Picture: ‘Split Second’ by Matías Gálvez, Chile, courtesy Sony World Photography Awards
The shortlist of 10, plucked from nearly 55,000 entries, includes photographers from as far afield as Chile and Kazakhstan whose skill has impressed this year’s judging panel.
Each wins a Sony A77 camera and will compete for a $5,000 prize to be announced on 25 April.
Damien Demolder, chair of the Open competition said: ‘Amateurs constantly amaze me, not only with their determination, passion and internal drive, but also with the astonishing quality they are capable of achieving.’
He added: ‘They can be extraordinarily creative and more than capable of working to their own brief, to turn a wonderful idea or moment into a beautiful photograph.
‘In so many ways there are heftier chunks of real life and soul in amateur images than there are in the professional categories – because amateurs do it for the love of taking pictures. And the shortlist, and winners, for this year’s Open competition demonstrates this.’
Picture: ‘Low Light’ by Elmar Akhmetov, Kazakhstan, courtesy Sony World Photography Awards
