Established in 2007, the World Photography Organisation set out to raise awareness and level of conversation around photography worldwide. Each year, they provide a platform to Sony, which celebrates photographers’ works in over 50 countries and awards the Sony National & Regional prize. So far, the program has rewarded more than 500 photographers and is still counting. The prestigious and influential program is now in its ninth year and hand-picks the best single images from each of the countries entered and the winners are given Sony digital imaging equipment as well as plenty of global and local exposure. The initiative helps to support the artists working in the medium of photography and showcases their work. The World Photography Organisation arranges international exhibition tours and competitions, as well as contributes to collaborations and prestigious awards. Bored Panda is celebrating the photographers and their exquisite work and have connected with some of the winners. You can read about it below, as well as vote for your favorites on this list and let us know your impressions.

#1 Myanmar Winner: ‘Foggy Morning Fishing’, By Min Min Zaw

This scene shows a father and son catching fish early one winter morning. In Myanmar, children work with their parents to bring in an income for the whole family.

Image credits: Sony World Photography Awards

Kamila J. Gruss, author of “The Moon Girl”, spent 10 years in Berlin, and after getting her masters in literature studies, returned to her home in Poland to work for her family business. “Photography is my passion, obsession, way of catching my breath. It is a part of me, which I love to get lost in, be surprised by, a part where I get to create versions of realities that resonate with my sensitivity, most of all. It is precisely when I enter this sphere, that I rest the most. It’s always the photos that I am in the process of creating that are the last thing on my mind just before I fall asleep,” shared the mother of two.

Kamila also revealed that she was struggling with depression and photography was sort of a therapy for her. She was among the 100 winners of 2018 National Geographic’s photo community YOUR SHOT and this year, she won the Sony National & Regional award.

#2 Latvia Winner: ‘Glowing Mushroom’, By Janis Palulis

Light painting one evening in a Latvian forest

Image credits: Sony World Photography Awards

27-year-old Janis Palulis, the winner for the whole of Latvia, told Bored Panda that he participates in Sony National & Regional Awards as he has a great collection of photographs of the country’s nature. Although Janis is a nature and wildlife photographer, he sometimes covers commercial assignments and even weddings. He shared that being among the winners will help him to improve his visual content. “This is for my future inspiration!” declared Janis, who has over 10 years’ experience as a freelance photographer.

#3 Austria Winner: ‘Horse Against Black Background’, By Michaela Steiner

I photographed this beautiful horse in the entrance to its stable, using only natural light and a black background.

Image credits: Sony World Photography Awards

#4 Italy Winner: ‘Fox Portrait’, By Davide Giannetti

Following a hard rainfall in the National Park of Abruzzo, I spotted this wild red fox looking for food.

Image credits: Sony World Photography Awards

The Qatar winner Abdulla Al Mushaifri told Bored Panda that it’s tough to describe the category that his photography falls into. He believes that every single shot can be transformed into a piece of art if it’s captured perfectly. Originally from Oman, he resides in Qatar, having started his journey in photography in 2012 when he took a leap away from filming. “I attended a lot of workshops in order to shape my skills and knowledge; however, the real fact is that none of these workshops will help you if you can’t admire the arts around you and the most important thing is how you can translate a vision into reality.” Abdulla, who took the winning shot of the Museum Of Islamic Art, pointed out that these contests keep him motivated by showing his love for the art of photography. 

“I still believe that one day, I will reach my dream to be a well-known name in the photography community and my artworks will be interesting subjects to inspire the next generation.”

#5 Japan 2nd Place: ‘Autumn Snake’, By Hiroki Nose

This is an aerial photograph of a mountain road in Hakone, Japan. The path, when seen from the sky, looked like a snake. Photographed in autumn, the leaves of the coloured trees were extremely beautiful.

Image credits: Sony World Photography Awards

#6 Greece Winner: ‘Foggy Farming’, By Thoedoros Apeiranthitis

At 1,003m, Mount Zas (or Zeus) dominates the Greek island of Naxos. One day in early April, I decided to make my way to the top. By the time I was halfway up, the fog had become so dense it completely obscured the base of the mountain, making me feel as if I was flying. I noticed a small herd of sheep grazing peacefully in this strange environment. I took a shot before moving on and becoming lost in the fog.

Image credits: Sony World Photography Awards

Barcelona-born self-taught photographer Mireia Vilaplana started experimenting with analog photography and then moved to digital camera. The winner for the UAE entry has lived and worked in Dubai since 2016 with her husband and their 9-year-old twins. She specializes in black and white photography and creative portraiture and mostly works with natural light and creative lenses. “2020 was a challenging year for many people at many different levels. The uncertainties and the new normalities made me feel compelled to explore the symbolism of face masks and the way in which we reveal ourselves to others. My twins collaborated with me and and the photo series ‘Masquerade’ came to life in our very own garden.”

