SWPA 2009: winners announced

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Sony World Photography Awards 2009

Winners announced

The professional finalists and amateur winners of the 2009 Sony World Photography Awards were announced on Tuesday 17 March.

Each of the photographers on the list will be exhibited and honoured at the Sony World Photography Awards ceremony at the prestigious Palais des Festivals in Cannes, France, on Thursday 16 April. Of the 12 professional category winners, one photographer will be the recipient of the L’Iris D’Or, the Sony World Photography Awards Photographer of the Year. On the night they will be awarded $25,000 along with Sony camera equipment. The winning amateur photographer, selected from the eight category finalists, will receive a $5,000 cash prize and Sony camera equipment.

The Sony World Photography Awards aim to promote the work of photographers worldwide. As one of the main prizes, the professional category finalists and amateur category winners will be showcased in the Winners’ Exhibition inside the Rotonde Lerins which takes place alongside the Festival, a week-long celebration of photography. This winner’s exhibition will then be adapted for the 2009/2010 Global Tour, which exhibits throughout leading galleries and cities around the world.

On behalf of the Honorary Judging Committee Zelda Cheatle said: “It has been a joy to work with my fellow judges. We were most diligent in being fair, discussions were fruitful, and every entrant was given a serious viewing. It was an eye opener to see entries from all over the globe, of every standard from the most amateur of approaches to the sophisticated and experienced professional. It is with great pleasure that we present this year’s Sony World Photography Award winners.”

Astrid Merget, Event Director, adds: “Photography is a powerful medium that documents current social, political, environmental and cultural affairs. It has the ability to educate, inform, motivate, entertain, change views or simply share cultural and social trends. This year’s finalists beautifully highlight the ability of the still image to do all of this and more.”

Yoshiyuki Nogami, Vice President of Digital Imaging at Sony Europe, commented: “We’ve been honoured to once again lend our full support to this unique global showcase for professional and amateur photography talent and have been impressed by the inspiring diversity and quality of this year’s entries.”

Professional finalists

Photojournalism and Documentary

Current affairs

Winner : Wojciech Grzedzinski (Poland)

© Wojciech Grzedzinski, courtesy of Sony World Photography Awards 2009

2nd place : Dominic Nahr (France)

3rd place : Hui min Kuang (China)

Sport

Winner : Julian Abram Wainwright (Canada)

© Julian Abram Wainwright, courtesy of Sony World Photography Awards 2009

2nd place : Salvi Danés Vernedas (Spain)

3rd place : Li Fan (China)

Contemporary issues

Winner : Giulio Di Sturco (Italy)

© Giulio Di Sturco, courtesy of Sony World Photography Awards 2009

2nd place : Kosuke Okahara (Japan)

3rd place : Massimo Mastrorillo (Italy)

Amateur winners

Photojournalism and Documentary / Sport

Lorenz Holder (Germany)

© Lorenz Holder, courtesy of Sony World Photography Awards 2009

Commercial / Fashion

Christo Stankulov (France)

© Christo Stankulov, courtesy of Sony World Photography Awards 2009

Commercial / Music

Josef Hinterleitner (Austria)

© Josef Hinterleitner, courtesy of Sony World Photography Awards 2009

Fine Art / Portraiture

Claire Martin (Australia)

© Claire Martin, courtesy of Sony World Photography Awards 2009

Fine Art / Conceptual & Constructed

Vladimir Melnik (Russia)

© Vladimir Melnik, courtesy of Sony World Photography Awards 2009

Fine Art / Natural History

Vincent Foong (Singapore)

© Vincent Foong, courtesy of Sony World Photography Awards 2009

Fine Art / Landscape

Giuseppe Parisi (Italy)

© Giuseppe Parisi, courtesy of Sony World Photography Awards 2009

Fine Art / Architecture

David Watts (UK)

© David Watts, courtesy of Sony World Photography Awards 2009

The Honorary Judging Committee

Photojournalism and Documentary: Sue Steward, photography critic (UK); Jurgen Schadeberg, photographer (Germany); Adrian Evans, Director, Panos Pictures (UK) and Bruce Davidson, photographer (USA)

Commercial: Mark George, photographic agent (UK); Arnaud Adida, Founder Acte 2 Agence and Acte 2 Gallery (France); Gered Mankowitz, photographer (UK), and Grazia Neri, Founder and President of Grazia Neri Photo Agency (Italy)

Fine Art: Zelda Cheatle, portfolio manager and curator (UK); Mary-Ellen Mark, photographer (USA); Sarah Moon, photographer (France), and Philippe Garner, International Head of Photographs at Christie’s (UK)

Awards ceremony

The Sony World Photography Awards Ceremony and Gala Dinner take place at the Palais des Festivals in Cannes, France on Thursday 16 April. Another major announcement on the night is the winner of the Prince’s Rainforest Project (PRP) Award. The prize for the winning photographer is a fully-funded project to document the rainforests of the world. The final presentation will go to the acclaimed French photographer, Marc Riboud, winner of the 2009 Lifetime Achievement Award.