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The World Photography Organisation is delighted to announce the overall winners in the prestigious #sony World Photography Awards 2021. The Photographer of the Year title and accompanying $25,000 (USD) cash prize and a range of Sony’s digital imaging kit is awarded to the esteemed documentarian Craig Easton (United Kingdom) for his series Bank Top. Also announced are the ten category winners alongside 2nd and 3rd place of the Professional competition as well as overall winners of the Open, Student and Youth competitions.
Winners are revealed in a celebratory announcement video hosted by CEO of the World Photography Organisation Scott Gray and TV and radio presenter and author Konnie Huq. The video features interviews, behind-the-scenes clips and reactions from winning photographers and is available to view via YouTube here.
Also unveiled today is a virtual exhibition of winning and finalists’ work; A Year in Photos from the #sony World Photography Awards 2021, a specially commissioned documentary feature hosted by art historian Jacky Klein and entertainer Nish Kumar; and a free digital copy of the #sony World Photography 2021 book all available to view and download via worldphoto.org/announcement-2021
Bank Top, a collaboration with writer and academic Abdul Aziz Hafiz, examines the representation and misrepresentation of communities in northern England, focusing on the tightknit neighbourhood of Bank Top in Blackburn. The project forms part of Easton’s wider work in the region including Thatcher’s Children (2nd place, Documentary Projects, 2021 Professional competition,), an investigation into the chronic nature of poverty as experienced by three generations of one family; and Sixteen (shortlisted in the Portraiture category of the 2017 Awards), a look into the dreams, aspirations and fears of 16 year-olds from all walks of life.
Bank Top is a result of the Blackburn Museum & Art Gallery initiative Kick Down the Barriers, a project instigated in response to media reports portraying the town as the ‘the most segregated in Britain’. Seeking to challenge this narrative, the museum invited artists and writers to collaborate with residents of various neighbourhoods and create a robust and authentic representation of their communities.
Over the course of a year Easton and Hafiz worked closely with local inhabitants to explore their stories and experiences through a series of black & white portraits and accompanying texts. These highlight issues around social deprivation, housing, unemployment, immigration and representation, as well as the impact of past and present foreign policy. Their work counters simplistic generalisations and aims to provide context as to how these communities came together and a better understanding of how they thrive together now.
Mike Trow, Chair of the 2021 Professional competition says: "What is so impressive about this project is the intent, dedication and understanding Craig brings to it. He has worked closely with the writer Abdul Aziz Hafiz to create a complete piece, tacitly acknowledging that for a project as sensitive as this words matter. These are not people who necessarily asked to be photographed but Craig gained their trust. They look frankly to camera and we see a mutual understanding between documenter and subject. It is the moral weight behind this work that makes it so important and deserving of this prize.”
Commenting on his win Easton says: “I am delighted to have this work recognised by the #sony World Photography Awards. I photograph to learn, to try to understand and to document and share stories. It is a privilege to be able to do so and to challenge perceptions and stereotypes – something that is especially important to me. To have these stories from underrepresented or misrepresented communities in northern England where I live recognised and shared worldwide is wonderful. Thank you.”
