I want to be blown away by seeing a portrait or image that immediately invokes an emotional response, not a pastiche of a famous portrait or replication of a photographers style that has come before. Russ O'Connell, 2017 Professional competition judge
December 6, 2016: With just one month until the 10th edition closes, the 2017 Sony World Photography Awards today releases new entries from its Open competition, and asks its judges to share their advice to photographers worldwide entering the Professional, Open and Youth competitions plus the National Awards.
The Sony World Photography Awards, created by the World Photography Organisation, is the world's largest photography competition. The 2016 competition received a record-breaking 230,103 images from 186 countries. The Photographer of the Year title was won by Iranian photojournalist Asghar Khamseh, and the Open Photographer of the Year title was awarded to Kei Nomiyama from Japan.
All entries to the Sony World Photography Awards are free at www.worldphoto.org. The deadlines for each competition are:
January 5, 2017 - Open competition - rewarding the best single images across 10 categories
January 5, 2017 - Youth competition - the best single image responding to a set brief by any photographer aged 12-19
January 5, 2017 - National Awards - uncovering the best single image from over 60 countries entered into the Open competition
January 10, 2017 Professional competition - 10 categories judged upon a body of work
The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony in London on April 20, 2017. Prizes include the latest Sony digital imaging equipment, inclusion in the 2017 awards' book plus cash prizes of $25,000 (USD) for the overall Professional winner and $5,000 (USD) for the overall Open winner.
All winning and shortlisted images will also be exhibited as part of the 2017 Sony World Photography Awards Exhibition at Somerset House, London from April 21 - May 7, 2017. The exhibition will also feature a special curation of work by the awards' 2017 Outstanding Contribution to Photography recipient.
Top tips from the judges
The awards' judging panels are made up of esteemed industry experts who below offer advice to those entering any of the 2017 competitions:
Russ O'Connell, Picture Editor, The Sunday Times Magazine (UK)
2017 Professional competition judge
Be conscious of your contemporaries and competition, try and choose something that really stands out, but is relevant in todays saturated market
Think commercially - what may be special to you personally, can be lost or misunderstood to the viewer
Be mindful of clich images
Fran oise Callier, Program Director, Angkor Photo Festival & Workshops (France)
2017 Professional competition judge
Technically good photos is a must
Don't copy winners from previous competitions
Good storytelling is important to me. I like being able to look at the photographs and understand what they are telling me without having to read the text description about them. I want the photographs to speak for themselves.
Damien Demolder, Photographer and Journalist (UK)
2017 Open and Youth competitions Chair of Judges
Try not to shoot images that have been done a thousand times before and which only copy and emulate others
Your life and your experience are different to everyone else's so use your individuality
New images available for publication
A new selection of entries to the Sony World Photography Awards' Open competition is now available via the World Photography Organisation press center. Please visit www.worldphoto.org/press for more details
For all press enquiries please contact
Press Department, World Photography Organisation
+ 44 (0) 20 7886 3043 or 3049 / press@worldphoto.org
Notes to Editors
All entries to the Sony World Photography Awards are free via www.worldphoto.org.
Please visit the website for rules and conditions of entries.
Key dates
January 17, 2017 - Outstanding Contribution to Photography recipient announced
February 28, 2017 - Shortlist for Professional, Open, Youth and Student Focus competitions revealed
March 28, 2017 - Open, Youth and National Award winners announced
April 20, 2017 - Photographer of the Year plus Professional category winners and Open, Youth and Student competition winners revealed at ceremony held in London
April 21 - May 7, 2017 - Sony World Photography Awards Exhibition at Somerset House, London
About World Photography Organisation
The World Photography Organisation is a global platform for photography initiatives. Working across up to 180 countries, our aim is to raise the level of conversation around photography by celebrating the best imagery and photographers on the planet.
We pride ourselves on building lasting relationships with both individual photographers and our industry-leading partners around the world.
We host a year-round portfolio of events including: the Sony World Photography Awards (the worlds largest photography competition, marking its 10th anniversary in 2017), various local meetups/talks throughout the year, and PHOTOFAIRS, International Art Fairs Dedicated to Photography, with destinations in Shanghai and San Francisco.
About Sony Corporation
Sony Corporation is a leading manufacturer of audio, video, imaging, game, communications, key device and information technology products for the consumer and professional markets. With its music, pictures, computer entertainment and online businesses, Sony is uniquely positioned to be the leading electronics and entertainment company in the world. Sony recorded consolidated annual sales of approximately $72 billion for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016. Sony Global Web Site: http://www.sony.net/
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I want to be blown away by seeing a portrait or image that immediately invokes an emotional response, not a pastiche of a famous portrait or replication of a photographers style that has come before. Russ O'Connell, 2017 Professional competition judge
