OUR WORLD … IN PICTURES

Spectacular images from one of the world’s most prestigious photography competitions. Could you make the grade?
They reveal our world in all its colourful diversity, from portraits of the planet’s most exotic wildlife to fresh glimpses of the everyday urban streets we so often take for granted. But then these remarkable images are just some of those shortlisted for the prestigious Sony World Photography Awards. The awards have been running for seven years, but a staggering 139,000 entries from 166 countries were received for the 2014 competition, and the finest are currently on show at London’s Somerset House. The only question is: do you have a future winner on your camera?

Sony-02-590-NEWWinner in the People category: Mario Wezel, Germany One In Eight Hundred is a heartfelt story of a family raising a child with special needs in a small town in Denmark

Sony-03-590-NEWFrom left: Winner in the Campaign category: Spencer Murphy, UK Channel 4 Racing – The Original Extreme Sport shows jump jockeys and the extremes they go to in pursuit of their sport. Winner in the Portraiture category: Sophie Gamand, France Wet Dog is a humorous series of images of dogs at bath time

Sony-05-590-NEWWinner in the Nature & Wildlife category: Michael Nichols, USA Michael, a respected National Geographic photographer, won with his stunning series, The Short Happy Life Of A Serengeti Lion

Sony-06-590-NEWWinner in the Landscape category: Roei Greenberg, Israel Greenberg’s landscapes depict a journey through the Israeli landscape, examining the relationship between the natural world and the manmade

Sony-07-590-NEWFrom left: Winner in the Conceptual category: Thomas Brummett, USA Light Projections is a beautiful series of silver gelatin prints. Winner in the Lifestyle category: Myriam Meloni, Italy Behind The Absence gives an insight into the lives of thousands of children in the Republic of Moldova, whose parents have emigrated in search of work, leaving them to be brought up by their grandparents

Sony-08-590-NEWWinner in the Current Affairs category (right): Guy Martin, UK Gezi Park shows protesters gathering to demonstrate against the construction of a mall in Istanbul

Sony-10-590-NEWWinner in the Contemporary Issues category and L’Iris d’Or (Overall) Photographer Of The Year (below): Sara Lewkowicz, USA Through her stark and striking project, Shane And Maggie, Lewkowicz examines how a pattern of domestic abuse develops and eventually crests, as well as its effects on victims, their families and their abusers

Sony-04-590-NEWWinner in the Still Life category: Amanda Harman, UK Garden Stories, Hidden Labours beautifully captures the ‘unseen’ work done by gardeners



2014 Sony World Photography Awards Exhibition runs until 18 May: 020-7845 4600, www.somersethouse.org.uk


Sony World Photography Awards 2014 is published by World Photography Organisation (£34.99)

Do you have a special shot you would like to share? Send it to the usual Bedford Street address, or to letters@lady.co.uk