PROFESSIONAL CATEGORY WINNERS
Winning photographers in the Professional competition have been selected by a panel of expert judges for submitting an outstanding body of work of five to ten images, ranging from stories of local importance to issues of global significance, quiet moments of resilience to creative brilliance and playfulness. All category winners receive Sony’s digital imaging kit. This year’s winners are:
ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN
WINNER: Tomáš Vocelka (Czech Republic) for his series Eternal Hunting Grounds
Finalists: 2nd place Frank Machalowski (Germany); 3rd place Gu Guanghui (China Mainland)
CREATIVE
WINNER: Mark Hamilton Gruchy (United Kingdom) for his series The Moon Revisited
Finalists: 2nd place Luigi Bussolati (Italy); 3rd place Sasha Bauer (Russian Federation)
DOCUMENTARY PROJECTS
WINNER: Vito Fusco (Italy) for his series The Killing Daisy
Finalists: 2nd place Craig Easton (United Kingdom); 3rd place Lorenzo Tugnoli (Italy)
ENVIRONMENT
WINNER: Simone Tramonte (Italy) for his series Net-zero Transition
Finalists: 2nd place Mohammad Madadi (Islamic Republic of Iran); 3rd place Antonio Pérez (Spain)
LANDSCAPE
WINNER: Majid Hojjati (Islamic Republic of Iran) for his series Silent Neighborhoods
Finalists: 2nd place Andrea Ferro (Italy); 3rd place Fyodor Savintsev (Russian Federation)
PORTFOLIO
WINNER: Laura Pannack (United Kingdom)for her submission Portfolio Overview
Finalists: 2nd place Brais Lorenzo (Spain); 3rd place Loli Laboureau (Argentina)
PORTRAITURE
WINNER: Craig Easton (United Kingdom) for his series Bank Top
Finalists: 2nd place Julia Fullerton-Batten (United Kingdom); 3rd place Jane Hilton (United Kingdom)
SPORT
WINNER: Anas Alkharboutli (Syrian Arab Republic) for his series Sport and Fun Instead of War and Fear
Finalists: 2nd place Patrick Meinhardt (Spain); 3rd place Farzam Saleh (Islamic Republic Of Iran)
STILL LIFE
WINNER: Peter Eleveld (Netherlands) for his series Still Life Composition, Shot on Wet Plate
Finalists: 2nd place Alessandro Pollio (Italy); 3rd place Paloma Rincon (Spain)
WILDLIFE & NATURE
WINNER: Luis Tato (Spain) for his series Locust Invasion in East Africa
Finalists: 2nd place Graeme Purdy (United Kingdom); 3rd place Angel Fitor (Spain)
To find out more about this year’s winning and finalist projects please visit our online winners galleries
OPEN PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR
The Open competition celebrates the power of single images. Winning photographs are selected for their ability to communicate a remarkable visual narrative combined with technical excellence. Chosen from ten Open category winners, Tamary Kudita (Zimbabwe)is Open Photographer of the Year 2021 and the recipient of the $5,000 (USD) cash prize, Sony’s digital imaging equipment and global exposure.
Kudita won for her outstanding portrait African Victorian submitted to the Creative category. The photograph depicts a young black woman dressed in a Victorian dress and holding traditional Shona cooking utensils. The image probes at stereotypical contextualising of the black female body and offers an alternative visual language through which a multifaceted African identity is presented.
Speaking of her win Kudita says: ‘African Victorian pays tribute to the contemporary being who is also rooted in history. I am deeply honoured to have been chosen as the winner of the Open competition. This award is a testament to the role we play as creators in shaping visual culture. A central notion in my work is the importance of African representation and I am thankful to have received the opportunity to put Zimbabwean art on the map.’
STUDENT PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR
Coenraad Heinz Torlage (South Africa) of the Stellenbosch Academy of Design and Photography has been awarded Student Photographer of the Year 2021, winning €30,000 worth of #sony photography equipment for his institution. Torlage was chosen for his series Young Farmers, created in response to the brief Our Time which asked students to depict the way they and their contemporaries see the world and how they plan to change it for the better. In Young Farmers Torlage, who grew up on a farm himself, set out to photograph the next generation of farmers as they face challenges concerning severe droughts, safety and debates around land ownership alongside their contributions towards a fairer and more equitable future of sustainability and food security.
Commenting on his win Torlage says: “I have been through an experience that is almost impossible to describe. I often dreamt of winning and prayed that I could share my country and the amazing people in it with the world. I believe in the young farmers of South Africa which this country needs in terms of food sustainability and ecological awareness. Winning is a dream made possible by the amazing people that I photographed and everyone who helped and supported me. I believe in hard work, family and most of all the grace of God. I am truly humbled that my images could even be considered for such a prestigious competition."
