National & Regional Awards 2024 Winners & Shortlist

Gas Station in Winter Garb

I took this photograph on my way home from work.

Untitled

A supermoon sits at the top of the Saudi Public Investment Fund tower in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Maria

Lying in the grass, Maria is a pure soul: firm and at the same time innocent.

The Calm Before the Storm

This photograph was taken at sunset, just before a storm arrived. I watched for some time as the sea became still before taking the perfect shot to depict ‘the calm before the storm’. The empty bay, surrounded by dark woods, adds to the feeling of unease.

Amanogawa

Small-bellied herons are not as big as other herons and are often chased away from their feeding areas by the bigger birds. However, they will wait patiently until a space becomes available by the manmade fish ladders, and return to hunt fish swimming upstream to spawn. I kept coming back to this river for two months to photograph this spectacle; this is the moment when a patient heron caught its prey.

September

Baltic Sea, Tuja.

Tango

Grupo Tabake - Muestra Costumbrista de Folclor, Santiago, 21 October 2023.

Mookambika Gulikan Theyyam

Gulikan Theyyam (or Guliga Theyyam) is a figure worshipped as Lord Shiva. In the Karnataka region, this deity is worshipped as the Hindu Culture’s Guliga Daiva. This was a challenging low-light photographic situation, as fire was the only light source. The God Man jumps into the fire and moves all the time, which makes it very difficult to take a clear photograph.

Solar Panel Farm Maintainers

This solar farm on the border between Kosovo and Serbia contains 1,200 solar panels. When the grass grows it interferes with the panels, so it has to be kept short. The energy company has found an interesting and clever way to mow the grass, without using fossil fuel machines or manpower.

Rehearsal

Competitors practise for Bon Om Touk, a traditional festival that is also known as the Cambodian Water Festival.

Beautiful Camouflage

Camouflage is a tactic that organisms use to disguise their appearance, usually to blend in with their surroundings and mask their location, identity and movement. This allows prey to avoid predators and predators to sneak up on their prey. This photograph is about trying to blend in; to not stand out and to try and maintain a peaceful life.

Young Ball

A waxing crescent moon above Kozjak lake in Macedonia, at the end of the blue hour. As I was using a telephoto lens I made two exposures to focus stack together, which ensured I got a sharply focused moon and foreground. I find this type of moon mystical, and the lunar sickle shining at its edge is truly magical.

© Mahdin Shafiq Omi, National Awards 1st Place, Bangladesh, 2024 Sony World Photography Awards

Illuminated Sanctuary

When I went to Loknath Brahmachari temple in Barodi, Narayanganj, Dhaka, Bangladesh, I observed this Temple and the way it was illuminated in the candlelights of the people, as well as the smoke from the burning candles.

Approaching Danger

A lone tree stands, in the vast expanse, A sentinel of resilience, in the dry dance. Beside, a puddle, a tiny oasis so dear, Mirroring the threat of drought drawing near.

Perfect Moment

One of the perfect moments from my journey to Jordan.

At the Border

To find yourself at a border, having to leave your life and go looking for another one, is something that has become more and more common in recent years.

Night Meeting

Night Meeting is a photographic series that attempts to make the impossible possible, by bringing together historical figures, animals and objects. The photographs were created in an improvised studio, using boxes containing sand, branches, leaves and stones. These boxes were painted black with white dots to create a nighttime atmosphere in which cut-out figures and artworks from different time periods meet in unconventional scenes, forming three-dimensional collages.

At the Salon

I took this photograph in a salon, and was drawn to the way in which the girl’s green uniform seemed to be in conversation with the green of the wall. When I positioned her, I realised that the hair extensions hanging on the wall behind her, and her own short hair, covered by her beret, seemed to say something about a person shielded from the harrowing world of beauty ‘standards’.

A Colourful Dream

I took this in a felt ball factory while I was shooting a documentary video. This small girl was curious about my camera, so while I was on a break I took her picture. I saw these felt balls lying on the ground and had the idea to photograph the little girl there, coveredwith the colourful material and asking her to close her eyes as if she were asleep.

