World Photography Organisation – Overall winners revealed: 2018 Sony World Photography Awards

The coveted Photographer of the Year title was presented to British artist, Alys Tomlinson (age 43), for her series ‘Ex-Voto’, winning her the $25,000 (USD) prize fund. The work was praised by the jury for its beautiful production, technical excellence and sensitive illustration of pilgrimage as a journey of discovery and sacrifice to a greater power. Upon winning the prize, Tomlinson said “I am very surprised to have won, there is so much amazing photography in this competition. This is a huge boost both personally and professionally. It’s a project I invested so much in, so this recognition makes it all worth it.”  

Tomlinson was selected from the 10 category winners of the Professional competition who were  announced today alongside those in 2nd and 3rd place in each Professional category. The overall winners of the Awards’ Open (best single image), Youth and Student Focus competitions were also revealed.

Bulgarian photographer, Veselin Atanasov, was selected from 10 category winners as the best single image in the world in the Open competition. Atanasov is recognised for his image ‘Early Autumn’ and receives the $5,000 (USD) prize. An IT specialist, Atanasov is a self-taught photographer who began shooting in 2014. 

Megan Johnson, aged 16 and from the USA, was announced as the Youth Photographer of the Year, for her image ‘Still’. Shot on the cliffs near her house in Connecticut, the black and white image captures the complex and intricate solitude the photographer faces in everyday life.

The Student Photographer of the Year was revealed as Samuel Bolduc, from Canada, age 20. Bolduc was chosen by the judges from students worldwide for his photographic series ‘The Burden’. He represented College de Matane, Quebec and has won €30,000 (Euros) worth of Sony photography equipment for the institution.

Produced by the World Photography Organisation, the Sony World Photography Awards is the world’s most diverse photography competition. The 11th edition saw a record breaking 320,000 submissions by photographers from more than 200 countries and territories, presenting some of the world’s finest contemporary photography captured over the past year. The Awards’ annual London exhibition brings together the best established and emerging talent from around the world, providing winning and shortlisted photographers the opportunity to showcase their work on an international stage.