1. A stunning picture of a man diving into a lake, holding onto two bulls, is a finalist in the Sports category of the Sony Photography awards. (Yong Sheng Zheng/Sony World Photography Awards)
2. ‘Sparkle, Baby’ explores girl culture in Australia within the phenomena of beauty pageants, particularly those directed at the young. Through documenting child pageants, photographer Chloe Bartram sought to understand if participating in these events increases the pressure on young girls to conform to an idealized view of what it means to be female or rather, is it a celebration of girlhood? (Chloe Bartram/Sony World Photography Awards)3. ‘Big Cat, Little Cat’, shot by George Logan, is part of an advertising campaign for Whiskas cat food and is a shortlisted entry in the Campaign category (George Logan/Sony World Photography Awards)4. The series ‘Italy’, by Sharon Derhy in Israel, was taken at the breathtaking views of Biella area, where the photographer’s camera is penetrating undirected intimates moments. It has been shortlisted in the Travel category (Sharon Derhy/Sony World Photography Awards)
5. Kai Uwe Gundlach, from Germany, is a finalist in the Still Life awards for this simple picture of a woman looking through her purse, from the photography series entitles ‘Timeless’ (Kai Uwe Gundlach/Sony World Photography Awards)6. This collection earned photographer Kacper Kowalski a place as a finalist in the Landscape category. Kowalski, from Poland, said: ‘I took to the skies above Poland to gain a vantage point over a country gripped by harsh winter. Temperatures can drop to ‐ 30 °C and stay below zero for months. The few specks of colour in these images are the only signs of human activity in this monochrome landscape. (Kacper Kowalski/Sony World Photography Awards)7. This picture of workers taking part in a rescue operation inside the eight‐story building Rana Plaza, which collapsed at Savar, outside Dhaka, Bangladesh, was taken by photographer K.M Asad and is one of a series shortlisted in the Current Affairs category. (K.M Asad/Sony World Photography Awards)
8. ‘The Fighter’ is a series of photographs detailing the story of Jorge Herrera’s life. He fleed from an abusive father and a Chilean dictatorship at nine-years-old, caused trouble as a youth in Tingbjerg, Copenhagen, took drugs, was violent and has been to jail. (Jorge Herrera/Sony World Photography Awards)9. This sample from a series of black and white photographs, entitled ‘Bears and Birds’, was taken in Svalbard, Norway, by Wilfred Berthelsen. Berthelsen is a finalist in the Travel category. (Wilfred Berthelsen/Sony World Photography Awards)10. An old Hindu woman sits and prays in front of the Shri Shri Lokanath Brahmachar Ashram Temple during the Rakher Upobash at Barodi, Narayangonj. Hindu devotees fast and pray to gods during the ritual called Kartik Brati or Rakher Upobash. This image, taken by Suvra Kanti Das, has been shortlisted in the Arts and Culture category. (Suvra Kanti Das/Sony World Photography Awards)
11. These images, by Carlotta Cardana, are from a personal project on couples who belong to the Mod scene, a subculture that originated in Britain in the late ’50s and became very popular during the ’60s. It is quite difficult to pin down what lies at the heart of this movement as it has evolved in many different ways during the years, but all Mods share a passion for everything related to the ’50s and the ’60s, especially the clothes and the music. (Carlotta Cardana/Sony World Photography Awards)12. This shortlisted photograph of Lady Gaga’s waxwork was shot by Fabrizio Cestari for the series, ‘Wax System’. Fabrizio got the inspiration from celebraty portraits, combining real glances and fake faces, and said the experience was one of the most fun shoots at Madame Tussauds. (Fabrizio Cestari/Sony World Photography Awards)13. Melissa Golden’s photograph of the scene after a tornado hit a residential house in Moore, Oklahoma, has been shortlisted in the Current Affairs category. In this picture Destiny Pierman, 13 collects belongings from the damaged bedroom of her home. She and her mother feared the house had been leveled and were relieved to find that, although it was damaged, it was still standing. Destiny’s epilepsy medication, the family’s primary concern, was right where they had left it. (Melissa Golden/Sony World Photography Awards)