Traffic Circle

The design of the Pearl Ring Roundabout in Beijing, China, harmonises seamlessly with the detailed patterns of its surroundings.

Fantasy Shapes

A close-up photograph of an arrangement of dry leaves and a snail shell on a black tile.

Red Beauty

This picture is part of my Unattainable Beauty series, which explores the artificial creation of beauty. The ‘flower model’ was hand assembled using needles and wires, and photographed in the studio. I adjusted the saturation, contrast, colour and brightness in Capture One, then used Photoshop to remove the needles and wires and clean the picture.

Pabbajja Samanera

The warm light of the lanterns illuminates the hearts of pabbajja novices in the courtyard of Borobudur temple, Indonesia.

To the Moon

A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket transits the moon carrying the X-37B space plane into orbit. Shockwaves from the rocket cause a ripple effect across the moon.

Tube trip

Someone is always watching over you.

The Fisherman’s Life

Inle Lake in Myanmar is known for its picturesque scenery. The local fishermen use a unique leg-rowing technique to propel their boats, and this photograph reveals a serene scene, as a couple fish beneath the shade of a majestic, sprawling tree. The reflections on the water add an extra touch of beauty to the moment.

Heading Down

One of these riders was about to fall after he tried to stand on his horse’s back, but his colleague supported him and held his hand. This photograph was taken in the Sultanate of Oman, where horse races are still organised in the classic peer-to-peer racing tradition.

Fish market by the beach

Tam Tien, a very unique fish market by the beach, located in the Quang Nam province, Vietnam. The market operates from midnight until the morning, when the sun rises. The baskets of fish arrive just in time to be delivered to other small markets in the region.

Falling Out of Time

Bathed in soft evening light, a lighthouse rises into the clear sky, its clean, sleek, geometric design contrasting with the coastal landscape. Positioned at its base is a figure – a contemplative man gazing out at the expanse of the ocean before him. The juxtaposition of the solitary silhouette against the infinite horizon creates a moment of reflection and connection with the vastness of the ocean.

From Fascism to Fendi

Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana in Rome is an iconic example of Fascist architecture. It now serves as the headquarters of the Italian fashion house, Fendi, which sparked a debate about political insensitivity. The use of a black sky in the image highlights the controversy surrounding the complex relationship between architecture, politics and aesthetics, and the need for thoughtful consideration when repurposing buildings with controversial histories.

A Day at the Tate

The camera captures a symphony of lines, shadows and textures as it gazes from above, transforming the ordinary into the extraordinary. The interplay of light and shadow enhances the three-dimensional quality, casting a poetic chiaroscuro across a concrete jungle in which human activity becomes a nuanced ballet.

Tossing the Guns

A military display at the annual desert festival in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, India.

Quiet Sea, Quiet People

This photograph was taken in Dahab, Egypt, and captures a diver taking a deep breath in a very calm sea.

Light of a New Day

A man walking along the beach towards Vestrahorn mountain in Iceland.

People of the Misty Oasis: Abdel Qader

Abdel Qader of the Amirab tribe, photographed in the E’daib valley of Mount Elba. People of the Misty Oasis was a project that attempted to photograph people who, despite their deep ancestral history, have not been properly documented, as they live in the Halaib Triangle.

The Teachings of the Mother

A wild monkey enjoying a hot spring in Jigokudani Monkey Park, Nagano Prefecture, Japan in December. This photograph reminds me of a baby monkey being scolded by its mother.

Fidel

My son, Fidel, a few days after he turned 20.

Feathers in Focus

The European shag is a medium-sized seabird belonging to the cormorant family. I took this photograph during a winter trip to Hornoya island in Norway, which gave me the unique opportunity to capture the resilience and beauty of this remarkable bird in its natural habitat.

Way to the Beach

Summer is a time for long days at the beach, bright sun, sea and beautiful memories. I love it when there are no goals that need to be accomplished, and the only plan for the day is the beach, which I wanted to reflect in my photographic collage.

