“Bike with Flowers” © Thanh Nguyen Phuc, Vietnam, Winner, National Awards, Travel, 2022 Sony World Photography Awards
“A hundred years ago there were just 36 streets and now there are many more, but the street culture remains strong in Hanoi. There are lots of shops in the main streets but people in the old streets prefer to get serviced by mobile street vendors. I spent a weekend following street vendors and found that they were walking or riding their bikes all day. Here is one of my favorite moments.”
Every year, the Sony World Photography Awards highlights the local photography community with the National Awards. Selected from the Open Competition, these awards are a wonderful opportunity to see the skills of photographers whether they consider themselves amateurs, professionals, or hobbyists. For the 2022 edition, 61 countries are represented in the National Awards with images from a wide variety of categories.
New this year is the Latin American National Award, which spotlights talent from across Central America, South America, and Mexico. Among those honored is Bernardo del Cristo Hernandez Sierra of Colombia. Not only did he take home the National Award in the Motion category for his artistic black and white photo of a diver, but he was named the winner of the Latin American National Award.
Other standout images include Thanh Nguyen Phuc’s vibrant photo of a street vendor in Hanoi cycling by a colorful wall. The flowers in the vendor’s basket mirror the artwork on the wall. In fact, the flowers that flow up the wall almost appear to come from the basket, thanks to the strong composition the Vietnamese photographer created. Hungary’s Edina Csoboth took a striking photo of a woman that earned her a National Award in the Portraiture category. Her beautiful use of light and shadow, as well as the way she used leaves to frame the model’s face, take the image to a new level.
All of the National Award winners will take home Sony imaging equipment. Additionally, they will all see their work on display at the Sony World Photography Award exhibition that will take place from April 13 to May 2, 2022, at London’s Somerset House. Scrolling through these winners is a great way to get excited for what’s to come, as the winners of the Student, Youth, Open, and Professional competitions will be announced in April.
The National Award winners of the 2022 Sony World Photography Awards highlight local photography communities.
“Rea” © Edina Csoboth, Hungary, Winner, National Awards, Portraiture, 2022 Sony World Photography Awards
“A classic portrait.”
“White Stallion” © Haider Khan, India, Winner, National Awards, Natural World & Wildlife, 2022 Sony World Photography Awards
“The Marwari or Malani is a rare breed of horse from the Marwar region of Rajasthan in northwest India, with an unusual, inward-curving ear shape.”
“Le Mont.Saint-Michel at Sunset” © Cigdem Ayyildiz, Turkey, Winner, National Awards, Landscape, 2022 Sony World Photography Awards
“For me, this piece of art on the shores of Normandy is a candidate for Eighth Wonder of the World; providing a legendary view and atmosphere especially at sunset and when the tide is low.”
“Stars over Yellowstone” © Mazin Alhassan, Saudi Arabia, Winner, National Awards, Landscape, 2022 Sony World Photography Awards
“An astrophotography shot at the Norris Geyser Basin, the hottest geyser basin in Yellowstone. It is located near the northwest edge of Yellowstone Caldera near Norris Junction and on the intersection of three major faults.”
Photographers from 61 different countries are represented among the winners.
“Born of Fire” © Filip Hrebenda, Slovakia, Winner, National Awards, Landscape, 2022 Sony World Photography Awards
“A photo from my ‘Born of Fire’ series. It was the first photo I took on my expedition to the volcanic area of Fagradalsfjall in southwestern Iceland. Volcanoes are a rare opportunity to observe the complete transformation of a landscape. Places that were only recently valleys and meadows became hills, craters, and lava fields. Being there was a great experience.”
“Bondhusvatnet Glacier” © Hans Kristian Strand, Norway, Winner, National Awards, Landscape, 2022 Sony World Photography Awards
“I love this peaceful place. I visit the Bondhusvatnet glacier every year hoping to get the perfect picture, and this year I finally got it.”