Mireia also shared that winning the National Award for Sony World Photography Awards 2021 is a tremendous honor and an encouragement to keep working hard and to keep using the photographic art to express herself and the world around her.

#7 Indonesia Winner: ‘Poems For Sisters’, By Hardijanto Budyman

You are angels in disguise
Side by side or miles apart
Sisters will always be connected by the heart

Image credits: Sony World Photography Awards

#8 Russian Federation Winner: ‘Silently In The Mountains’, By Evgeniy Ivanov

A home, immersed in complete silence, and forgotten about until spring.

Image credits: Sony World Photography Awards

#9 Philippines Winner: ‘Looking For Water’, By Donell Gumiran

In Ethiopia’s South Omo, the tribes who live in the valley depend on the Omo River for survival. Sixty-two million Ethiopians lack access to safe water. This is everyday life for them.

Image credits: Sony World Photography Awards

#10 Thailand Winner: ‘Autumn Float’, By Saowanee Suntararak

Autumn season at Lake Kawaguchi in Japan.Mount Fuji with autumn leaves is very popular in the photographers, and I love taking photo in this season,too.

Image credits: Sony World Photography Awards

#11 Poland Winner: ‘The Moon Girl’, By Kamila J. Gruss

The dark side of social media where everyone seems to be happy

Image credits: Sony World Photography Awards

#12 United States Winner: ‘Hourglass’, By Patrick Mueller

A snaking dune in Death Valley meets the saddle of the surrounding mountains.

Image credits: Sony World Photography Awards

#13 Egypt Winner: ‘The Mevlevi Dancer’, By Abdelhamid Fawzy Tahoun

Tanoura is an Egyptian dance, performed in circular motions, which has its spiritual origins in Sufism. Its performers believe that all movement in the universe starts and ends at the same point, so this is reflected in the dance, with the continuous spinning making them appear like planets moving in space.

Image credits: Sony World Photography Awards

#14 Finland Winner: ‘Night’, By Matti Virtanen

I may not have managed to capture any meteors during the Perseids of 2020, but I did get this night shot, which is full of wonder. The exposure was 30 seconds long, and shot at ISO 4000, using a tripod.

Image credits: Sony World Photography Awards

#15 Bulgaria Winner: ‘Extraterrestrial Earth – Mars ‘ By Eniz Karadzha

This dam is usually full, but had dried up. Scenes such as this show the effects of climate change are becoming more obvious. After a couple of weeks spent studying the angle of the sun, not to mention a bit of luck, I managed to take the image I’d hoped for.

Image credits: Sony World Photography Awards

#16 Mexico Winner: ‘First Breath’, By Brian Mena Laureano

Sunrise on the slopes of the Popocatépetl volcano.

Image credits: Sony World Photography Awards

#17 Bangladesh Winner: ‘Her Name Is Chandi ‘, By Sabbir Hossen

A portrait of a child working in a paddy field. She works alongside her parents as it allows her to continue her studies. Her passion was inspiring.

Image credits: Sony World Photography Awards

#18 Croatia Winner: ‘Driving Through The Ice Forest’, By Tomislav Veic

After the first snowfall towards the end of 2020, I took my camera to the largest old-growth forest in Croatia. This road runs through it.

Image credits: Sony World Photography Awards

#19 India Winner: ‘Water Buffalo’, By Shreejit Borthakur

A beast from the forests of northeastern India.

Image credits: Sony World Photography Awards

#20 Taiwan Winner: ‘Fluorescent Tiger’, By Hui Pin Lai

The tiger is an important symbol in Taiwanese culture. Here, I used fluorescent paint to depict its essence.

Image credits: Sony World Photography Awards

#21 Viet Nam Winner: ‘Waiting’, By Tuan Nguyen Quang

This photograph was taken in Ha Giang, Vietnam. I went into a house in the village and asked permission to take pictures there.

Image credits: Sony World Photography Awards

#22 Lithuania Winner: ‘Traditional Crafts: Portrait Of A Toymaker’, By Simas Bernotas

Ancient crafts are imbued with the wisdom of previous generations, with each nation having its own tales and myths about them. For this series, I captured Lithuanian crafters with a mystical spirit in an attempt to show them as devoted caretakers of declining traditions. This image is one of many from that project.

Image credits: Sony World Photography Awards

#23 Malaysia Winner: ‘Long-Tailed Macaque’, By Yoganathan Yoke

This photograph of a long-tailed macaque, also known as the crab-eating macaque, was taken in the mangrove forest of Kuala Gula, Perak. I went there one evening, hoping to photograph birds or snakes, when I saw a group of macaques foraging in the mud for their last meal of the day. A ray of light from the sunset fell on this macaque just as it looked up. I felt it looked like a gesture of hope for the future.