Untitled

These Pashtun men run an open-air dried fruit market alongside the main road in Gujranwala City, Pakistan, in what is supposed to be a bus stop. It was captured on a bright, sunny day in winter and is a reflection of life in the city.

Dvigrad

An evening exploration of the Dvigrad castle ruins in Istria, Croatia. The photograph reminds me of a fantasy video game loading screen.

Highest Mountain in the South of Vietnam

With an elevation of 996 metres, Ba Den Mountain in Tay Ninh is the highest mountain in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta. At its summit stands a Bodhisattva statue, which was cast from more than 170 tons of red bronze. At 72 metres tall it is the tallest bronze Buddha statue in Asia to be located on a mountain peak.

Lost in Translation

This image was inspired by my favourite movie, Lost in Translation, which resonated with my sense of loneliness as a 20 year old. I had met the model in Paris the previous year and she came to Tokyo (where I live) on a sightseeing trip. We do not share a common language, but I had her stand in the crowd and photographed her ‘urban loneliness’.

Red Feelings

In 2023, I decided to create my own studio for artistic portrait photography. I wanted to develop a minimalistic style, combining elements from modern culture with experimental techniques and vintage processes. The result was a series of photos that ended up as a creative blend of styles. This project helped me grow and broaden my horizons as a photographer, collaborating with amazing artists and musicians, such as Aveces Maria.

Finish

This photograph captures the precise moment when achievement and relief converge, epitomising the raw, unfiltered joy of accomplishment that radiates from an athlete at the peak of their performance.

Elephant Sand Bath

A sand bath protects an elephant’s skin against insect bites and keeps it warm in the cooler winter months. The fine sand found along the Narayani River makes a perfect ‘bath’.

Tree of Life

Photographed at a beach in Fujian province, China, this image serves as a metaphor for the ‘tree of life’: the receding tide leaves a trace that looks like the roots of a tree, while a local fisherwoman walks through it.

Armenian refugee from Nagorno-Karabakh

When the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan was taken over by the Azeri army on September 19, 2023, this Armenian refugee fled by car, driving across the mountains to Armenia.

Child Sleeping at a Construction Site

The young child of a daily wage construction worker napping in a makeshift bed at a construction site.

Visitors

As travellers through this Earth we need to keep a good balance between exploration and preservation. Our footprints can disturb a delicate balance that would be hard to be reinstated. This image wants to provoke the viewer into thinking about the complex interplay of different species and the harmony kept within our environment.

Silence

I photographed these Japanese-inspired costumes in the hills of the historic centre of Krakow.

Star of Bethlehem

The 'Star of Bethlehem' Melany Márquez, 9, poses for a portrait in the main street of Quinamayó, on February 18, 2023. Quinamayó is an Afro-Colombian community that celebrates Christmas in February, 40 days after the traditional date of Jesus' birth, the time it took the Virgin Mary to rest after giving birth. This was also historically the period of rest for slaves in Colombia.

Thus Spoke Zarathustra

I captured this sunrise over Tehran in March. The sunlit building reminded me of the monolith in the film 2001: A Space Odyssey.

San Martin on fire

This image was taken in downtown Lima after a fire started because of a social conflict. It is a representative and connotative picture of a burning Jose de San Martin statue, well known as Peru's liberator in the middle of a sociopolitical crisis in the country.

Tzintzuntzan

Day of the dead tradition in Tzintzuntzan Michoacán, Mexico. Some tourists posing for a selfie, in the background a group of mariachis plays on one of the tombs in the cemetery.

I lost the razor and don't wanna find it

I prefer to explore beauty in both body hair and flowers through these portraits. Despite the societal pressure for feminised bodies to remove hair, I'd rather find similarities between body hair and flowers, both expressing their unique nature.

Isla Campanario

This island is called Belfry Island, and is located in the middle of the sacred Titicaca Lake, in Bolivia.

Untitled

This picture of Cotopaxi Volcano was taken from Quito, Ecuador.