Sony World Photography Awards 2013

Arts and Culture

The last time we checked in with the Sony World Photography Awards competition, they had shortlisted a few hundred photos. Just yesterday, they started to announce their first batch of winners which include all Open Competition category winners as well as the Youth Award winners. Today, we bring you these photos, the ones that have risen above the rest because they're able to capture the current trends and the poignant moments happening in our world today.

For the Open Competition, nearly 55,000 entries by amateur photographers were submitted. There were 10 diverse categories, subjects we're all familiar with, like Architecture and Arts and Culture, as well as ones we wouldn't quite expect, like Split Second and Smile.

“Amateurs constantly amaze me,” says Damien Demolder, Presiding Chair of Jury for the Open Competition and Editor of Amateur Photographer magazine, “not only with their determination, their passion and their internal drive, but also with the astonishing quality they are capable of achieving.”

In the Youth Award, photographers aged 19 and under submitted their best shots. Here, the competition uncovered the next generation of photography talent. The young, talented and determined photographers who have both the talent and the courage to seize the moment and share their view with the world.

Now here are the Open Competition's ten category winners as well as the Youth Award winners. Professional category winners and the coveted L’Iris D’Or/ Sony World Photography Awards Professional Photographer of the Year title will be announced at a grand ceremony in April.

Above photo credit: © Gilbert Yu, Hong Kong/China, Winner, Arts and Culture, Open Competition, 2013 Sony World Photography Awards

Architecture

© Martina Biccheri, Italy, Winner, Architecture, Open Competition, 2013 Sony World Photography Awards

Enhanced

© Hoang Hiep Nguyen, Vietnam, Winner, Enhanced, Open Competition, 2013 Sony World Photography Awards

Low Light

© Elmar Akhmetov, Kazakhstan, Winner, Low Light, Open Competition, 2013 Sony World Photography Awards

Nature and Wildlife

© Krasimir Matarov, Bulgaria, Winner, Nature and Wildlife, Open Competition, 2013 Sony World Photography Awards

Panoramic

© Yeow Kwang Yeo, Singapore, Winner, Panoramic, Open Competition, 2013 Sony World Photography Awards

People

© Hisatomi Tadahiko, Japan, Winner, People, Open Competition, 2013 Sony World Photography Awards

Smile

© Ming Hui Guan (Mac Kwan), China, Winner, Smile, Open Competition, 2013 Sony World Photography Awards

Split Second

© Matías Gálvez, Chile, Winner, Split Second, Open Competition, 2013 Sony World Photography Awards

Travel

© Manny Fajutag, Philippines, Winner, Travel, Open Competition, 2013 Sony World Photography Awards

Youth Award Winner, Portraits

© Berta Vicente, Spain, Winner, Portraits, Youth Award, 2013 Sony World Photography Awards

Youth Award Winner, Environment

© 為碩許, Taiwan, Winner, Environment, Youth Award, 2013 Sony World Photography Awards

Youth Award Winner, Culture

© Alecsandra Raluca Dragoi, Romania, Winner, Culture, Youth Award, 2013 Sony World Photography Awards

Surreal Floral Portraits

Japanese photographer Sayaka Maruyama creates art that explores, recreates, and redefines the classic definitions of beauty. She challenges her viewers to look with a fresh perspective and to see beauty in every element of our surroundings. In Sakura, the London-based artist draws on classical Japanese references and Surrealist motifs to explore what she describes as "contradictory contemporary understandings of Japanese notions of beauty, from both Western and Eastern perspectives."

The conceptual art project features images that are soft and aged, with tinges of vibrant and unexpected color blending across the surfaces. Maruyama layers her subject together with textured flowers and gradients of color to form her captivating and mysterious abstract portraits. Viewers are encouraged to find their own definitions of beauty within Maruyama's unique visual manipulations.

Wildlife - South Africa

Wildlife, landscape, and travel photographer Mario Moreno was born in Johannesburg, South Africa. When he was 12, his family moved away but in 2006, he moved back, and he now spends his time exploring the African continent on a creative visual journey. In this vibrant series, entitled Silhouettes, a variety of wild animals are featured in their natural habitats.

The series is unique because we don't see the details that are typical of animal photography. Rather, Moreno documents the magnificent creatures against a bright and dynamic sky. The results are these expressive silhouettes that are set within a unique and breathtaking landscape. The selection of animals ranges from more familiar ones like giraffes to creatures specific to the area, like a kudus and a blue wildebeest. Moreno says he is always searching for that 'perfect moment' when "everything comes together..light, timing and emotions that create a memorable and forever lasting scene!"

Wildlife, landscape, and travel photographer Mario Moreno was born in Johannesburg, South Africa. When he was 12, his family moved away but in 2006, he moved back, and he now spends his time exploring the African continent on a creative visual journey. In this vibrant series, entitled Silhouettes, a variety of wild animals are featured in their natural habitats.

The series is unique because we don't see the details that are typical of animal photography. Rather, Moreno documents the magnificent creatures against a bright and dynamic sky. The results are these expressive silhouettes that are set within a unique and breathtaking landscape. The selection of animals ranges from more familiar ones like giraffes to creatures specific to the area, like a kudus and a blue wildebeest. Moreno says he is always searching for that 'perfect moment' when "everything comes together..light, timing and emotions that create a memorable and forever lasting scene!"

Beautiful and Aching Photos About Finding Yourself

Alexandra Benetel has many fond memories of traveling with her family at a very young age. She remembers picking up a disposable camera at a local store and shooting all the scenes around her. Her real passion for photography, however, didn't fully develop until she enrolled in a visual design course in high school. As she tells us, "During that time, I learned about pinhole photography, was introduced to the site Flickr and, ultimately, absolutely fell in love with photography."

If the last name Benetel sounds familiar, you may remember it from a recent post we wrote about her brother Christian. When asked to describe how their styles differ, Alexandra told us this, "I think Christian puts a lot of himself in his concepts. I'm more focused with becoming someone else and taking on the role as a character. In saying that, I make sure that I'm able to relate to that character in some way so that there's a little piece of me in my photographs as well. I definitely think that we edit quite differently and I've found that our ideas aren't as similar as what they may have been in the past."

To us, both are highly talented at drawing out an emotion, of making us feel a sense of vulnerability right along with her subjects. "I aim to create beautiful photographs that capture mysterious yet dream-like worlds, filled with oddities that encompass aspects of reality," she says. "I want people to be transported to a different world, escape their life for just a little while and experience something fantastical. At the same time, I want people to relate to and feel something when viewing my work."