These Are The Compelling Images That Won The 2016 Sony World Photography Awards

22.04.2016 22:20

BuzzFeed

The winners of the world’s largest photography competition, the 2016 Sony World Photography Awards, have been announced at an awards ceremony in London. The winning photographers were named in 17 categories, including Open, Youth, Student, and Professional.

The ninth edition of the awards saw 230,103 submissions, the most photo submissions entered to date. Iranian photojournalist Asghar Khamseh won the most coveted prize, the L’Iris d’Or Photographer of the Year, and was presented with prize money of $25,000. Khamseh's portrait series "Fire of Hatred" gave victims of acid attacks a platform on which to speak out.

L'Iris d'Or Photographer of the Year – "Fire of Hatred", by Asghar Khamseh, from Iran

"[Acid throwing] violence is mostly against women and children. These attacks have been done with intent to disfigure, maim, torture and destroy the social life and the future of the victim. The motivation to commit this type of violence is cultural destitution, intolerance and happens in situations such as family conflicts, rejected marriage proposal, revenge and divorce requests. Unfortunately there are no governmental or non-governmental organizations to help with these issues in the country and they have to [rely on] public aid and donations." – Asghar Khamseh

Asghar Khamseh / 2016 Sony World Photography Awards

Asghar Khamseh also won first place in the Professional Category of Contemporary Issues.

Contemporary Issues, 2nd Place – "China's Coal Dependence A Challenge For Climate", by Kevin Frayer, from Canada

"A Chinese woman wears a mask and filter as she walks to work during heavy pollution on December 9, 2015 in Beijing, China. The Beijing government issued a "red alert" Sunday for the first time since new standards were introduced earlier this year as the city and many parts of northern China were shrouded in heavy pollution." – Kevin Frayer

Kevin Frayer / Getty Images / 2016 Sony World Photography Awards

Sport winner – "Second Best", by Nikolai Linares, from Denmark

"Portraits of the silver medal winners just after losing their final at the Zealand boxing Championships held in Copenhagen in March." – Nikolai Linares

Nikolai Linares / 2016 Sony World Photography Awards

Sport, 2nd place – "Little fighters", by Jens Juul, from Denmark

"The atmosphere is good and there is loud music playing in the gym in Copenhagen where the elite girls train gymnastics 20 hours a week ... As a rule of thumb you have to put in at least 10,000 hours of training to compete internationally. Doing gymnastics you primarily fight yourself, your fears, doubts and pain." – Jens Juul

Jens Juul / 2016 Sony World Photography Awards

Landscape winner – "Land of Nothingness", by Maroesjka Lavigne, from Belgium

"A country named after a desert. One of the least densely populated places on earth. Defined by its rich variety of colors yet in a forever changing, yet completely barren landscape. Namibia's landscape draws you in, through a vast brown plain of scorched earth, and steers you over the white surface of a salt pan to finally arrive in the gold tones of the sand dunes." – Maroesjka Lavigne

Maroesjka Lavigne / 2016 Sony World Photography Awards

Landscape, 2nd place - "Ancient Chinese villages", by Maoyuan Cui, from China

Maoyuan Cui / 2016 Sony World Photography Awards

Current Affairs winner – "In Search of the European Dream", by Angelos Tzortzinis, from Greece

"An Afghan refugee carries his child as he arrived on a beach on the Greek island of Kos, after crossing a part of the Aegean Sea between Turkey and Greece, on May 27, 2015." – Angelos Tzortzinis

Angelos Tzortzinis / AFP / 2016 Sony World Photography Awards

"Doctors and paramedics try to revive a baby after boat with refugees and migrants sunk while attempting to reach the Greek island of Lesbos from Turkey, on October 28, 2015." – Angelos Tzortzinis

Angelos Tzortzinis / AFP / 2016 Sony World Photography Awards

Current Affairs, 2nd place – "Sinai Park", by Andrea and Magda, from Italy and France

"Sharm el Sheikh, Sinai, Jan 2015. Scenery of the sound and light show of the 'thousand one nights'." – Andrea And Magda Micelli

Andrea And Magda Micelli / 2016 Sony World Photography Awards

Architecture winner – "Empire of dust", by Amélie Labourdette, from France

"This series of photographs [were taken] in south Italy, in the regions of Sicily, Calabria, Basilicata and Puglia." – 2016 Sony World Photography Awards

Amelie Labourdette / 2016 Sony World Photography Awards

Architecture, 2nd place – "The tang dynasty tomb three series", by Hui Zhang, from China

"Zhang hui originally stood in the road on both sides of the ancient imperial tomb statue." – Hui Zang

Hui Zang / 2016 Sony World Photography Awards

Staged winner – "Iconic B", by Alberto Alicata, from Italy

"In this project, Alberto Alicata, traces the history of photography, image iconic realized by the great masters, resorting to the use of a symbol of contemporary Western culture: Barbie." – 2016 Sony World Photography Awards

