Student and Youth shortlists: first look

The announcement season for the Sony World Photography Awards has officially begun and with it comes fascinating insights into the wide array of topics contemporary photographers are notably drawn towards. The Student and Youth shortlists in particular offer a glimpse into the minds of the next generation of image-makers, inviting us to explore their unique points of view.
 

Student competition

This year’s brief ‘In the Beginning’ challenged students to show the start of something new - a point in time or space that marks the first part or the earliest stage of something. From thousands of entries from all over the world, ten photography series stood out to this year’s Student Judge Charlotte Jansen, an author, journalist and critic. The Student Photographer of the Year will win €30,000 worth of equipment for their school, as well as promotion via the World Photography Organisation’s channels

In Guardian Angels, Ilana Grollman (United States) invites the viewer into her home for an intimate look into her family’s life after her mother’s passing due to early-onset dementia. Keeping her mother’s memory alive, Grollman poignantly documents the start of a new chapter, hinting at what once was.

Honorata Kornacka (Poland) depicts her grandmother’s flat - an apartment full of knickknacks and personal treasures collected over a lifetime. The project captures the start of Honorata’s fascination with her grandmother’s care for the small things, which stems from growing up during World War II. Aptly named Chaos, the series title might be a reference to ‘In the beginning, there was chaos’, a quote associated with Greek mythology’s origin story.

Thapelo Mahlangu (South Africa) captures the intense emotions felt by participants of the Christian ritual of baptism. Seen as a transformative practice, baptism often marks the beginning of an individual’s conscious commitment to their religious journey.

Considering his parent’s perspectives, Xingyu Fan (China Mainland) explores modernisation and migration in China and highlights the generational fractures that can come with a move from a rural to an urban way of life.

Youth competition

This year’s brief for the Youth competition was an Open Call and invited the next generation of photographers to show us where their focus lands. This year’s entries were particularly strong and a list of 11 talented photographers aged 19 and under have made it through to the next stage of the competition. The Youth Photographer of the Year, selected by Claudia Grimaldi Marks (Senior Manager, New Creator Strategy at Getty Images) will receive Sony digital imaging equipment and promotion through the World Photography Organisation’s channels.

Chidima Ugwuedeh’s (New Zealand, 15 years old) photograph celebrates her Māori and Igbo heritage, uniting both cultures and depicting her dual identity in a beautiful way. Chidima utilises speedlights and an LED panel to illuminate her models in a natural setting.

Shayna Cuenca (United States, 16 years old) returns for the second time, having been shortlisted in last year’s Youth competition. Through her signature mixed-media approach to photography, Cuenca continues to playfully explore her identity via a fragmented self-portrait placed onto hand-made blocks.

Ankit Ghosh (India, 16 years old) captures an energetic scene during Vijaya Dasami, the final day of a Bengali festival called Durga Puja. The vibrant street shot shows a participant spitting kerosene into the air and lighting it with a matchstick.

Tinnapat Netcharussaeng’s image (Thailand, 16 years old) shows a Paper Nautilus 'surfing' on a leaf in Anilao, Philippines. Shot at 15m depth during a night dive, Netcharussaeng showcases the unique beauty of deep sealife. 

Winners of Student Photographer of the Year and Youth Photographer of the Year will be announced in April at the Awards ceremony in London and will be on view as part of the Sony World Photography Awards 2025 exhibition at Somerset House, open from 17 April to 5 May.

The next announcement is just around the corner - stay tuned to not miss it!

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