The third-ever World Sports Photography Awards are now open for entries from pro and semi-pro photographers, with a new amateur competition set to launch soon.
The 2022 awards will celebrate the best sports photography of 2021 across 26 sports categories, plus the new dedicated category and campaign added to celebrate the work of amateur sports photographers.
In its two previous editions the awards celebrated the work of professional sports photographers around the world across multiple sporting disciplines, featuring some of the world’s most famous athletes at iconic sporting events.
The last edition of the awards featured a 25-year retrospective of great sports photography.
Bronze Award 2021: In The Firing Line (2010) Tiger Woods hits photographer Mark Pain during the 2010 Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor. © Mark Pain
MPB is headline partner
The 2022 World Sports Photography Awards also have a first-ever headline partner in the shape of the used photography and video kit experts MPB – the world’s largest platform to buy, sell and trade used photography and videography kit.
The new partnership between the World Sports Photography Awards and MPB will see a series of content developed to help photographers take better sports pictures and to better understand the equipment and techniques needed.
Sophie Collins, Chief Marketing Officer at MPB, said, ‘At MPB we are dedicated to opening up the world of visual storytelling. Sport and photography are inextricably linked. Photographers use the power of visual storytelling and the values and essence of sport to make us think differently, look again, transform and ultimately change. We look forward to sharing the amazing World Sports Photography Awards images with a wider audience and help every photographer hone their sports photography skills.’
Special Merit Award 2021: Simone Biles (2019) The 2016 Olympic four-time gold medalist, four-time world all-around champion, four-time world floor exercise champion, two-time world balance beam champion, in action at The Superstars of Gymnastics at London’s O2 Arena. © Marc Aspland
World Sports Photography Awards co-founder Simon Burton explained, ‘We share a passion for sport and visual story-telling with MPB. Over the last two years we have grown and developed World Sports Photography Awards into a prestigious and vibrant campaign with a global audience. We are very excited about the new opportunities we can now explore with MPB and look forward to sharing the very best in sports photography with more fans than ever before.’
Judges & entries
The judges for the awards are high-profile individuals from the worlds of sport, branding, media and photography.
The extensive judging panel includes Sarah Borell (photo editor, Major League Basketball), Paul Murphy (digital image expert, UEFA), Leon Yearwood (picture editor, Sky Sports), Peter Robinson (photojournalist) and Tony Graham (director, Colorsport agency).
Formula 1 Special Merit 2021: Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg of Germany jumps off his car as he celebrates after winning the Singapore Formula One Grand Prix on the Marina Bay City Circuit Singapore, Sunday, 18 September 2016. © Yong Teck Lim/AP Photo
The awards are open to professional and semi-professional sports photographers and are free to enter.
Entries close at midnight PST 29 April 2022.
Applicants can enter up to 20 images taken in the 2021 categories.
To discover all of the categories you need to register – to do so just click here.
The new amateur sports photographer awards campaign will launch after the professional awards have been announced.
The Smile by Cameron Spencer, athletics category winner and gold overall winner, 2021 World Sports Photography Awards. © Cameron Spencer/Getty Images
Find out more…
To find out more about the World Sports Photography Awards just visit the World Sports Photography Awards website.
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