It’s a first for the Sony World Photography Awards. The pandemic forced the organizers to forget the event where the awards would be given to the winning authors, and create a virtual exhibition to show the photographs, but now, because of Covid-19, more people can see in detail the participating images and keep them to go back to when needed, all because the World Photography Organisation is offering this year’s edition as a free, downloadable PDF for everyone. So, all you’ve to do is register and download the eBook.
Excellent reading for the weekend, the eBook can also be a source of inspiration. The World Photography Organisation, said this, announcing the digital version of the book: “We understand resources like photography books can not only enhance your practice, but will keep you inspired, and lift your spirits, during what has been a trying year. Readers will also enjoy a unique essay by David Campany on this year’s Outstanding Contribution to Photography recipient Gerhard Steidl.“
Books and eBooks about photography are always important sources of inspiration for photographers and other creatives who use images in their work. The 119-page Sony World Photography Awards 2020 eBook showcases the best in global contemporary photography today but is more than just a collection of nice photographs. One excellent example is given by the The Photographer of the Year title and accompanying $25,000 prize, which is awarded to Pablo Albarenga (Uruguay) for his series Seeds of Resistance.
A number of extraordinary stories
Seeds of Resistance is a body of work which pairs photographs of landscapes and territories in danger from mining and agribusinesses with portraits of the activists fighting to conserve them. In 2017, at least 207 leaders and environmentalists were killed while protecting their communities from projects threatening their territories.
According to a 2018 report by GlobalWitness, most of these cases occurred in Brazil with 57 assassinations being recorded, of which 80% were against people defending the Amazon. Albarenga’s series explores the bond between the defenders and their lands – a sacred area in which hundreds of generations of their ancestors rest. In the photographs, the main characters in the stories are seen from above, as though they are laying down their lives for their territory.
Mike Trow, Chair of the 2020 Professional competition said during the announcement: “This year’s winner comes from the Creative category and is a brilliant set of images which offers a powerful visual record of how deforestation goes hand in hand with the destruction of communities and peoples. The judging process this year was challenging – there were a number of extraordinary stories and sets of images that could have won the overall title, but Seeds of Resistance really stood out. Pablo is from Uruguay and this project is deeply personal to him as a photographer. The effort required to envisage, produce and shoot this series is laudable in every way.”
The Sony World Photography Awards 2021 is already rolling and the World Photography Organisation announced the judging panel for the next edition, and showed new images from 2021 Awards’ entries available. The organizers also revealed new categories in the Awards’ four competitions, entry deadlines and exhibition dates. Now in its 14th year, the Sony World Photography Awards are an authoritative voice in the industry, celebrating the best contemporary photography from the past year, and giving vast exposure and opportunity to photographers worldwide. Sony supports the Awards to help the continued development of photographic culture by giving a global platform to today’s talent. Entry to the Awards is completely free and photographers are judged anonymously by a panel of industry leading judges.
All category winners of the Professional, Open, Youth and Student competitions receive digital imaging equipment from Sony. In addition, cash prizes of $25,000 (USD) are presented to the Photographer of the Year and $5,000 (USD) to the Open Photographer of the Year. All winning and shortlisted photographers’ works are exhibited at the annual Sony World Photography Awards Exhibition in London and toured internationally. The winning images are also published in the annual Awards’ book, which this year is available, also, in digital format.
Find more about the Sony World Photography Awards following the link.