YOUTH PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR
Selected from six category winners, Pubarun Basu (India, 19 years-old) has won Youth Photographer of the Year 2021for his image No Escape from Reality. In the photograph the shadows of railings projected onto curtains create the illusion of cage bars from behind which a pair of hands is seen as if trying to break through. The illusion of shadows and hands gesture convey a sense of entrapment shared by so many across the world this past year. For his win Basu receives Sony’s digital imaging kit and global exposure.
Commenting on his win Basu says: “I am incredibly humbled to have been announced as the Youth Photographer of the Year. Participating in this competition has given me a fresh perspective on my art. I have seen some extraordinary photographs by my fellow youth photographers from around the world, and I take immense pride in the fact that my generation has such brilliant minds. I aspire to improve myself as an artist and would like to express my gratitude to my friends and family for always encouraging me to go the extra mile.”
OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO PHOTOGRAPHY
This year’s Outstanding Contribution to Photography has been awarded to the acclaimed Mexican photographic artist Graciela Iturbide. Widely recognised as Latin America’s greatest living photographer, Iturbide’s work offers a photographic account of Mexico since the late 1970s and is celebrated for its defining contribution to the country’s visual identity. In images of everyday life and its culture alongside those of ritual and religion, Iturbide’s work explores her country’s many complexities and contradictions, questioning its inequalities and highlighting the tensions between the urban and rural, modern and indigenous. Her photographs go beyond straight documentary narratives and aim to provide a poetic vision of their subjects informed by the photographer’s personal experiences and journey.
NEW IMAGES BY ALL WINNERS, FINALISTS AND STUDENT SHORTLIST ARE NOW AVAILABLE VIA: www.worldphoto.org/press
PROFESSIONAL COMPETITION 2021 WINNERS AND SHORTLIST
ARCHITECTURE: Category Winner: Tomáš Vocelka, Czech Republic 2nd place: Frank Machalowski, Germany 3rd place: Gu Guanghui, China Mainland Shortlist: Leonardo Costa Braga, Brazil Peter Franck, Germany Arvind Jayashankar, Belgium Luca Locatelli, Italy Karin Nützi-Weisz, Switzerland | CREATIVE: Category Winner: Mark Hamilton Gruchy, United Kingdom 2nd place: Luigi Bussolati, Italy 3rd place: Sasha Bauer, Russian Federation Shortlist: Andrea Alkalay, Argentina Delphine Blast, France Ilka & Franz, Germany Julia Keil, Germany Kyung-Hoon Kim, South Korea Niloofar Mahmoudian, Islamic Republic of Iran Michelle Watt, United States | DOCUMENTARY PROJECTS: Category Winner:Vito Fusco, Italy 2nd place: Craig Easton, United Kingdom 3rd place: Lorenzo Tugnoli, Italy Shortlist: Marcos Azulay, Argentina Ingmar Björn Nolting, Germany Justyna Gorniak, Poland Tomasz Lazar, Poland Jose Manuel Lopez, Spain Agnieszka Maruszczyk, Poland Alexey Pavlov, Russian Federation |
