The combinations presented here are a result of a collaboration between the World Photography Organisation, organisers of the Sony World Photography Awards, and Der Greif. 

 

The images have been selected from the shortlisted and winning photographs from the 2017 and 2018 Sony World Photography Awards’ “Open” and “Professional” competitions. We were pleased to have the opportunity to revisit these images, mixing the otherwise distinct categories to look at the images anew and create new connections. 

The Sony World Photography Awards is one of the world’s leading global photography competitions, and annually celebrate the best contemporary photography from the past year across a huge variety of photographic genres. Now in its 12th year, the Awards consists of 4 competitions: Professional (best series of works across 10 categories), Open (the best single image across 10 categories), Youth (for photographers aged 12-19 years old) and Student. 

 

Last summer, the Awards announced three new categories for 2019. The two new categories for the Professional competition are “Brief” and “Documentary”. Brief aims to test photographers’ abilities to compose a body of work with a specific theme, and the inaugural theme in this category is ‘Identity’. “Documentary” is the new category for bodies of work portraying facts about a chosen subject, giving insights into contemporary issues and news. In the “Open” competition, judged on a single image, the new category “Creative” was introduced. This category aims to appeal to all photographers using the medium in artistic or new ways that don’t fit into the classic categories, and welcomes technically manipulated images such as abstract, panoramic, stitched and composite works. In choosing these new categories the Awards hopes to continue appealing to a diverse range of contemporary photographers.

 

The World Photography Organisation is a global platform for photography initiatives. Working across up to 180 countries, its aim is to raise the level of conversation around photography by celebrating the best imagery and photographers on the planet. The World Photography Organisation builds lasting relationships with both individual photographers as well as industry-leading partners around the world. It hosts a year-round portfolio of events including the Sony World Photography Awards and PHOTOFAIRS, international art fairs dedicated to photography with destinations in Shanghai and San Francisco.