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 cash prize and range of Sony 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.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 want 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 digital imaging kit. This year's winners are:
ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN
WINNER: Tom Vocelka (Czech Republic)for his series Eternal Hunting Grounds
Finalists: 2ndplaceFrank Machalowski (Germany); 3rd place Gu Guanghui (China Mainland)
CREATIVE
WINNER: Mark Hamilton Gruchy(United Kingdom) for his series The Moon Revisited
Finalists: 2ndplaceLuigi Bussolati (Italy); 3rd place Sasha Bauer (Russian Federation)
DOCUMENTARY PROJECTS
WINNER: Vito Fusco (Italy) for his series The Killing Daisy
Finalists: 2ndplaceCraig Easton (United Kingdom); 3rd place Lorenzo Tugnoli (Italy)
ENVIRONMENT
WINNER: Simone Tramonte (Italy) for his series Net-zero Transition
Finalists: 2ndplaceMohammad Madadi (Islamic Republic of Iran); 3rd place Antonio P rez (Spain)
LANDSCAPE
WINNER: Majid Hojjati (Islamic Republic of Iran) for his series Silent Neighborhoods
Finalists: 2ndplaceAndrea Ferro (Italy); 3rd place Fyodor Savintsev (Russian Federation)
PORTFOLIO
WINNER: Laura Pannack (United Kingdom)for her submission Portfolio Overview
Finalists: 2ndplaceBrais Lorenzo (Spain); 3rd place Loli Laboureau (Argentina)
PORTRAITURE
WINNER: Craig Easton (United Kingdom) for his series Bank Top
Finalists: 2ndplaceJulia 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: 2ndplacePatrick 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: 2ndplace Alessandro Pollio (Italy); 3rd place Paloma Rincon (Spain)
WILDLIFE & NATURE
WINNER: Luis Tato (Spain) for his series Locust Invasion in East Africa
Finalists: 2ndplaceGraeme Purdy (United Kingdom); 3rd place Angel Fitor (Spain)
To find out more about this year's winning and finalist proj
