Press Releases

World Photography Organisation Announces the Shortlist for 2012 Sony World Photography Awards

PRESS RELEASE

Sony World Photography Awards 2012 Shortlist announced

2 February 2012

Today, Thursday 2 February, the World Photography Organisation announces the shortlist for the 2012 Sony World Photography Awards.  Billed as the global photographic event of the year, the Sony World Photography Awards celebrate the very best in photography from around the world, from the next generation of emerging photographers through to the established masters of the art.

The 2012 competition has garnered increased worldwide interest with over 112,000 entries from 171 countries, with the shortlisted images depicting the stories of extraordinary lives from around the world.  The Professional competition reflects a turbulent year of global events with the war in Libya; the Greek and European economic crisis; the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan and the fall of Gaddafi, in the Photojournalism & Documentary categories.  The shortlist for the Fine Art and Commercial categories gets to the very heart of daily life –  a small sheep-farming community in Iceland; the rice harvest in South China; a religious pilgrimage in Poland and gold diggers in Chile.

This year the honorary jury found the quality of work exceptionally strong across all categories, discovering many photographers new to the Sony World Photography Awards roster.  Manuel Geerinck (Belgium);  Lee Chee Wai (China); Alejandro Cartagena (Mexico), Irina Werning (Argentina); Gwenn Dubourthoumieu (Republic of the Congo) and Simon Norfolk (UK), are but a few of the new names to place as finalists and shortlisted photographers.

Returning photographers from previous years, include 2010 Professional Landscape winner, Peter Franck (Germany); who this year is a finalist in three categories; 2011 Professional Contemporary Issues and Current Affairs winner, Javier Arcenillas (Spain); and Chan Kwok Hung (Hong Kong) whose stunningly dramatic image ‘Buffalo Race’ won the  Overall Open Competition in 2011.

W M Hunt, Chair of the Honorary Judging Committee, commented: ‘As a judge, you bring an open mind and a passion for photography – its presence and its present, its past and its legacy.  You are hopeful and hungry to see great work that is fresh and full, expecting the exceptional.  The rewards are rich and delightful.  It is a pleasure to present this year’s selections.’

Astrid Merget, Creative Director of the World Photography Organisation added: ‘Looking at the vast collection of shortlisted work across the categories, is truly gratifying this year.  Within the Professional awards, the bodies of work are beautifully presented and distinctive, whilst in the Open categories, the single snapshots are diverse and demonstrate excellent skill within the amateur market.  The new Youth competition also delighted us, as we were thrilled to find some exceptional budding talent.’

In being shortlisted for the Sony World Photography Awards, photographers can now look forward to the invaluable support of the World Photography Organisation, which includes having their work exhibited at a major exhibition at London’s Somerset House, to coincide with the award ceremony in April 2012.

The shortlist for the Professional Competition was selected by the Honorary Judging committee which was chaired by esteemed photographic consultant W.M. Hunt.  This year the Open entries were judged by a pre-selection committee of inspectors from Shutterstock, WPO and representatives from Sony.  The Youth Competition was judged by a WPO and Sony selection committee.

The annual Sony World Photography Awards ceremony and gala dinner will take place on 26 April at the Hilton Hotel in London’s Park Lane.  The awards celebration will once again take place alongside World Photo, London, a month-long event which brings an eclectic mix of photographic events for all to enjoy.  The opening weekend of World Photo London will be held at Somerset House from 27 – 30 April with selected events including portfolio reviews, workshops, symposiums and the Sony World Photography Awards winners’ exhibitions, which continue through to 20 May 2012.  Honorary Judges for the 2012 Awards and other international industry experts will be leading many of the festival events.

>> View the gallery of shortlisted images here

Professional shortlisted photographers, quick links: Professional, Photojournalism & Documentary, Commercial, Fine ArtOpen CompetitionYouth Award.

Honorary judging committee:

Presiding Chair: W. M. Hunt (USA) Photographic Consultant.

Chairs: Michael Benson (UK) Director, Prix Pictet; James Reid (UK) Photography Director of Wallpaper*; Claudia Hinterseer (Netherlands) Managing Director and co-owner of NOOR.

