The World Photography Organisation has revealed the judging panel for the Sony World Photography Awards 2023, as well as new prizes and exhibition elements. These include the introduction of a USD5,000 prize in support of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals for the Environment and a new solo presentation for the Photographer of the Year.
The Sony World Photography Awards 2023 exhibition will be held at Somerset House in London from 14th April to 1st May 2023. The 2022 exhibition will continue to tour internationally, including the first-ever presentations of the Awards at the Museum of Photographic Arts in San Diego, California (8th October 2022 to 19th March 2023) and the Open Eye Gallery in Liverpool, UK (10th November to 11th December 2022).
The Sony World Photography Awards, now in its 16th year, are one of the world’s largest and most prestigious photography competitions, championing the best contemporary photography from around the world and providing participants with valuable international exposure and career-building opportunities.
Sony sponsors the Sony World Photography Awards 2023 to aid in the continued development of photographic culture by providing a global platform for today’s talent. The Sony World Photography Awards 2023 are completely free to enter, and photographers are judged anonymously by a panel of industry experts.
Sony World Photography Awards 2023 judges
Below are the judges panelling the Awards’ various categories comprising professionals from varied photographic
backgrounds and practices:
Professional Competition
- Mariama Attah, Head of Exhibitions at Open Eye Gallery, Liverpool, UK
- Tandazani Dhlakama, Assistant Curator at Zeitz MOCAA, Cape Town, South Africa
- Claartje van Dijk, Head of Exhibitions, Foam Photography Museum, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Ioana Mello, Independent Curator and Photo Editor; Directing Member, FotoRio, Brazil
- Sujong Song, Independent Curator and Photo Editor; Co-Founder, Seoul Lunar Festival, Republic of Korea
- Mike Trow, Independent Curator and Photo Editor and Chair of the Jury
Open and Youth Competition
- Eric Schlosser, Art Director, Tbilisi Art Fair, Georgia
Student Competition
- Eliza Williams, Editor, Creative Review, UK
This year, the World Photography Organization introduces a new award to recognise stories, individuals, and organisations whose actions highlight one of the United Nations’ environmental Sustainable Development Goals.
The winner of the Sustainability Prize receives a USD5,000 cash prize as well as a presentation of their project as part of the Sony World Photography Awards exhibition in London. The prize is open to all photographers who enter the Professional competition.
The World Photography Organization will introduce a new prize element for Photographer of the Year in 2023. The winner will receive a solo presentation of their work as part of the Sony World Photography Awards London exhibition the following year, in addition to the USD25,000 cash prize, a range of Sony digital imaging equipment, and inclusion in the Sony World Photography Awards exhibition and book.
The first of these presentations, dedicated to the work of Photographer of the Year 2022 Adam Ferguson (Australia), will take place in April 2023 at the Somerset House exhibition.
The Sony World Photography Awards 2023 introduces a new format to the Youth competition, inviting entrants to submit up to three images related to the theme Your Everyday. A shortlist of ten photographers will be chosen by the judges to compete for the title of Youth Photographer of the Year.
Sony World Photography Awards 2023 exhibition dates
From 14 April – 1 May 2023, the Sony World Photography Awards exhibition will be held at Somerset House in London. Following the London exhibition and a subsequent presentation in Tokyo, the Sony World Photography Awards 2022 exhibition will tour several international locations, including:
- Lenzburg, Switzerland, Fotofestival Lenzburg, 27 August – 2 October 2022
- Milan, Italy, Fondazione Stelline, 14 September – 30 October 2022
- Buenos Aires, Argentina, artexarte, 27 September – 23 October 2022
- San Diego, US, Museum of Photographic Arts, 8 October 2022 – 19 March 2023
- Berlin, Germany, Willy-Brandt-Haus, 21 October 2022 – 15 January 2023
- Liverpool, UK, Open Eye, 10 November – 11 December 2022
More information regarding venues is available through the World Photography Organisation website.
Sony World Photography Awards 2023 prizes and deadlines
The Sony World Photography Awards opened on 1 June 2022. Check out the full competition and category descriptions at the official website here.
Deadlines across the Sony World Photography Awards 2023’s four competitions are:
- Professional: 13 January 2023, 13:00 GMT (21:00 Malaysian time)
- Open: 6 January 2023, 13:00 GMT (21:00 Malaysian time)
- Student: 30 November 2022, 13:00 GMT (21:00 Malaysian time)
- Youth: 6 January 2023, 13:00 GMT (21:00 Malaysian time)
Sony will provide digital imaging equipment to all category winners in the Professional, Open, Youth, and Student competitions. In addition, the Photographer of the Year will receive a cash prize of USD25,000, and the Open Photographer of the Year will receive USD5,000.
The works of all winning and shortlisted photographers will be displayed at the annual Sony World Photography Awards exhibition in London before being toured internationally. The winning photographs will also be included in the annual Awards book. On 13th April 2023, the overall winners will be announced.
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