ENVIRONMENT: Category Winner: Simone Tramonte, Italy 2nd place: Mohammad Madadi, Islamic Republic of Iran 3rd place: Antonio Pérez, Spain Shortlist: Felipe Fittipaldi, Brazil Antonio Faccilongo, Italy Alessandro Gandolfi, Italy Li Wentao, China Mainland | LANDSCAPE: Category Winner: Majid Hojjati, Islamic Republic of Iran 2nd place: Andrea Ferro, Italy 3rd place: Fyodor Savintsev, Russian Federation Shortlist: Niklas Eschenmoser, Switzerland Mehrdad Fathi, Islamic Republic of Iran Samad Ghorbanzadeh, Islamic Republic of Iran Carol Graham, United Kingdom Marvin Grey, Philippines Marc Hennige, Germany | PORTRAITURE: Overall Winner: Craig Easton, United Kingdom 2nd place: Julia Fullerton-Batten, United Kingdom 3rd place: Jane Hilton, United Kingdom Shortlist: Richard Ansett, United Kingdom Theo Gould, United Kingdom Christian Lee, United States John Millar, United Kingdom Agnese Morganti, Italy Luca Rotondo, Italy |
PORTFOLIO: Category Winner: Laura Pannack, United Kingdom 2nd place: Brais Lorenzo, Spain 3rd place: Loli Laboureau, Argentina Shortlist: Sergio Aparicio - Okobé, Spain Jacob Ehrbahn, Denmark Alessandro Gandolfi, Italy Ilka & Franz, Germany Peter Franck, Germany Kayode Moyosade, Nigeria Marylise Vigneau, France | SPORT: Category Winner: Anas Alkharboutli, Syria 2nd place: Patrick Meinhardt, Spain 3rd place: Farzam Saleh, Islamic Republic of Iran Shortlist: Anton Dotsenko, United States Florian Gruet, France Michael Hanke, Czech Republic Carlos López, Spain Barbora Reichova, Czech Republic Antonio Aragón Renuncio, Spain | STILL LIFE: Category Winner: Peter Eleveld, The Netherlands 2nd place: Alessandro Pollio, Italy 3rd place: Paloma Rincon, Spain Shortlist: Wesley Dombrecht, Belgium Igor Kryukov, Russian Federation Maryna Masel, Ukraine Lorenzo Pennati, Italy Jan Prengel, Germany Berenice Riu, Spain |
WILDLIFE & NATURE: Category Winner: Luis Tato, Spain 2nd place: Graeme Purdy, United Kingdom 3rd place: Angel Fitor, Spain Shortlist: Levon Biss, United Kingdom Will Burrard-Lucas, United Kingdom Aleksander Nordahl, Norway Brent Stirton, South Africa |
ARCHITECTURE: Category Winner: Klaus Lenzen, Germany Shortlist: Farshid Ahmadpour, Islamic Republic of Iran Abdulla Al-Mushaifri, Oman Steffen Ebert, Germany Simone Hutsch, Germany Vytenis Jankūnas, United States Klaus Lenzen, Germany Kunkun Liu, China Mainland Aleksandr Lefler, Russian Federation Jordan McChesney, Canada Vitaly Medvedev, Russian Federation Da Miane, Georgia Jose Pessoa Neto, Portugal Holger Ostwald, Germany Ashwani Sarda, India | CREATIVE: Overall Winner: Tamary Kudita, Zimbabwe Shortlist: Edita Bízová, Czech Republic Tatenda Chidora, Zimbabwe Maximilien Diaz, France Vyacheslav Ivanov, Russian Federation Ali Jamshidi, Islamic Republic of Iran Joosep Kivimäe, Estonia Angiolo Manetti, Italy Jarod Mauws, Belgium Alireza Movahedi, Islamic Republic of Iran Hoije Nuuter, Estonia Nara O'Neil, Australia Jing Shen, China Mainland Georgе Shpuntov, Russian Federation Kylli Sparre, Estonia