Image credits: Sony World Photography Awards

#24 Japan Winner: ‘The Last Winter’, By Yukihito Ono

Photographed in Fukushima, Japan, this train – known as Ki-Ha 40 – was retired from the Tadami Line on 11 March, 2020.

Image credits: Sony World Photography Awards

#25 Serbia Winner: ‘Serbia’s Red Gold Pepper Harvest’, By Vladimir Zivojinovic

An elderly woman prepares threads of red paprika in Donja Lokosnica, Serbia. In this village in a valley in South Morava, some 250 of the 280 households are involved in the growing of pepper – although depopulation means this number is in decline. Around 500 tons of ground pepper is produced in a 250-hectare area.

Image credits: Sony World Photography Awards

#26 New Zealand Winner: ‘Wrong Place Wrong Time’, By Murray Chant

This piece of ice had rolled around in the shallows until it assumed a worn and organic form. I photographed it at dusk and lit it from below.

Image credits: Sony World Photography Awards

#27 Slovakia Winner: ‘On His Own Path’, By Peter Svoboda

A lone cross-country skier ascends a hill. I wanted to capture a minimal winter image that had symbolism and suggested a parallel with human life.

Image credits: Sony World Photography Awards

#28 Taiwan 2nd Place: ‘Girl In Sunshine’, By Chia Jung Chou

New Taipei Metropolitan Park

Image credits: Sony World Photography Awards

#29 Chile Winner: ‘Sanhattan’, By Ramón Rodriguez

Santiago’s financial district is known as Sanhattan – a term coined in 1995 by the editor of newspaper La Nación, when he compared the high-rise developments in the neighbourhood of El Golf with those of Manhattan. Over time, the term made its way into common parlance.

Image credits: Sony World Photography Awards

#30 Turkey Winner: ‘Astroturf’, By Mehmet Aslan

The pandemic has affected everyone. Since places of worship are closed, these men pray on the Astroturf pitch, while adhering to social distancing.

Image credits: Sony World Photography Awards

#31 Taiwan 3rd Place: ‘Battlefield’, By Yu-Liang Chueh

For the people of Taitung in Taiwan, the Bombing of Master Handan is the highlight of the annual Lantern Festival; it’s a cultural ritual I attend every year. While most spectators concentrated on the sedan chair, I noticed the firecracker thrower below, with the scene looking just like a battlefield.

Image credits: Sony World Photography Awards

#32 Cambodia Winner: ‘I Miss You’, By Sean Channal

This used to be the place where an audience would relieve their stresses and share their excitement, but since the Covid-19 outbreak, everything has changed. The theatre is now silent and lonely. One day, I hope, things will return to normality.

Image credits: Sony World Photography Awards

#33 Romania Winner: ‘Solitude’, By Cristina Venedict

The model in this photograph is a young actress by the name of Cezara Munteanu. The picture was taken in my studio in Botosani, Romania, in 2020, a year full of many emotions and inner uncertainties.

Image credits: Sony World Photography Awards

#34 Sri Lanka Winner: ‘Hustle For Survival’, By Isira Sooriyaarachchi

On a weekday in August, while I was wandering along Main Street, Colombo, this man caught my attention among the crowds of people and busy traffic. I crossed to the middle of the road and pulled out my phone to capture the life of a worker doing his best to survive during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Image credits: Sony World Photography Awards

#35 Denmark Winner: ‘The Dance’, By Sussi Charlotte Alminde

I will not have you without the darkness that hides within you. I will not let you have me without the madness that makes me. If our demons cannot dance, neither can we. Poem by Nikita Gill.

Image credits: Sony World Photography Awards

#36 Hungary Winner: ‘Street Workout’, By Krisztina Kovács

A well deserved rest on a colourful street workout field after a couple of activ hours taken from the air.

Image credits: Sony World Photography Awards

#37 Iceland Winner: ‘Vestrahorn’, By Viktor Einar Vilhelmsson

Vestrahorn is a beautiful mountain that appears almost to rise out of the sea. The scenery that blends in with it makes an impressive sight.

Image credits: Sony World Photography Awards

#38 Nepal Winner: ‘Ramaroshan, Achham, Nepal’, By Prajwal Bhattarai

Volleyball is the national sport of Nepal, and is particularly popular in the higher mountains. This entrance through the stone wall leads to a public-school compound where villagers play volleyball once classes have finished. When I made this image, the ground was engulfed with fog, silhouetting the volleyball-playing men.

