Winners of the 2023 Sony World Photography Awards Open Competition

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The top entries in the 2023 Sony World Photography Awards Open Competition have been announced, and the contest organizers were once again kind enough to share some of their winning and shortlisted photos below, from their ten categories: Architecture, Creative, Landscape, Lifestyle, Motion, Natural World & Wildlife, Object, Portraiture, Street Photography, and Travel. Captions have been provided by the photographers.

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A rider on a horse makes a sharp turn around a barrel in an arena.

Slam on the Brakes. Winner, Motion. "Barrel racing is a competition where cowgirls ride quickly around barrels; the one that does this in the shortest time wins. Every time a horse reaches a barrel it needs to brake sharply, turn around the barrel and then race to the next one." Ontario, Canada, August of 2022. #

The top of a ski jump stands above a group of snow-covered trees.

Untitled. Shortlist, Landscape. A ski jump in Ruka, Finland. #

Several people stand and look up into the sky as fireworks explode overhead.

Galaxy Explosion. Shortlist, Street Photography. "Fireworks celebrate the dawn of a new year in the small town of Santa Rosa Xochiac, Mexico." #

A misty sunrise view down railroad tracks, with a silhouette of a deer visible in the distance.

Morning vision. Shortlist, Natural World & Wildlife. #

Two men play with a basketball on a street in Times Square.

Times Square Basketball. Shortlist, Street Photography. "After midnight I came across this impromptu street basketball game.New York, NY, May 2022" #

The dog leaps over an obstacle, stretching out flat in the air.

She is Bagheera. Shortlist, Motion. "The first obstacle of the course is the one I prefer most of all, because this is where it all begins. It is where the bond between human and dog is expressed in such a clear way, by such a magnetic look; where you can see the power of the dog’s muscles contracting and releasing energy at the handler’s every nod. Taken during a dog agility competition in Italy." #

An old church tower stands in the middle of a reservoir.

Sunken Church Tower. Shortlist, Travel. "In 1950 the Italian village of Curon was flooded to create the artificial basin of Lake Resia, to power a hydroelectric dam. Today, the only visible remnant of the village is the 14th-century church tower jutting from the water." #

Several children play with a cart, weaving in and out of scores of giant cones

Childhood. Winner, Lifestyle. "Children weave in and out of scores of giant cones, or topas, as they roll a wagon around a rice processing plant. The cart is used by workers to carry rice and put it down for drying, but after they have finished with it, the children use it as a toy to play with. More than 30 children turned this rice mill in Bahmanbaria, Bangladesh, into an obstacle course." #

A woman sits atop a horse in an alleyway.

Untitled. Shortlist, Street Photography. "Horseback rider in El Rocio, Andalucia, Spain." #

The sky is filled with thousands of parrots flying in a flock.

Kingdom of the Parakeet. Shortlist, Natural World & Wildlife. "The photograph was taken in the Gumai Bill area of Rangunia, Chittagong. The crops produced here can provide three days of food for the people of Bangladesh. When the paddy is ripe, thousands of parrots come down from the hills. Parrots usually prefer undisturbed areas, which is why this area could be called a ‘parrot sanctuary’." #

A train covered in colorful lights travels through trees at night.

Train of Lights. Shortlist, Travel. "The ‘Santa special’ Christmas train runs on Dartmouth steam railway in Devon, England." #

An elevated view of a modern metal-clad building perched on a steep mountain side.

Monte Rosa Hut - Blue Hour. Shortlist, Architecture. "I took this photograph as part of my Modern Alpine Architecture series. After crossing a glacier and hiking for many hours we arrived at the mountain hut and stayed there for the night. Early in the morning, before sunrise, I started my drone to capture the first light of the new day falling on this beautiful piece of architecture." #

A white-furred stoat leaps in the air above a snowy field.

Stoat's game. Shortlist, Natural World & Wildlife. "Scientists have often witnessed stoats engaging in displays like this, but opinions are divided about what motivates the leaps and twists. Sometimes, the dances are performed in front of a rabbit or large bird in an apparent attempt to confuse or distract potential prey, but on other occasions—as here—there is no prey animal in sight. A third hypothesis is that it is an involuntary response to a parasitic infection." #

A persons squats down beside a tethered camel.

Nomad Watcher. Shortlist, Portraiture. "The young nomad looks after his pet camel. The camel is to the Rajasthani nomad what the yak is to a Tibetan—it is a support system, a source of sustenance and a principal mode of transport." #

A large crowd of people wearing traditional clothing stands together holding very tall banners.

The Festival Sacrifice. Shortlist, Travel. "I took this photograph in the Chinese province of Guizhou in December 2022. It shows the natural cultural heritage of the Miao people." #

A photograph of the moon behind a mountain top, appearing as if the moon is emerging from the crater of a volcano.

Lunar Eruption. Shortlist, Landscape. "Although this looks like a volcano, it is not—it is a mountain that has a classic volcano shape when seen from this direction. I had a hard time planning this photograph, as I wanted to make it look like the moon is rising from inside the ‘volcano’. Because I also wanted to achieve this in a single shot, I had to calculate the correct distance and angle that I needed to take my photograph from. In the end, I took this photograph from 10 kilometers away." #

A woman in a large tub of water leans over, holding her newborn baby as others lean in to comfort her.

Born in a Warm Bath of Love. Shortlist, Lifestyle. "This little boy was born so calmly in a birthing pool in this hospital. It was a very emotional experience; I love dad’s reaction and the hands of the midwife just waiting patiently and giving support." #

A view, looking up, of an owl landing with its talons outstretched. Probably the last thing an unfortunate field mouse might ever see.

Eye on the Prize. Shortlist, Natural World & Wildlife. "A barn owl (Tyto alba) selects and captures its prey." #

A tattoo artist leans over, applying ink to the head of another person.

Tattoo. Shortlist, Lifestyle. "This was a very interesting scene between two artists, which I photographed at a tattoo fair in Austria in spring 2022. The halo behind the tattooist makes the scene more attractive." #

A landscape photograph of tall mountains and a river valley covered in autumn-colored bushes and trees.

Autumn Glory. Shortlist, Landscape. "Nowhere exhibits such rich autumn colors as Patagonia – it is breathtaking." #

A runner splashes head first into a pool of water during a steeplechase race.

Steeplechase Fall. Shortlist, Motion. "At the World Athletics Championships in Oregon, the women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase heats witnessed a dramatic fall from Germany’s Lea Meyer. As she ran up to the water obstacle, Lea clipped the hurdle, flew through the air and disappeared into the water, reemerging totally soaked." #

An eroded rock formation, looking like pillars of stone capped by dark rocks.

Earth Pyramids. Shortlist, Landscape. "Taken in Percha, Italy. These earth pyramids were formed millions of years ago in the Dolomite mountains. On this particular morning they were in low clouds, which adds to the atmosphere." #

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Winners of the 2023 Sony World Photography Awards Open Competition

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