Category Winner Marijo Maduna, Croatia Shortlist: Sandi Bertoncelj, Slovenia Hersley-Ven Casero, The Philippines Serkan Çolak, Turkey Tadiwanashe Murowe, Zimbabwe Mary Nhoileen Maypa, The Philippines Ruud Peters, The Netherlands Daniel Portch, United Kingdom Zdeněk Vošický, Czech Republic Brad Walls, Australia Xianshe Ye, China Mainland OBJECT: Category Winner: Kata Zih, Hungary Shortlist: Steve Chandler, United Kingdom Christian Holz, Argentina Uwe Langmann, Germany Klaus Lenzen, Germany Agata Mroczek, Poland Paolo Paccagnella, Italy Stefan Pankow, United Kingdom Ann Petruckevitch, United Kingdom Manuel Schmidt, Germany Masumi Shiohara, Japan TRAVEL: Category Winner: Khanh Phan, Vietnam Shortlist: Marios Forsos, Greece Alexis Guevara, Mexico Graeme Haunholter, Canada Martina Lo Casto, Italy Rune Mattsson, Norway Hiroki Nose, Japan Yukihito Ono, Japan Franz Sußbauer, Germany F.Dilek Uyar, Turkey Min Min Zaw, Myanmar | LANDSCAPE: Category Winner: Juan López Ruiz, Spain Shortlist: Luca Donegani, Italy Kevin Frank, Switzerland Jinjing Lyu, China Mainland Joaquin Marco, Spain Andrea Ortiz Diaz, Colombia Mehdi Parsaeian, Islamic Republic of Iran Lorenzo Poli, Italy Scott Portelli, Australia James Rushforth, United Kingdom Hans Kristian Strand, Norway Markus Wiedmann, Germany Parker Yost, United States NATURAL WORLD & WILDLIFE: Category Winner: Cristo Pihlamäe, Estonia Shortlist: Hin Man Au, Hong Kong Amish Chhagan, Zambia Yuta Doto, Japan Arturo de Frias, Spain Tatyana Nemova, Russian Federation Alex Pansier, The Netherlands Alexandre Pietra, Switzerland Mati Puum, Estonia Inger Rønnenfelt, Denmark Koki Shinoda, Japan Andrew Suryono, Indonesia Iakovos Thoedoros, Greece STREET PHOTOGRAPHY: Category Winner: F.Dilek Uyar, Turkey Shortlist: Dina Alfasi, Israel Dimpy Bhalotia, India David Keith Brown, United States Gary Cummins, Ireland Ramunas Danisevicius, Lithuania Basu Deb, India Tommaso Galli, Italy Vytenis Jankūnas, United States Ares Jonekson, Indonesia Bartlomiej Jurecki, Poland Tomasz Kowalski, Poland Francesco Lopazio, Italy Zhang Weijian, China Mainland | |
Category Winner: Mariano Belmar, Spain Shortlist: Antonino Barone, Italy Isabela Teresa Basilio Neri, Brazil Gemma Brunton, United Kingdom Holger Bücker, Germany Stefano Butturini, Italy Aimee Glucina, New Zealand Michail Karagiannis, Greece Hamed Rahmati, Islamic Republic of Iran Alexey Tsiler, Russian Federation Brad Walls, Australia PORTRAITURE: Category Winner: Lyudmila Sabanina, Russian Federation Shortlist: Frederic Aranda, United Kingdom Shirsendu Banerjee, India Paul Benns, United Kingdom Bella von Einsiedel, Germany Reinis Fjodorovs, Latvia Sabbir Hossen, Bangladesh Zeng Jinwen, China Mainland Heun Jung Kim, South Korea Justin Keene, United Kingdom King Mtambisi, Zimbabwe Rhianna Payne, United Kingdom Jose Pessoa Neto, Portugal Elif Öztürk, Turkey Mireia Vilaplana, Spain |
YOUTH COMPETITION 2021 | STUDENT COMPETITION 2021 |
Overall Winner: Pubarun Basu, India Shortlist: Zak Elley, UK Emil Holthausen, Germany Ram Kaushalyan, India Connor Lothian, UK Tianyang Wang, China Mainland | Overall Winner: Coenraad Heinz Torlage, South Africa Stellenbosch Academy of Design and Photography Shortlist: Claudia Mauderer, South Africa Stellenbosch Academy of Design and Photography Yanan Li, China Mainland University of Science and Technology of China Matías Alejandro Acuña, Argentina Motivarte Thomas Hengge, USA New York University Irene Facoetti, Italy Cfp Bauer Tayla Nebesky, USA University of the West of England Hannah Davey, New Zealand Elam School of Fine Arts Matias Garcia Paez, Ecuador Ravensbourne University London |
IMAGES AVAILABLE AT WORLDPHOTO.ORG/PRESS
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