Image credits: Sony World Photography Awards

#39 Singapore Winner: ‘Turn 1 2 3 4 5’, By Wong Chek Poh

A panoramic view of unused taxis parked on the rooftop of this building reveals something of the dire economic situation brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic. Despite the success of several vaccine programmes, it will take a long time for lives to return to pre-Covid days.

Image credits: Sony World Photography Awards

#40 Slovenia Winner: ‘Julian Alps’, By Aljaž Žnidaršič

My friend and I were on our first climb of the winter. We’d hoped to ascend three mountains on the same ridge, but because of the conditions, we had to turn back before the final peak. This image expresses the struggle we faced in deciding whether to turn round or continue.

Image credits: Sony World Photography Awards

#41 United Arab Emirates Winner: ‘Masquerade III’, By Mireia Vilaplana

This image is part of a series shot during the 2020 lockdown. Called ‘Masquerade, a visual exploration of our true selves’, it aims to explore photography’s particular ability to describe a historical moment in a conceptual form. Each photograph encourages the viewer to question the way in which we reveal ourselves to others. Has society turned into one big masquerade ball?

Image credits: Sony World Photography Awards

#42 France Winner: ‘Post-Lockdown Cigarette, In The Cold Rain Of June’, By Lauriane Bieber

This photograph is a story of first times. The first time I shot my dear friend Léo, that I only had met once in my life about ten years ago. The first time I went outside after three months. The first friend I met after the lockdown. The first time I worked with a model so brave and so dedicated to art and creation. The first time I felt how much photography was important to me.

Image credits: Sony World Photography Awards

#43 Kuwait Winner: ‘The Queen’, By Naser Alomari

This photo was taken in Kuwait. I use Mavic air 2 for this photo. It is hard to choose motion technique specially with drone, After many shots am happy with this result.

Image credits: Sony World Photography Awards

#44 Czech Republic Winner: ‘Light Athletics’, By Zdeněk Vošický

An aerial photograph of the sports complex in Nové Město na Moravě.

Image credits: Sony World Photography Awards

#45 Japan 3rd Place: ‘Fertility’, By S. Muramatsu

This picture aims to represent fertility, with floating clouds, wheat fields, snow fields and the earth.

Image credits: Sony World Photography Awards

#46 Qatar Winner: ‘Museum Of Islamic Art’, By Abdulla Al Mushaifri

This Museum of Islamic Art has rapidly become an iconic feature of the Doha landscape. Standing alone on reclaimed land, the building draws a great deal of influence from ancient Islamic architecture, most notably the Mosque of Ibn Tulun in Cairo. Designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect I.M. Pei, the museum comprises a main building with an adjacent education wing connected by a large central courtyard. The main building is five storeys high, and is topped by a domed atrium within a central tower. The cream-coloured limestone captures the changes in light and shade during the day.

Image credits: Sony World Photography Awards

#47 South Africa Winner: ‘Colour Theory’, By Azelda Olivier

This photograph was taken for a project on colour theory; the objective of this photograph was to use a warm colour palette. My aim was to explore colour further by considering its socially constructed meaning. Pink is a colour that is often associated with femininity, and through this image, I aimed to blur the lines between gender stereotypes such as this.

Image credits: Sony World Photography Awards

#48 Sweden Winner: ‘An Iron Balloon’s Dream’, By Shai Apeloig

Inspired by the expressionist movement, I tried to convey a subjective experience with this image, rather than an objective reality. The image was created by taking individual shots of an oxidised iron structure and recomposing them later into a balloon-like image. During production, I gradually rediscovered and recreated the composition.

Image credits: Sony World Photography Awards

#49 Estonia Winner: ‘Back To Beginning III’, By Höije Nuuter

The ball in this image was originally a Christmas decoration. I couldn’t find a pure matte-white ball in the shops, so I painted one instead, then took a series of images in a quarry, and made a composite of them in Photoshop.

Image credits: Sony World Photography Awards

#50 Saudi Arabia Winner: ‘Hard Life’, By Naif Albugami

2020 covid-19 pandemic Saudi Arabia This photo was taken to convey a feeling of despair and everything that we have in life has stopped due to the pandemic

Image credits: Sony World Photography Awards

#51 Norway Winner: ‘Oydis And Gunnar’, By Emil Wieringa Hildebrand

Last picture from a personal shoot this October. 2020 feels like we’re all just bumping our heads against a big wall together.

Image credits: Sony World Photography Awards

#52 Germany Winner: ‘Moving Portrait’, By Astrid Susanna Schulz

This image is part of my series, ‘Moving Portraits’, in which I experiment with long exposures of between one and two seconds, and flash. I love these surreal portraits that capture different emotions. They are lightly edited in post-production.

Image credits: Sony World Photography Awards

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