Alberto Alicata / 2016 Sony World Photography Awards

Staged 2nd place – "Picasso's Women", by Cristina Vatielli, from Italy

"Francoise Gilot was a French painter and best-selling author. She was a young painter when she met Picasso in 1944 and was his lover and muse until 1953. Picasso and Gilot never married, but they had two children together, Claude and Paloma." – Cristina Vatielli

Cristina Vatielli / 2016 Sony World Photography Awards

Daily Life winner – "The Curse of Coal", by Espen Rasmussen, from Norway

"Coal used to be the gold of West Virginia, US. But then Obama came and new environmental regulations. Together with lower price on coal, it led to huge redundancies and the coal became a curse for many of the coal-cities in West Virginia." – Espen Rasmussen

Espen Rasmussen / 2016 Sony World Photography Awards

Daily Life, 2nd place - "Jenny's Soul", by Sandra Hoyn, from Germany

"Jenny and Dirk cuddling in bed. The series "Jenny's Soul" shows the relationship between a man and his silicone doll. Is it possible for a human being to develop feelings for a doll, to love her? Dirk (name changed) has been living together with his silicone doll Jenny for four years now." – Sandra Hoyn

Sandra Hoyn / 2016 Sony World Photography Awards

Still Life winner – "Migrant Tomatoes", by Francesco Amorosino, from Italy

"Once a year Italian families make tomato sauce at home, cooking and canning a huge amount of vegetables. Tons of tomatoes are grown in the fields of the South of the Country and harvested by about 19,000 laborers, paid 1 or 2 euro for each filled box. In 2015 there were 13 deaths at work in the fields because of high temperatures. Many of those involved in the harvest are immigrants." – Francesco Amorosino

Francesco Amorosino / 2016 Sony World Photography Awards

Still Life, 2nd place - "Animals vs. Jewelry", by Oliver Schwarzwald, from Germany

Oliver Schwarzwald / 2016 Sony World Photography Awards

Portraiture winner – "Ebola Survivors", by Marcello Bonfanti, from Italy

"Monjama Moussa, 25, married mother of 4 children, from Goderich. She had a coal shop and she contracted ebola from a supplier. After being treated by Emergency, she got back home, but she was refused by her family, that considered her healing as a sign of deamon possession. She has lost her family and her job. She now works as cleaner at the Emergency surgical hospital in Goderich." – Marcello Bonfanti

Marcello Bonfanti / 2016 Sony World Photography Awards

"Fatmata Kamara, 25, with her son Koday, 1. She has lost her husband and her aunt. She contracted ebola together with her son. They both survived the infection thanks to the cures given by Emergency. They live in Waterloo, a village developed from a refugee camp, heavily struck by ebola in December 2014." – Marcello Bonfanti

Marcello Bonfanti / 2016 Sony World Photography Awards

Portraiture, 2nd place – "Stateless Women", by Fauzan Ijazah, from Indonesia

"Zainu Bibi (16), a Rohingya refugee from Myanmar, at a temporary shelter in Bayeun, East Aceh, Indonesia." – Fauzan Ijazah

Fauzan Ijazah / 2016 Sony World Photography Awards

Campaign winner – "TransBrasil", by Jetmir Idrizi, from Kosovo

"TransBrasil is an ongoing project ... about gender identities." – Jetmir Idrizi

Jetmir Idrizi / 2016 Sony World Photography Awards

Campaign, 2nd place – "Lion", by David Chancellor, from the UK

"There are now more captive Lions in South Africa than wild ones; approximately 8000 compared to 2000 living in the wild. Many of these animals are reared specifically to be shot and owned by wealthy tourists from Europe and North America." – David Chancellor

David Chancellor / 2016 Sony World Photography Awards

People winner – "Nomadic Life Threatened on the Tibetan Plateau", by Kevin Frayer, from Canada

"Tibetan nomads face many challenges to their traditional way of life including political pressures, forced resettlement by China's government, climate change and rapid modernization. The Tibetan Plateau, often called 'the Roof of the World,' is the world's highest and largest plateau." – Kevin Frayer

Kevin Frayer / Getty Images / 2016 Sony World Photography Awards

"Tibetan nomads put up a string of Buddhist prayer flags near a government resettlement community on July 24, 2015 on the Tibetan Plateau in Madou County, Qinghai, China." – Kevin Frayer

Kevin Frayer / Getty Images / 2016 Sony World Photography Awards

People, 2nd place – "Made in Korea", by Filippo Venturi, from Italy

"Until the 60s, South Korea was almost a mediaeval country, poor and underdeveloped. After just 50 years, South Korea is now one of the most advanced countries in the world. The rush towards modernity has been fostered by imposing a huge sense of competition and a painstaking effort to reach scholastic, aesthetic and professional perfection." – Filippo Venturi

Filippo Venturi / 2016 Sony World Photography Awards