This year's contest attracted 230,103 entries from 186 countries. Images taken by professionals, amateurs, and youth were judged in a variety of categories. The winners are due to be announced on April 21. Here are a few of the finalists.
Finalists Announced For Sony World Photography Awards 2016
The annual Sony World Photography Awards, organized by the World Photography Organization, has revealed its short list of entries for 2016.
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Photographer Wang LiJun of China: Hitting Tree Flowers
“Hitting Tree Flowers” is the local terminology used to describe a tradition of He Bei Province that has been around for over 500 years. People spread molten iron onto the ancient city walls and the iron splashes into beautiful sparkles, which locals call “tree flowers.”
“Hitting Tree Flowers” is the local terminology used to describe a tradition of He Bei Province that has been around for over 500 years. People spread molten iron onto the ancient city walls and the iron splashes into beautiful sparkles, which locals call “tree flowers.”
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Photographer Tino Solomon of the U.K.: The Stairway To Hell
The Milky Way rises over the Darwaza crater in the Karakum desert, northwest Turkmenistan. Two explorers peer into its fiery depths, known by the local Turkmen as the Door to Hell. In 1971, Soviet scientists discovered an underground cavern with an accumulation of gas. It was set on fire to avoid a toxic release into nearby villages in the hope it would burn out within days. Yet, 45 years later, it continues to burn. Often described as the world's most beautiful ecological disaster.
The Milky Way rises over the Darwaza crater in the Karakum desert, northwest Turkmenistan. Two explorers peer into its fiery depths, known by the local Turkmen as the Door to Hell. In 1971, Soviet scientists discovered an underground cavern with an accumulation of gas. It was set on fire to avoid a toxic release into nearby villages in the hope it would burn out within days. Yet, 45 years later, it continues to burn. Often described as the world's most beautiful ecological disaster.
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Photographer Jason McGroarty of Ireland: Totem Fox
I wanted to capture the heart-stopping moment when the wild breaches the barriers of the city and reminds us that the line between humans and wildlife is not as clearcut as we would like to believe, and that in the animal kingdom, the only thing we can count on is unpredictability, that the unexpected should be expected.
I wanted to capture the heart-stopping moment when the wild breaches the barriers of the city and reminds us that the line between humans and wildlife is not as clearcut as we would like to believe, and that in the animal kingdom, the only thing we can count on is unpredictability, that the unexpected should be expected.
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Photographer Nikunj Rathod of India: Bird Hunter
The photo was taken in Mumbai in November 2015. I was cycling through an abandoned area one afternoon when I came across a few kids who were aiming for birds in the sky using a slingshot. I managed to convince them to demonstrate their shooting skills by aiming for an empty bottle. Shockingly, the situation became quite competitive among them as each wanted to perform better than their colleagues.
The photo was taken in Mumbai in November 2015. I was cycling through an abandoned area one afternoon when I came across a few kids who were aiming for birds in the sky using a slingshot. I managed to convince them to demonstrate their shooting skills by aiming for an empty bottle. Shockingly, the situation became quite competitive among them as each wanted to perform better than their colleagues.