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14 powerful images from Sony World Photography Awards 2016

Last updated on: April 26, 2016 09:47 IST

The winners of the 2016 edition of the Sony World Photography Awards, the world’s biggest photography competition, organised by the World Photography Organisation, have been announced in the Professional, Environment, Landscape, and other categories.

The honorary judging committee has selected Iranian photojournalist Asghar Khamseh as the recipient of the most coveted prize, the L’Iris d’Or Professional Photographer of the Year.

All the winning images will be part of the 2016 Sony World Photography Awards Exhibition at Somerset House, London from April 22 -- May 8, and will be published in the annual Sony World Photography Awards book.

CLICK ON THE IMAGES FOR LARGER VIEW


Kevin Frayer, Canada

Category: Professional, Environment

Series Name: Eagle Hunters of Western China

The Eagle Hunting festival, organised by the local hunting community, is part of an effort to promote and grow traditional hunting practices for new generations in the mountainous region of western China that borders Kazakhstan, Russia and Mongolia.

The training and handling of the large birds of prey follows a strict set of ancient rules that Kazakh eagle hunters are preserving for future generations.Photograph: Kevin Frayer/2016 Sony World Photography Awards


Maroesjka Lavigne, Belgium

Category: Professional, Landscape

Series Name: Land of Nothingness

Named for its desert, Namibia is one of the least densely populated places on earth, visually defined by rich colours in a barren, yet constantly changing landscape; the vast brown plain of scorched earth, the white surface of the saltpans, the gold tones of the sand dunes.

Patience is required to discover Namibia’s subtle scenery. Hours of driving reveal more emptiness; the sight of other people rare and only the strategically located gas stations a reminder of the world beyond. Captivated by delicately washed out landscapes you drive for hours, chaperoned by herds of giraffes or zebra, shadowed by flocks of flamingos, suddenly stumbling upon a family of elephants.

Here, a rhino blends into the earth and the sky. Photograph: Maroesjka Lavigne/2016 Sony World Photography Awards


Alberto Alicata, Italy

Category: Professional, Staged,

Series Name: Iconic B

In this project, Alberto Alicata, traces the history of photography, image iconic realised by the great masters, resorting to the use of a symbol of contemporary Western culture: Barbie. Photograph: Alberto Alicata/2016 Sony World Photography Awards/Sie Photography


Asghar Khamseh, Iran

Category: Professional, Contemporary Issues

Series Name: Fire of Hatred

The violent act of acid throwing is primarily against women and children.  These attacks are committed with the intent to disfigure, maim and destroy the social life and future of the victim.

The motivation to commit this type of violence is cultural destitution, intolerance and happens in situations such as family conflicts, rejected marriage proposal, revenge and divorce requests. Victims In addition physical and psychological damages, victims are faced with the experience of social stigma, blame and social unpleasant tags. Photographer: Asghar Khamseh/2016 Sony World Photography Awards


Julien Mauve, France

Category: Professional, Conceptual

Series Name: Greetings From Mars

This project is about space exploration and discovery, but it's  also  about  our  behavior in front  of landscapes  and how  we  create  pictures  that  will  share  our  personal story with the world.  In every spot, carefully chosen for their  similarities  with the red planet, the photographer imitated stereotypical tourist poses. Photograph: Julien Mauve/2016 Sony World Photography Awards


Jetmir Idrizi, Kosovo

Category: Professional, Campaign

Series Name: TransBrasil

TransBrasil is an ongoing project, which aims to deepen gender identities issues from documentary photography perspective. It proposes to approach different social and cultural expressions that question the binary schemes masculine/feminine to understand the gender and identity process. Photograph: Jetmir Idrizi/2016 Sony World Photography Award


Kevin Frayer, Canada

Category: Professional, People

Series Name: Nomadic Life Threatened on the Tibetan Plateau

Tibetan nomads face many challenges to their traditional way of life including political pressures, forced resettlement by China's government, climate change and rapid modernisation. The Tibetan Plateau, often called ‘the Roof of the World’, is the world's highest and largest plateau. Photograph: Kevin Frayer/2016 Sony World Photography Awards


Angelos Tzortzinis, Greece

Category: Professional, Current Affairs

Series Name: In search of the European Dream

An Afghan refugee carries his child as he arrives along with other refugees on a beach on the Greek island of Kos, after crossing a part of the Aegean Sea between Turkey and Greece, on May 27, 2015. Photograph: Angelos Tzortzinis/2016 Sony World Photography Awards/AFP


Amélie Labourdette, France

Category: Winner, Professional

Series Name: Empire of dust

The  ‘Empire  of  Dust’ series of photographs were taken  in the  south  of  Italy, where  financial  crises and embezzlement have created  an  architectural  aesthetic of incompleteness. Photograph: Amélie Labourdette/2016 Sony World Photography Awards


Marcello Bonfanti, Italy

Category: Professional, Portraiture

Series Name: Ebola Survivors

The most widespread epidemic of Ebola virus disease in Sierra Leone ended on October 7, 2015 with 14,122 cases and 3,955 deaths. That required the complex and brave intervention of international non-governmental organisations in the attempt to fight the virus.

The Italian NGO Emergency ran an Ebola treatment center built by DFEED. Thanks to the medical care of Emergency, were able to start a new life. They returned to life finding their families partly or totally killed by the virus. Photograph: Marcello Bonfanti/2016 Sony World Photography Awards 


Espen Rasmussen, Norway

Category: Professional, Daily Life

Series Name: The Curse of Coal

Chelse, 21, together with her boyfriend Eric and Alvin in her mother's trailer close to   Beckley, West Virginia. They smoke OxyContin painkiller's before going out for a party on Halloween. With 1.8 million people and more than 500 dying of overdose every year, West Virginia is pill state Number One in the United States. Photograph: Espen Rasmussen/2016 Sony World Photography Awards/VG/Panos Pictures


Kirstin Schmitt, Germany

Category: Professional, Candid

Series Name: Waiting For the Candymen, Milagro

The series is a study of Cuban idiosyncrasy; an allegory of waiting: Waiting the right moment, waiting for tomorrow, waiting for something or someone who brings redemption maybe. Photographer: Kirstin Schmitt/016 Sony World Photography Awards


Nikolai Linares, Denmark

Category: Professional , Sport,

Series Name: Second Best

 

A portrait of a silver medal winner, just after loosing his final at the Zealand boxing Championships held in Copenhagen in March. Photograph: Nikolai Linares/2016 Sony World Photography Awards


Francesco Amorosino, Italy

Category: Professional, Still Life

Series Name: Migrant Tomatoes

 

Once a year Italian families make tomato sauce at home, cooking and canning a huge amount of vegetables. Tons of tomatoes are grown in the fields of the South of the Country and harvested by about 19,000 labourers, paid 1 or 2 Euro for each filled box.

Only in 2015 there were 13 deaths at work in the fields because of high temperatures. Many of those involved in the harvest are immigrants. Says the photographer, "On the tomatoes, still dirty with soil, bought by my family to make the sauce, I saw the fingerprints of those who had harvested them; I imagined their stories, the hours spent in the sun, the hope, the desire to work. Since then, I haven’t watched the sauce with the same eyes." Photograph: Francesco Amorosino/2016 Sony World Photography Awards/Luz Photo Agency