Additional Jury: Jodi Bieber (South Africa) Photographer; Jon Jones (UK) Director of Photography Sunday Times Magazine; Rebecca Lewis (US) Vice-President and Senior Agent for Art+Commerce; Prabuddha Dasgupta (India) Photographer; Shizuka Yokomizo (Japan) Photographer.

In each category the judges could select up to three finalist photographers and up to seven additional shortlist photographers.  From the finalists, the winners plus 2nd and 3rd place will be chosen and announced at the awards ceremony on 26 April.

Photographers are listed alphabetically.

PHOTOJOURNALISM & DOCUMENTARY

Current Affairs

Finalists:

  • Fernando Alfonso Brito Lizárraga                    Mexico
    (El Debate de Culiacan)
  • Rémi Ochlik (IP3 Press)                                    France
  • Donald Weber (VII PHOTO)                            Canada

Shortlisted:

      • Javier Arcenillas                                             Spain
      • Fabio Bucciarelli                                              Italy
      • Pietro Masturzo                                              Italy
      • Giorgos Moutafis                                            Greece
      • Goran Tomasevic                                           United Kingdom

Contemporary Issues

Finalists:

      • Kasia Bielska                                                    Poland
      • Alessandro Grassani                                       Italy
      • Gustavo Jononovich                                       Argentina

Shortlisted:

      • Francesco Giusti                                              Italy
      • Sebastian Liste                                                Spain
      • Ivor Prickett                                                    Ireland
      • Jose Luis Rodriguez Maldonado                   Columbia
      • Natasha Shulte                                                Ukraine
      • Anastasia Taylor-Lind                                   United Kingdom
      • Donald Weber (VII PHOTO)                        Canada

People

Finalists:

      • Alejandro Cartagena                                     Mexico
      • Maja Daniels                                                   Sweden
      • Simon Norfolk                                                United Kingdom

Shortlisted:

      • Philippe Leroux                                             France
      • Kerry Mansfield                                            United States
      • Francesca Oggiano                                        Italy
      • Huage Shang                                                  China
      • Salvi Danés Vernedas                                   Spain

Sport

Finalists:

      • Pawel Kopczynski (Thomson Reuters)        Poland
      • Andrew McConnell                                         Ireland
      • Palmer + Pawel                                               United Kingdom

Shortlisted:

      • Delfosse Colin                                                    Belgium
      • Alvaro Deprit                                                    Italy
      • Mikhail Domozhilov                                         Russian Federation
      • Adam Pretty                                                     Australia
      •  Scott Robin Barbour                                       New Zealand
      • Robin Utrecht                                                   Netherlands

Nature & Wildlife

Finalists:

      • David Chancellor (Institute)                         United Kingdom
      • Jacek Kusz                                                       Poland
      • Palani Mohan                                                  India

Shortlisted:

      • Salil Bera                                                          India
      • Terence du Fresne                                         Switzerland
      • Barbara Leven                                                United States
      • Suren Manvelyan                                           Armenia
      • Tapash Paul                                                     Bangladesh

Arts and Culture

Finalists:

      • Rob Hornstra                                                    Netherlands
      • Anastasia Taylor-Lind                                     United Kingdom
      • Mattia Vacca                                                      Italy

Shortlisted:

      • Javier Arcenillas                                             Spain
      • Jacek Swierczynski                                        Poland
      • Yannick Cormier                                            France
      • Alvaro Deprit                                                  Italy
      • Susana Girón                                                  Spain
      • Davide Monteleone                                        Italy
      • Andrea Santolaya                                           Spain

COMMERCIAL

Campaign

Finalists:

      • Javier Arcenillas                                              Spain
      • Peter Franck (Büro stoltenhoff)                   Germany
      • Laura Pannack                                                 United Kingdom

Shortlisted:

