This is a series of self-portraits of migrants in Mexico, as they wait to cross the border into the United States.The life of a migrant at the border, waiting for the right moment to cross into the United States, is often in flux. To capture a piece of this uncertain journey, I mounted a medium format camera on a tripod with a cable release and then stepped back, allowing the migrants to choose the moment of capture and give them agency in the process of documenting their lives.

A huge well done to Scott Wilson (United Kingdom) for winning this year's Open Photographer of the Year title for his image Anger Management. The monochrome photograph depicts a dirt-caked wild mustang kicking up a dust storm in northwestern Colorado. He wins $5,000 (cash prize) plus Sony digital imaging kit and global online coverage. The Open competition rewards striking standalone images highlighting the beauty of our world. Photographers could submit up to three images for free across ten categories.

In this series I’ve photographed the last remaining traditional costumes of the Netherlands, to celebrate and cherish the country’s ancient culture. These groups have a few things in common that we often miss in modern society: togetherness, authenticity and shared pride. Today we live in a time where individualism, social pressure and a drive for achievement have taken over. Many city dwellers are disconnected from their cultural roots and feel alienated in a society full of global citizens. By elevating these communities, I hope that people will look for their own cultural roots again. In my romanticised images I create a world which I think is perfect, a world I would like to be a part of. These cultures are full of extraordinarily detailed clothing in which each part has its own meaning and tells a story about the history of its culture.

Congratulations to Tri Nguyen (Vietnam, 18 years-old) for winning this year’s Youth Photographer of the Year award for his image Under The Moonlight. Chosen from the seven monthly winner, Nguyen wins a range of Sony digital imaging kit plus global exposure.