Sony World Photography Awards 2012 – Entries open 1 June 2011
• New categories for the Professional and Open Competitions
• Moving Image Awards expand following success of its inaugural award
• New Youth competition for under 20s
01 June 2011: The World Photography Organisation (WPO) today opens entries for the Sony World Photography Awards 2012.
The Sony World Photography Awards is the world’s most comprehensive photography competition. It includes a Professional competition, which invites entries from the world’s leading photographers and ‘serious enthusiasts’, and an Open competition for everyone with an interest in photography. Each competition has been refreshed with new categories for 2012. A ‘Nature & Wildlife’ category has been introduced to the Professional competition and three new categories in the Open competition include ‘Enhanced’, ‘Split Second’ and ‘Low- light’. For a full list of categories, please see notes to editors.
A new Youth competition has been launched for younger photographers under 20 years of age and the Student Focus competition will continue to support and connect the next generation of photography pros. The Moving Image Awards have been expanded to include six categories following the great success of the inaugural Moving Image Award in 2011.
Entries for the 2012 Sony World Photography Awards close on 04 January 2012 and the vast majority of winners will be presented with their trophies at a ceremony in London in late April 2012. The winner of the L’Iris D’Or Sony World Photography Awards Photographer of the Year Award will also be revealed and presented with $25,000 (USD) plus Sony digital SLR camera equipment. The overall Open competition winner will receive $5,000 plus Sony digital SLR camera equipment.
A display of entries and winning work – the Sony World Photography Awards Winners’ Showcase – will be exhibited at Somerset House in April and May 2012 as part of the World Photography Festival 2012.
The World Photography Festival returns to London’s Somerset House after great success at its new venue in 2011. The Festival is an opportunity for photographers from around the world to meet and discuss the latest trends, challenges and innovations in photography today. Before London, the World Photography Festival will tour to New York and São Paulo plus other cities to be announced.
Commenting on the Sony World Photography Awards 2012, Scott Gray, Managing Director of the World Photography Organisation, said: “The 2011 competitions generated entries from a huge international community. By refreshing the Awards for 2012 we aim to keep the Awards dynamic and pertinent to both photographers around the world and to those who consume photography whether in professional capacity or otherwise. We wish everyone luck with their entries”.
Full details about the World Photography Organisation and Sony World Photography Awards can be found at: www.worldphoto.org
Professional competition categories
For professionals and serious ‘amateurs/enthusiasts’.
– Commercial –
o Campaign
o Travel
o Lifestyle
o Fashion
– Fine Art –
o Architecture
o Portraiture
o Landscape
o Still Life
o Conceptual
– Photojournalism & Documentary –
o Current Affairs
o Nature & Wildlife (new category)
o Contemporary Issues
o People
o Arts & Culture
o Sport
Open competition categories
Open to everyone and judged on a single image.
– Nature & Wildlife
– People
– Travel
– Low-light (new category)
– Architecture
– Panoramic
– Arts & Culture
– Smile
– Split second (new category)
– Enhanced (new category)
Youth competition (new competition for 2012)
– Environment
– Portrait
– Culture
Moving Image Awards
– Nature & Wildlife (new category)
– People (new category)
– Extraordinary / Ordinary (new category)
– Commercial (new category)
– Fine Art (new category)
– Documentary (new category)
All competitions will open on Wednesday 1 June 2011 and will close on Wednesday 4 January 2012 at 23.59GMT
All competitions is free to enter and all images submitted must have been shot in 2011. Photographers may enter either the Professional or Open competition, it is not possible to enter both.