      • Michael Blann                                                 United Kingdom
      • Felipe Cantillana                                             Chile
      • Jan von Holleben                                            Germany
      • Miguel Navarro                                              United Kingdom
      • Michelle Siu                                                     Canada
      • Roberto Soares-Gomes                                 Brazil
      • Daniele Testa                                                  Italy

Travel

Finalists:

      • Jan Brykczynski                                               Poland
      • Luis Henry Agudelo Cano                               Colombia
      • Peter Franck                                                     Germany

Shortlisted:

      • Giancarlo Ceraudo                                           Italy
      • Andrea Hamilton                                             United Kingdom
      • Cristina De Middel                                           Spain
      • Yurian Quintanas Nobel                                  Spain
      • Gianluca Pulcini                                                Italy
      • Lisa Wiltse                                                         United States

Fashion

Finalists:

      • Peter Franck                                                   Germany
      • Elizaveta Porodina                                          Germany
      • Jayden Tang                                                    United Kingdom

Shortlisted:

      • Michelle Beatty                                               United Kingdom
      • Susi Belianska                                                  Italy
      • Romano Decker Dejan Kutic                          Croatia
      • Filippo Del Vita                                                 Italy
      • Alice Pavesi                                                       Italy
      • Dasha Ketsko                                                    Ukraine
      • Frauke Thielking                                              Germany

FINE ART

Architecture

Finalists:

      • Igor Chirikov                                                    Russian Federation
      • David Ibernón Boria                                        Spain
      • Simon Norfolk                                                  United Kingdom

Shortlisted:

      • Robin Broderick                                           Canada
      • Riccardo Budini                                             Italy
      • Tamas Bujnovszky                                       Hungary
      • Alejandro Cartagena                                    Mexico
      • Paula Gortazar                                              United Kingdom
      • David de Jong                                                Netherlands
      • Michael Joseph                                              United States

Portraiture

Finalists:

      • Lei Liu                                                              China
      • Paolo Marchetti                                               Italy
      • Irina Werning                                                  Argentina

Shortlisted:

      • Gwenn Dubourthoumieu                    The Democratic Republic of Congo
      • Lavinia Parlamenti                               Italy
      • Johann Rousselot                                  France
      • Javier Arcenillas                                   Spain
      • George Mayer                                       Russian Federation

Landscape

Finalists :

      • Rona Chang                                                    United States
      • Lee Chee Wai                                                 Malaysia
      • Mitch Dobrowner                                          United States

Shortlisted:

      • Regis Boileau                                                   France
      • Ximena Etchart                                              Argentina
      • Jeroen Hofman                                               Netherlands
      • Zhang Kechun                                                 China
      • Matthias H. Risse                                           Germany
      • Chaoliang Shen                                               Taiwan, Province of China
      • Stephen Wilkes                                               United States

Still Life

Finalists:

      • Renan Cepeda                                                   Brazil
      • Rena Effendi (INSTITUTE)                           Azerbaijan
      • Helen Thompson                                              United Kingdom

Shortlisted:

      • Michal Cole                                                     United Kingdom
      • Peter Franck                                                  Germany
      • Martina Geccelli                                             United Kingdom
      • Miri Mor                                                          Israel
      • Song Nian Ang                                                Singapore
      • Gicheol Shin                                                    Republic of Korea

Conceptual

Finalists:

      • Manuel Geerinck                                             Belgium
      • Luis Mallo                                                         United States
      • Cristina De Middel                                           Spain

Shortlisted:

      • Carlo D’Orta                                                    Italy
      • Photographer Hal                                           Japan
      • Giuseppe Parisi                                               Italy
      • Carlos Henrique Reinesch                             Brazil
      • Sanne Maloe Slecht                                        Netherlands
      • Frauke Thielking                                            Germany
      • Patricia van de Camp                                     Netherlands

Open shortlisted photographers

In each category judges were able to select up to ten images.