14. Wet Dog, by Sophie Garmand from the U.S, is a series of dog portaits caught mid‐bath. The dogs are photographed at a vulnerable moment, half a second before they shake the water off their fur. Sophie’s pictures capture their character and, in some cases, recognizable emotions (like annoyance, misery or vengefulness). (Sophie Garmand/Sony World Photography Awards)15. Sungseok Ahn’s ‘Historic Present’ questions the memory of past from the fast changing scenery of today. By overlapping a historical location with an old image of that exact place, he questions the way we treat our history and explores the dynamics. (Sungseok Ahn/Sony World Photography Awards)16. Emmanuel Coupe-Kalomiris has been shortlisted for a set of photographs called ‘Aerial Series’. All images were taken in southern and central parts of Iceland. The areas were pictured from above and were carefully scouted and selected for their particular qualities such as formations and color pallet. (Emmanuel Coupe-Kalomiris/Sony World Photography Awards)
17. Shanghai City is the backdrop for a series of pictures about living places and the way we deal with public space. Photographer Arjen Schmitz said: ‘I work as a fine art artist with a 8×10 inch Sinar. Working with this camera forces me to select my pictures and subject very carefully in terms of cropping, light condition, an other circumstances wich could influence my picture.’ (Arjen Schmitz/Sony World Photography Awards)18. Vinicio Drappo’s collection ‘Deep Night’ demonstrates clubbing as a place of suspension and a daily routine. Vinicio is a finalist in the People category. (Vinicio Drappo/Sony World Photography Awards)19. This image, included in a series titled ‘What Is Missing’ by Esposito Salvatore from Italy, is a finalist in the Current Affairs category. Esposito explained: ‘My story is concentrated specifically on the Forcella neighborhood, Naplese central district in the historic city center, and it also focuses of the criminal power of the Camorra since the late 70s.’ (Esposito Salvatore/Sony World Photography Awards)20. Denis Dailleux asks many questions with the shortlisted series ‘Mother and Son’. He said: ‘Why does this image of the mother‐son relationship move us so? Because the son, by his nudity, looks as fragile as he was on the day of his birth? Because the mother seems fulfilled by the presence of son, who completes her? These images from our Mediterranean roots strike us because they come the dawn of time, and the same time, rest at the heart of the modern psyche.’ (Denis Dailleux/Sony World Photography Awards)
21. A thought-provoking series entitled ‘Through a Window’, by Salvatore Calafato has been shortlisted for the conceptual award. Salvatore took inspiration from the world as seen from the outside, through a window. (Salvatore Calafato/Sony World Photography Awards)22. ‘Neighbours’ is a series showcasing typical Belgian double houses, taken by Herman Van Den Boom. As a finalist in the Architecture category, Van Den Boom frames perfectly the individuality behind every property. Every single building is an expression of uniqueness, judges say. (Herman Van Den Boom/Sony World Photography Awards)23. Above, a hunter rests on the plains (in) Western Mongolia with his eagle. (Simon Morris/2014 Sony World Photography Awards)24. This is a very special cenote that during certain parts of the year develops a layer in the surface that enhances its mysterious aura. Also very peculiar are the tiny fishes found hidden in the water plants. (Christian Vizl/Sony World Photography Awards)
25. In July each year, this heart-pounding scene of wildebeests migration repeats itself in Kenya. (Bonnie Cheung/Sony World Photography Awards)26. Rows of identical houses and a playground in Jiangyin, a city in China’s Jiangsu province. (Kacper Kowalski/2014 Sony World Photography Awards)27. The flask‐shaped pitcher‐plant (Nepenthes ampullaria) has pitchers which are not covered by a lid, like most others. The enzymatic setup of its digestive fluid shows that it digests plant matter best, mostly fallen leaf litter, so that one could call this pitcher plant a vegetarian. (Christian Ziegler)28. Hindu pilgrims and devotees of the Maha Kumbh Mela — the largest spiritual gathering on the planet — cross floating bridges. (Wolfgang Weinhardt/2014 Sony World Photography Awards)
29. A knight and his steed: a tropical capture in Costa Rica. (Nicolas Reusens/2014 Sony World Photography Awards)30. A girl celebrates at the Kubana open-air festival that took place in 2013 near the city of Anapa, Russia. (Igor Kryzhko/2014 Sony World Photography Awards)31. A fisherman in Lake Victoria casts his net near Kisumu, Kenya. (Allan Gichigi)