The extraordinary winners of the 2022 Sony World Photography Awards

Hide and Seek – Brice Tribollet, Switzerland, Shortlist, Open, Natural World & Wildlife, 2022 Sony World Photography Awards  View 39 Images

A man is staring back at a life-sized photo of a T-Rex

A man is staring back at a life-sized photo of a T-Rex – Kantaya New, Singapore, Shortlist, Open, Lifestyle, 2022 Sony World Photography Awards

“Creativity and originality were very important in choosing a winning image and it was terrific to see the excitement and joy of the photographers when they captured the moment,” said Hideko Kataoka, who spearheaded the judging for this year’s Open competition. “The photographs in this competition each make a coherent visual statement about a situation or particular circumstance in an elegant visual way.”

Guapiles, Costa Rica. Crowned tree frog

Guapiles, Costa Rica. Crowned tree frog – Dinorah Graue Obscura, México, Shortlist, Open, Natural World & Wildlife, 2022 Sony World Photography Awards

Unlike the last couple of years which have been unsurprisingly influenced by the global pandemic, the 2022 shortlist is dominated by elegant geometric compositions and uncanny abstractions. Scott Wilson’s Anger Management is a perfect example, winning the Natural World and Wildlife category with an evocative shot of a wild mustang stallion kicking up dust.

Winner, Natural World & Wildlife. A wild mustang stallion kicks up a dust storm in northwestern Colorado

Winner, Natural World & Wildlife. A wild mustang stallion kicks up a dust storm in northwestern Colorado – Scott Wilson, United Kingdom, Winner, Open, Natural World & Wildlife, 2022 Sony World Photography Awards

More black and white shots dominated the winning entries this year, including Anthony Chan’s Architecture-winning shot of an industrial building in Hong Kong and Vicente Ansola’s spectacular photo of wilted sunflowers in a rural Spanish field.

A murmuration of starlings over Lough Ennell in County Westmeath, Ireland

A murmuration of starlings over Lough Ennell in County Westmeath, Ireland – James Crombie, Ireland, Shortlist, Open, Natural World & Wildlife, 2022 Sony World Photography Awards

Dozens more images were shortlisted in each category, creating a fantastic overview of contemporary photography in 2022. Highlights here include a cheekily framed shot of a man in front of a life-sized image of a T-rex from Singapore photographer Kantaya New; a mind-bending shot of a flock of birds forming the shape of a giant bird from James Crombie; and a frightening drone shot of Iceland’s youngest volcano from Luís Manuel Vilariño López.

Take a look through our gallery at more handpicked highlights from this year’s shortlist.

Source: World Photography Organization

3 comments
NMBill
ljaques
Oh, some outstanding fun in those pics! Kitties in the grass would be a rude awakening to someone not aware of their surroundings. I like the architectural treatment of the Heart Center in Singapore. The Hanoi flowers were perfectly synchronized in that shot. The starlings in a bird formation was absolutely stunning, and my fave. The Mt. Etna picture was a letdown. On the one hand, it showed the eruption in all its glory. On the other, it showed how so many people don’t care about light pollution.
And last but not least, I WANT A COPY OF THAT LIFE-SIZED T-REX IN MY LIVING ROOM. Just wow!
CAVUMark
That is the best gorilla selfie I have ever seen. What a talented guy.

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