Sony World Photography Awards Makes Modifications for its twentieth Annual Picture Contest

Less than two months after the Sony World Photography Awards introduced the general winners of its 2026 competitors, the twentieth anniversary 2027 version of the Sony World Photography Awards has launched. There are some massive modifications to one of many world’s largest and most prestigious picture contests.

“Now in our 20th year, the Awards represent two decades of celebrating photographers worldwide, and we’re as committed as ever to continuing that legacy. As always, the competition remains completely free to enter and is open to all photographers shooting on any device and at all stages of their careers,” the World Photography Organization explains.

“To mark the occasion, this year brings some meaningful changes. After 20 years, we’ve refreshed our competition names to better reflect what they’re about.”

The Open competitors, the place any photographer may beforehand enter a single picture in numerous classes, is now the “Single Image” competitors. Meanwhile, what was once known as the Professional competitors is now known as “Series.” In the Professional competitors, which once more, any photographer may enter, rivals entered a collection of 5 to 10 pictures.

Although both the Open or Professional competitions within the Sony World Photography Awards had been open to all, photographers may beforehand enter just one or the opposite. That restriction has been lifted, and photographers can take part in each Single Image and Series competitions. However, the submitted photos have to be totally different. Photographers can enter the identical picture throughout each competitions.

The Sony World Photography Awards 2027 will even function two brand-new classes. In Single Image, the brand new Animal Portraits class is a devoted area for photographers to submit their finest portraits of animals, home and wild alike.

“This category celebrates the beauty, personality, and spirit of animals through portraiture,” the Sony World Photography Awards explains.

This differs from the prevailing Natural World and Wildlife class, which doesn’t require animals to be included.

In the newly named Series competitors, there’s a new Histories class. This class is for images tasks that have interaction instantly with the previous, together with by artistic and blended media work, just like photographer Citlali Fabián’s glorious collection, Bilha, Stories of my Sisters, which took the highest prize within the Sony World Photography Awards 2026.

The Student and Youth competitions return within the 2027 version of the Sony World Photography Awards.

Top prizes for the twentieth anniversary Sony World Photography Awards embody as much as $25,000 in money, international exhibitions, a solo show on the Sony World Photography Awards’ annual London exhibition, top-end Sony digital imaging gear, and extra.

The Sony World Photography Awards 2027 at the moment are open for entry, with the primary entry deadline for the Student competitors on November 27. Further deadlines are January 5, 2027, and January 12, 2027. Complete guidelines and rules are detailed on the competitors’s web site. The Sony World Photography Awards are completely free to enter, open to all photographers, and photographers don’t want to make use of Sony-branded gear to take part.

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Image credit: Sony World Photography Awards