Winners Announced for the 2025 Sony World Photography Awards

The winners of the 2025 Sony World Photography Awards have been officially revealed during a gala ceremony held at Somerset House in London. Now in its 18th year, the prestigious global competition continues to spotlight the most compelling work in contemporary photography, offering a platform for both emerging talent and established visual storytellers.

Overall Winners

This year’s top honor — Photographer of the Year — goes to Zed Nelson of the United Kingdom for his thought-provoking series The Anthropocene Illusion. The long-term project, spanning six years and four continents, examines humanity’s fractured relationship with nature in an increasingly artificial world. One standout image from the series features an ape posed against a painted jungle backdrop, challenging viewers to confront the disconnect between the natural world and the manufactured environments we create.

“While we devastate the world around us, we have become masters of a stage-managed, artificial ‘experience’ of nature – a reassuring spectacle, an illusion,” Nelson said.

The Open Photographer of the Year award was presented to Olivier Unia of Morocco for Tbourida La Chute, a powerful frame capturing a rider thrown from his horse during a traditional Moroccan Tbourida performance — a centuries-old equestrian art form.

“This award gives me the confidence to continue sharing my work,” Unia said. “I’ve been documenting Tbourida for two years now, and I’m thrilled to see this image resonate with the judges.”

In the Student category, Micaela Valdivia Medina of Peru was named Student Photographer of the Year for The Last Day We Saw the Mountains and the Sea, a striking series exploring the layered experiences of incarcerated women and their families. Her deeply personal documentation shines a light on an often-overlooked aspect of the human condition.

Danial Dian-Ji Wu, a 16-year-old from Taiwan, was crowned Youth Photographer of the Year for Eclipse in Motion, a dynamic image of a skateboarder caught mid-trick at Venice Beach. Shot during the golden hour, the silhouette captures both the energy of youth and the magic of fleeting moments.

Outstanding Contribution to Photography

This year’s Outstanding Contribution to Photography honor goes to celebrated American photographer Susan Meiselas, whose decades-long career has been marked by a participatory approach to documentary photography. Best known for her collaborative methods and commitment to underrepresented voices, Meiselas joins an illustrious group of past recipients, including Sebastião Salgado (2024), Edward Burtynsky (2022), and Mary Ellen Mark (2014).

Winners and shortlisted entries are now on display at the annual Sony World Photography Awards Exhibition at Somerset House, where visitors can also purchase the official exhibition book. The hardcover volume — priced at £24.99 — is available both onsite and online at shop.worldphoto.org.