realizing that I lost the warm sense of belonging I once used to have.”
Copyright: © Lise Johansson, Denmark, 1st Place, Open, Enhanced, 2017 Sony World Photography Awards
Sunrise at Sea: “Not necessary to have money to travel by sea. Just use your imagination! Fabric and paper is all you need,” says Sergey Dibtsev, winner of the competition’s still life category.
Copyright: © Sergey Dibtsev, Russian Federation, 1st Place, Open, Still Life (open), 2017 Sony World Photography Awards
National Awards: A sub-category of the Open competition, the National Awards honors the best photographers from 66 countries participating in the competition. Nepal is one of the new participating countries this year. Ajay Maharjan’s “The Believers,” depicting a Nepalese Hindu youth during Krishna Janmashtami festival at Bhaktapur, Nepal, won third place (Nepal).
Copyright: © Ajay Maharjan, Nepal, 3rd Place, National Awards, 2017 Sony World Photography Awards
Chestnut Avenue: AleÅ¡ Komovec took this picture during his first visit to South Moravia, Czech Republic. It was awarded third place (Slovenia). “I knew about this place from the internet — it’s one of the most photographed places in the area, but it was really a surprise for me, when, after a half night drive and two hours of sleep, I woke up on this location. The light, weather and everything was perfect that morning.”Copyright: © AleÅ¡ Komovec, Slovenia, 3rd Place, National Awards, 2017 Sony World Photography Awards
Far From Gravity: This staged shot taken by Alex Andriesi was named the top photo in Romania this year. He describes the photo as his “cinematic dreams.”
Copyright: © Alex Andriesi, Romania, 1st Place, National Awards, 2017 Sony World Photography Awards
Sleeping Beauty: “During a game drive in Lake Nakuru national park in September 2016 we noticed this lioness on a tree,” says Deveni Nishantha Manjula, this year’s best Sri Lankan photographer.
Copyright: © Deveni Nishantha Manjula, Sri Lanka, 1st Place, National Awards, 2017 Sony World Photography Awards
The Wanderer: A stroll on a foggy night can be rewarding. In this case, Hendrik Mändla went home with third place in the National Awards (Estonia).
Copyright: © Hendrik Mändla, Estonia, 3rd Place, National Awards, 2017 Sony World Photography Awards
The Glass Castle: This picture, which won third place in the National Awards (Russia), was taken in a modern residential complex in Moscow.
Copyright: © Ivan Turukhano, Russian Federation, 3rd Place, National Awards, 2017 Sony World Photography Awards
Maasai Morning Ritual: “In Magadi, which is in the southern part of Kenya’s Great Rift Valley, Maasai Morans sometimes wake up in the morning to a cold beer before heading out to tend their cows near the lake. This is due to the long distance they must sometimes travel from where they live to where grass and water is. It’s a sort of early “pick-me-up” to get the day rolling,” says Joseph Were, who came third in the National Awards (Kenya).
Copyright: © Joseph Were, Kenya, 3rd Place, National Awards, 2017 Sony World Photography Awards
Tabular Iceberg: Josselin Cornou came first in the National Awards (France) with this picture taken during an expedition to the Antarctic Peninsula. Cornou says, “On our way to the 66th parallel south, our boat was navigating in silence through 30 meters (100 feet) high tabular icebergs that were once part of the Larsen Ice Shelf. Those mesmerizing structures were displaying subzero icy corridors, forming a highly photogenic gargantuan maze.”
Copyright: © Josselin Cornou, France, 1st Place, National Awards, 2017 Sony World Photography Awards
Fisherman: Khalid Alsabat of Saudi Arabia photographed this scene at sunrise when he was staying in Yangzhou, China. “The elderly Chinese fisherman in his traditional clothes pushed his bamboo boat into the water, carrying with him a fishing net, a light, and two cormorants,” Alsabat says.
Copyright: © Khalid Alsabat, Saudi Arabia, 1st Place, National Awards, 2017 Sony World Photography Awards
Wanaka Tree: Linda Cutche of New Zealand tasked herself with a challenge to frame the famous tree in Lake Wanaka in a unique way. “Although this scene had been photographed by many, I was artistically challenged to take my own version. The idea was to go on an early morning venture and get a good spot before the sun rose, capturing the glory of an amazing sunrise showering the tree in a golden light.”
Copyright: © Linda Cutche, New Zealand, 3rd Place, National Awards, 2017 Sony World Photography Awards
Local Train: Coming third in the Bangladesh category is this scene captured by Moin Ahmed at Tongi Railway Station.
Copyright: © Moin Ahmed, Bangladesh, 3rd Place, National Awards, 2017 Sony World Photography Awards
Synced: Nadia Aly of the United States took this photo of Gentoo penguins, hunting in the icy cool waters of Antarctica. It was the third best shot taken by an American photographer this year. “It’s incredibly interesting to see how synchronized they are with their movements and breaths, as they glide throughout the ocean,” says Aly.
Copyright: © Nadia Aly, United States of America, 3rd Place, National Awards, 2017 Sony World Photography Awards