Architecture

      • Babul Bhatt                                                      India
      • Patrice Carré                                                   France
      • Filippo Di Rosa                                                 Italy
      • Fabrizio Intonti                                                Italy
      • Francisco Mendes                                            Portugal
      • Rui Nunes                                                         United Kingdom
      • Fulvio Pellegrini                                               Italy
      • José Ramón Montes                                        Spain
      • Thai Son Huynh                                               Vietnam

Arts & Culture

      • Dovile Dagiene                                                 Lithuania
      • Levi Fanan                                                       Brazil
      • Kushal Gangopadhyay                                   India
      • Antonio Iubatti                                               Italy
      • Sanket K                                                          India
      • Klaartje Lambrechts                                      Belgium
      • Oliver Mezger                                                 Germany
      • Tan Nono Rahardian                                      Indonesia
      • Samanta Sollima                                             Italy
      • Paul Störm                                                      Australia

Enhanced

      • Alexandr Afonin                                             Russian Federation
      • Sandra Cifo                                                     United States
      • Paul Irving                                                      United Kingdom
      • Milan Makarský                                             Czech Republic
      • Frank Martin Eisele                                       Germany
      • Rodolfo Mejías                                                Venezuela
      • Jochen Resch                                                  Germany
      • Oren Shved                                                     Israel
      • Victor Vargas Villafuerte                              Canada
      • Antonios Vlachou                                           Slovakia

Low Light

      • Elmar Akhmetov                                             Kazakhstan
      • Edoardo Brotto                                                Italy
      • Ignasi cunill                                                      Spain
      • Teng Hin Khoo                                                 Malaysia
      • Sergey Kochmak                                             Russian Federation
      • Christoph Krüger                                              Germany
      • Belentsova Natalia                                          Russian Federation
      • Pansiri Pikunkaew                                            Thailand
      • Derrick Woo                                                     Hong Kong
      • Heng Zee Kek                                                  Singapore

Nature & Wildlife

      • Nadav Bagim                                                    Israel
      • Anita Erdmann                                                Canada
      • Handri Fitrido                                                  Indonesia
      • Felicitas Frei                                                     Switzerland
      • Giovanni Frescura                                           Italy
      • Peter Krejzl                                                       Czech Republic
      • Chan Kwok Hung                                             Hong Kong
      • William Lee                                                       United States
      • Kuntal Paul                                                        India
      • Petar Sabol                                                        Croatia

Panoramic

      • Pramiga Aditya                                               Indonesia
      • Ionut Hrenciuc                                                 Romania
      • Istvan Nagy                                                     Netherlands
      • Noel Plaszkó                                                    Hungary
      • Matthew Post                                                   Australia
      • James Rider                                                     United Kingdom
      • Terry Soo                                                          Australia
      • Ian Taylor                                                         United Kingdom
      • steve Williams                                                  United Kingdom
      • Denise Worden                                                United States

People

      • Victoria Bolshemennik                                      Israel
      • Tommy Braxton                                                United Kingdom
      • Thomas Dymond                                               United Kingdom
      • Mehmet Fatih Yaldiz                                        Turkey
      • Ana Gregorič                                                      Slovenia
      • Paul MacKinnon                                                United Kingdom
      • Christine Pearl                                                  United States
      • Fulvio Pellegrini                                                Italy
      • Zulkifli Thalib                                                    Indonesia
      • Игорь Лобанов                                                  Russian Federation

Smile

      • Ricky Alexander                                              Indonesia
      • Nguyen Duc Tri                                               Vietnam
      • Gerold Guggenbuehl                                       Switzerland
      • Arnold Jumpay                                                Philippines
      • Anom Manik Agung                                        Indonesia
      • Kivera Mara                                                     Réunion
      • Diana Mrazikova                                              Slovakia
      • Meghann Prouse                                              United States
      • Nick Redman                                                    United Kingdom
      • Piotr Stasiuk                                                     Poland

Split Second

      • Cemhan Biricik                                                United States
      • Tobias Bräuning                                              Germany
      • Samuel Chan                                                    China
      • Andrzej Chrobot                                              Poland
      • Alessandro Falco                                             Italy
      • Don Horne                                                        Ireland
      • Johnny Joo                                                       United States
      • Gustavo Magnavacca                                      Argentina
      • Greg Parker                                                     United Kingdom
      • Peter Prazenka                                                Slovakia

