Capturing the World in a Frame

Every year, the Sony World Photography Awards offer a rare glimpse into the world as seen through the most compelling lenses. The 2025 Open Competition winners have been revealed, each presenting an image that freezes time, distilling raw emotion, narrative, and artistry into a single frame. From shamans in Bolivia to soaring kites in Denmark, these images showcase the power of photography in documenting our shared human experience. This year’s diverse winners span continents and cultures, reminding us that photography remains a potent form of storytelling.

The Winners: From Architectural Marvels to Unstoppable Portraits

Architecture: New York’s Kaleidoscopic Core

Xuecheng Liu’s bird’s-eye view of Times Square transforms this iconic urban landscape into something almost extraterrestrial. The wide-angle distortion heightens the vertiginous energy of Manhattan’s neon heart, making the familiar seem suddenly unfamiliar. In this abstracted interpretation, the chaotic rush of city life is captured in a kaleidoscope of colors and shapes, creating a mesmerizing portrait of one of the world’s most recognizable locales.

Travel: Shamans and Sacred Spaces

Matjaž Šimic’s evocative photograph, “Ask a Shaman” from La Paz, Bolivia, immerses the viewer in a world that is both ancient and contemporary. A group of shamans stands against the city’s vibrant backdrop, merging tradition with the urban pulse of La Paz. The image invites us into a dialogue between the sacred and the modern, a visual meditation on the connection between spirituality and place. This photograph captures a fleeting moment in time, blending the mystical with the everyday, illustrating the eternal relevance of traditional practices in our rapidly changing world.

Object: Octopuses Take Flight

Sussi Charlotte Alminde’s surreal photograph, “Octopuses in the Sky”, takes us to the Fanø International Kite Fliers Meeting in Denmark, where kites resembling octopuses float against the sky. The image blurs the line between childhood wonder and avant-garde art installation, evoking both a sense of playfulness and the sublime. This striking visual piece reminds us that creativity knows no bounds, extending beyond the confines of the terrestrial world into the fantastical.

Motion: The Perils of Tbourida

In “Tbourida La Chute”, Olivier Unia captures a dramatic moment at a Moroccan equestrian event, where the traditional rifle-firing riders are immortalized in the chaos of a fall. Unlike the typical triumphant shots of these brave equestrians, Unia’s photograph freezes the raw intensity of the event’s unpredictable nature, emphasizing the fragility of bravado and the fleeting nature of human strength. This compelling image shifts our perception, showing us that beauty often lies in vulnerability.

Creative: A Renaissance Reimagined

Jonell Francisco’s “Kem the Unstoppable” channels the grandeur of classical portraiture into a modern frame. The interplay of light, pose, and expression bridges centuries, transforming a contemporary studio portrait into an homage to the Old Masters.

Portraiture: An Eternal Moment

Yeintze Boutamba’s “Encounter” is photography at its purest—a simple yet profound attempt to suspend time. The subjects look beyond the lens, their gaze inviting us into a story left tantalizingly untold.

Landscape: Nature’s Subtle Sketches

Ng Guang Ze’s “Curved Stream” presents an almost ethereal depiction of a remote Chinese landscape. Rendered in muted tones and stark contrasts, it resembles a delicate pencil sketch, a testament to the meditative solitude of the artist’s journey.

Why the Sony World Photography Awards Matter

Beyond accolades and exhibitions, the Sony World Photography Awards have become a cultural barometer, reflecting the shifting aesthetics and preoccupations of contemporary photography. This year’s winners remind us that while technology continues to evolve, the essence of photography remains unchanged: the pursuit of truth, beauty, and the fleeting poetry of the everyday. From the chaotic motion of Moroccan horsemen to the serene quiet of Chinese landscapes, these images capture the depth and complexity of the human experience, reminding us of the timeless power of visual storytelling.

The image “Akihabara” by Hajime Hirano, winner of the Lifestyle category, captures the vibrant energy of Tokyo’s famous district. It speaks to the unique blend of modern life and tradition, reflecting the contradictions of a city that never stops evolving, yet remains rooted in its cultural heritage.

As the Open Photographer of the Year is set to be announced on April 16, 2025, in London, these winning images stand as early emissaries of the competition’s spirit—powerful, diverse, and endlessly captivating. The winning and shortlisted works will be on view at Somerset House from April 17 to May 5, a must-see for every photography lover.

The 2025 Sony World Photography Awards reaffirm what we already know: the world is vast, strange, and endlessly worth capturing. These images tell the stories of people, places, and moments from across the globe—each one a window into the human experience, offering a timeless reflection of our shared lives.