“Giant Tusker” © Mohammad Mirza, Kuwait, Winner, National Awards, Natural World & Wildlife, 2022 Sony World Photography Awards
“Photographing a giant tusker like Craig was a big challenge for me. Getting so close, within a few meters from this big bull, and shooting from a very low angle with a wide lens, requires some courage! After five days with several attempts at photographing Craig in an open space, I managed to get this shot face to face, with Mount Kilimanjaro as a backdrop.”
For the first time, the Latin American National Awards highlight photographers from South America, Central America, and Mexico.
“Through the Roof” © Bernardo del Cristo Hernandez Sierra, Colombia, Winner, National Awards, Motion, 2022 Sony World Photography Awards
“A diver jumps from a 10-meter platform during a national diving competition in Medellin, Colombia. The photo was taken in August 2021.”
“El Vigia” © Gonzalo Javier Santile, Argentina, 2nd Place, National Awards, Creative, 2022 Sony World Photography Awards
“A strong, hot wind known as Los Colorados was blowing when I took this photograph in Cafayete, Argentina, so I buried my tripod the best I could, using rocks to stabilize it. The image consists of 20 shots – six of the sky and six of the foreground shot at 15mm with a shutter speed of 20 seconds. I love the combination of the Milky Way and these unique mountain rocks.”
The winners were chosen from the 170,000 photos entered into the Open Competition.
“Passing By” © Harrie Coehorst, Netherlands, Winner, National Awards, Street Photography, 2022 Sony World Photography Awards
“Two passers-by create a perfect composition.”
“Wild Horses” © Matjaž Šimic, Slovenia, Winner, National Awards, Natural World & Wildlife, 2022 Sony World Photography Awards
“When we visited France this summer, we saw the famous white Camargue horses. Their elegance and energy fascinated me so much that I was left speechless.”
“Masked Man in Tokyo” © Yasuhiro Takachi, Japan, 2nd Place, National Awards, Street Photography, 2022 Sony World Photography Awards
“A scene in front of Tokyo Station during the declaration of a state of emergency related to Covid-19.”
“Untitled” © Wookeun Choi, Korea (Republic of), 2nd Place, National Awards, Street Photography, 2022 Sony World Photography Awards
“In the late afternoon, I photographed an atmosphere created by a woman and her shadow coming through the impressive structure of this building in Jeju, South Korea.”
The photos will be included in the Sony World Photography Awards exhibition at Somerset House in London.
“A City Among the Clouds” © Wonyoung Choi, Korea (Republic of), Winner, National Awards, Architecture, 2022 Sony World Photography Awards
“This is a photograph from Bukhansan Mountain in Seoul, South Korea. Lots of people climb the mountain to view the sunrise, but it’s a rare sight to see the city covered in clouds as the sun rises. I’ve gone there many times and was lucky to finally see it. I feel gratitude towards Mother Nature for changing Seoul’s architecture from monotonous to colorful.”
“Untitled” © Kazi Arifuzzaman, Bangladesh, Winner, National Awards, Architecture, 2022 Sony World Photography Awards
“Working together.”
“Downhearted” Uditha Prabhasha Dharmarathna, Sri Lanka, Winner, National Awards, Portraiture, 2022 Sony World Photography Awards
“In photography, the portrait is known to capture the personality of a person or group of people, using effective lighting. I like to work with people, to capture their behaviors and feelings through photographs. In 2021-2022, child abuse has been a topic of conversation. I wanted to give people an idea of what it feels like, how the victims act and how they manage. That’s why I took this photograph.”
“Montsho” © Tshabalala Bongani, South Africa, Winner, National Awards, Portraiture, 2022 Sony World Photography Awards
“Montsho, meaning ‘black’, is a word used in South Africa to make fun of a dark-skinned person. This photograph explores the emotional effects of childhood teasing: depression and low self-esteem. Montsho opens conversations around the representation of the black body and black lives, challenging the idea that blackness is homogenous. For me this photograph is about both destruction and preservation; it’s about what we choose to embrace after going through trauma.”
“Silence is the Most Powerful Scream” © Sussi Charlotte Alminde, Denmark, Winner, National Awards, Creative, 2022 Sony World Photography Awards
“A forest story created on a cold winter’s day on 18 February, 2021. The idea was purely and simply to create a personal piece of art.”