Photographic Gallery: Sony World Photography Awards

The annual Sony World Photography Awards began in 2007. They showcase the work of both professional and amateur photographers across genres which inclu  de journalism, fashion, architecture, advertising, sport and music. This year there were over 60,000 images submitted from 139 countries. Each year, the winners and runners-up are collected in an exhibition which tours the world. The London stop of the tour opens today at the Art Work Space gallery in London W2. Here is a selection of images, with short commentaries by the photographers themselves.

Gordon Welters (Germany): Loveparade 2008: Highway to Love. “The Loveparade is the biggest and most spectacular musical event in the world: 1.6 million people from all over the world came together, for the electronic music party in Dortmund” (© Gordon Welters, courtesy of Sony World Photography Awards 2009)



Wojciech Grzedzinski (Poland): Georgian man is carrying body of his relative after attack of Russian air force on three civilian buildings in Gori, about 60 kms from Tbilisi. Winner, Current Affairs category (© Wojciech Grzedzinski, courtesy of Naop)



Giulio di Sturco (Italy): Bihar aftermath. Winner, Contemporary Issues category. “Mother and daughter in a refugee camp run by Médecins Sans Frontières” (© Giulio di Sturco, courtesy of GraziaNeri)



Dustin Humphrey (USA): Uba Skuba Canoe. Winner, Advertising category. "This campaign for surf-clothing was one of the more complicated projects I have yet to work on, as the subject is photographed both above and below the sea level. Through trial and error, I tried different lenses and had a special ‘water housing’ made with a larger dome on the front, so I was able to achieve this effect” (© Dustin Humphrey, courtesy of Reel Sessions Inc)



Dylan Collard (UK): Is the Food You Love Giving You Heart Disease? Third place, Advertising category. “Shown as billboards in Red Square, the series was aimed at Russian men who eat fatty meats, sauces and starchy foods, resulting in heart related illnesses later in life” (© Dylan Collard, courtesy of Sony World Photography Awards 2009)




Hui min Kuang (China): Fellow-towners in Mao Zedong’s Hometown. Third place, Current Affairs category. “The image of Mao Zedong often appears in contemporary works of art” (© Hui min Kuang, courtesy of Sony World Photography Awards 2009)




Yannick Dixon (UK): Starlings in Blackpool. Third place, Natural History category. “There is something innately beautiful in the way starlings fly together, forming hypnotic shapes and patterns as they cross the horizon above Blackpool’s North Shore beach (© Yannick Dixon, courtesy of Sony World Photography Awards 2009)




Dominic Nahr (Switzerland): A moment of peace. Second place, Current Affairs category. "Two women return to collect personal belongings during a break in fighting in a town called Kabaya near Rumangabo in eastern Congo, where most of the fighting is concentrated. Thousands of refugees fleeing the fighting in eastern Congo after government forces were attacked by rebels of renegade General Laurent Nkunda" (© Dominic Nahr courtesy of Oeil Public).