PRESS RELEASE: Sony World Photography Awards 2010
The 2010 Sony World Photography Awards are open for entries from today, Monday 1 June 2009.
With categories for both professional and amateur photographers, the Sony World Photography Awards is one of the world’s largest photographic events. The awards are a platform for both established and emerging photographers and in 2009 the competition attracted over 60,000 entrants from 139 different countries.
The competition for professional photographers incorporates 12 categories across three genres – commercial, fine art and photojournalism/documentary. The overall winner will take the coveted L’Iris D’Or title together with $25,000 (USD) along with Sony camera equipment. The 36 category finalists will then be exhibited in galleries across the world as part of the Sony World Photography Awards Global Tour throughout 2010 and 2011.
New for the 2010 awards, a documentary category has been introduced for amateur photographers. Whether documenting a person, place or current issue, the category is looking for an image which captures momentous occurrences of every day life. From the nine categories, one photographer will be chosen as the Sony World Photography Awards Amateur Photographer of the Year and win a grand prize of $5,000 (USD) and Sony camera equipment.
The Campaign Award 2010 also launches on 1 June. A special category for amateur photographers, the award seeks to uncover imagery that captures the emotion and the passion of football from the fan’s point of view - the highs, the lows, and the incredible lengths supporters will go to support their teams. The winning photograph will be selected by renowned sports photographer Delly Carr and the prize will include two tickets to a 2010 South Africa World Cup game, a Sony Alpha DSLR camera and lens plus the opportunity to a photographer in a Sony digital campaign.
The Sony World Photography Awards is supported by the World Photographic Academy. It includes nearly 100 of the world’s leading photographers including Elliott Erwitt, Mary-Ellen Mark, Susan Meiselas, Bruce Davidson and Tom Stoddart; gallery owners; representatives of international photo agencies; international Guilds; photo editors; critics and publishers. The judging panel for the competition will comprise of members of the World Photographic Academy and will be announced later this year.
Key dates
2009
1 June Amateur and Professional categories open for submissions
2 – 15 June Global Tour at Gallery 21, Tokyo, Japan
4 December Closing date for professional and amateur categories
2010
February Shortlist announcement
March Category winners announcement
April The World Photography Awards Forum and Sony World Photography Awards ceremony in Cannes
Categories
For further information about the awards and to enter the competition please visit www.worldphotographyawards.org
Notes to Editors:
The competition will open on Monday 1 June and will close on Friday 4th December 2009 at 23.59hrs GMT
The competition is free to enter and all images submitted must have been shot in 2009
The L’Iris D’Or in 2009 was awarded to the American photographer David Zimmerman who is available for interview via Colman Getty
Astrid Merget, Event Director and Scott Gray, Managing Director of the WPA are available for interview through Colman Getty
Images from the 2009 Sony World Photography Awards are available via Colman Getty. Use of images must comply with SWPA terms and conditions (see below)
The Sony World Photography Awards, launched in 2007, lend a global platform for the photographic industry and community. Through a variety of international programmes including the World Photography Forum, the launch of an online magazine and a gallery, an international student programme and a touring exhibition, the World Photography Organisation will continue to discover new talent and createavenues through whichto reward photographers with the support and expertise of industry professionals
About Sony
Sony manufactures audio, video, communications and information technology products for the global consumer and professional markets. With its music, pictures, game and online businesses, Sony is uniquely positioned to be one of the world’s leading digital entertainment brands. Sony recorded consolidated global annual sales of EUR 54.4billion (yen 7,730 billion) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2009, based on an average market exchange rate for the same period of yen 142.0 to the EUR. It employs approximately 171,300 people worldwide. In Europe, the Sony Group recorded consolidated annual sales of EUR 14.0 billion (yen 1,987.7 billion) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2009.
For more information on Sony Europe, please visit http://www.sony-europe.com and http://www.sony.eu/presscenter
Full information about Sony’s environmental initiatives can be found at http://www.sony.eu/eco
(First posted on Monday, June 1, 2009 at 12:15 EDT)