Travel

      • Krzysztof Browko                                              Poland
      • Krzysztof Browko                                              Poland
      • Marco Lachmann-Anke                                   Germany
      • John Lai Teck Kee                                            Malaysia
      • Carlos Macedonio                                              Brazil
      • N S Ng                                                                 Singapore
      • Keith Pace                                                          Malta
      • Suprijanto Suprijanto                                       Indonesia
      • George Turnbull                                               United Kingdom
      • Malte Wittmann                                               Germany

Youth shortlisted photographers

Culture

      • Hanne Grannestad                                        Norway
      • Lam Ka Ho                                                      Hong Kong
      • Sahil Lodha                                                     India
      • Merijn Mulder                                                Netherlands
      • Carolina Paltrinieri                                         Italy
      • Adrian Pelegrin  Bonet                                   Spain
      • Kolyaskin Sergey                                            Russian Federation
      • Benedek Varga                                                Hungary

Environment

      • Alla Aliokhina                                                  Ukraine
      • Kolyaskin Sergey                                            Russian Federation
      • Thamyres Matarozzi                                      Brazil
      • Adrian Pelegrin Bonet                                    Spain
      • Bernard Pieterse                                             South Africa
      • Imanuel Thallinger                                         Austria
      • Kazi Sudipto                                                     Bangladesh
      • Kseniya Sovenko                                             United States

Portraits

      • Tertious Alio                                                    Russian Federation
      • Hadi Asgari                                                      Iran
      • Lidia K                                                              United Kingdom
      • Darya Kasyanova                                            Russian Federation
      • Samujjwal Sahu                                               India
      • Karina Sembe                                                  Ukraine
      • Kolyaskin Sergey                                            Russian Federation
      • Felicia Simion                                                  Romania
      • Marina Tkhorzhevskaya                               Russian Federation
      • Berta Vicente                                                  Spain

Key dates 2012

07 February        Student Focus finalists announcement

20 March             Open (amateur) category winners announced

26 April                Sony World Photography Awards, gala ceremony held London Hilton

27 April                Sony World Photography Award Winners and World Photo, London exhibitions open at Somerset House London

Notes

    • In selecting the shortlist, jury members are required to choose a minimum of 3 photographers with a maximum of 10 in each category
    • Photographers entering the Professional competition may enter a minimum of 2 and maximum of 10 images per category, being judged on a body of work; those entering the Open category, are judged on a single snapshot in any category.
    • Images submitted must have been taken in 2011 for the Open Competition, whilst Professionals may have taken their images in 2011, or first published their work in 2011.
    • The Youth Award is open to any photographer under the age of 20.
    • Created by the World Photography Organisation (WPO), the World Photography Awards, sponsored by Sony, launched in 2007.  WPO supports professional, amateur and student photography, lending a global platform for the photographic industry to communicate, converge and showcase current trends in Photojournalism, Fine Art and Commercial photography.   Delivering various initiatives and programmes across this global community, these programmes involve the photographer in commercial, cultural and educational activities within the many industry sectors, whilst also creating cultural activities for the public to participate in.  Currently included within the WPO portfolio are the World Photography Student Focus Competition; the World Photo international festivals and events, and the World Photography Focus Programme.
    • The WPO website – www.worldphoto.org features an online gallery and news section. It also includes comprehensive information about the Awards, the categories, a current list of World Photographic Academy members, and key dates.
    • About Sony
      Sony is a leading global innovator of audio, video, communications and information technology products for both the consumer and professional markets. Sony is renowned for its audio-visual products, such as the BRAVIA™ LCD high-definition (HD) television, Cyber-shot™ digital camera, Handycam®, camcorder, “α” (pronounced Alpha) digital SLR camera, and Walkman® MP3 player as well as its VAIO™ personal computers and 3D HD professional broadcast equipment. Offering a complete end-to-end 3D value chain and with its electronics, music, pictures, game and online businesses, Sony is one of the world’s leading digital entertainment brands, employing approximately 170,000 people worldwide.