The winning images of the Sony World Photography Awards 2022

Today, the World Photography Organisation announced the winning photographers of the prestigious annual Sony World Photography Awards 2022.

Winning the Photographer of the Year award in the Professional category was Adam Ferguson with Migrantes, a series of black and white portraits of Mexican migrants at the US borders.

“This series of photographs was an attempt to make images that inspired empathy, rather than sympathy. By surrendering the control of capture and giving each migrant agency in the process of their representation, I hoped to subvert the narrative of marginalization and create a story that felt more human, relatable and honest,” commented Ferguson to the awards' announcement.

In the Open category, the award dedicated to a single image for excellence in technique and creative approach, the winner was British photographer Scott Wilson.

The respective winners of the competition's ten thematic categories were also announced. Croatian photographer Domagoj Burilović won the Architecture & Design category with the photos of traditional German houses built i the Croatian region of Slavonia.  

Now in its 15th year, the Awards received over 340,000 entries from 211 territories, of which over 156,000 images were submitted to the Professional competition, the highest number in the competition's history.

“To get work of such quality, especially after two years of covid when people  have been in lockdown and not able to go to places, was fantastic,” curator and Chair jury Mike Trow told Domus. “I was surprise by how much we got and how good it was.”

“Proper photography, which is about narratives and quality of work, tells more than words and is now being taken way more seriously across the world,” he added.  

A selection of the images taken by the competition finalists will be on display at Somerset House in London from 12 April to 2 May.

“There’s something to learn from all of these stories, wherever the pictures were taken. This show helps us to open up to the world again, after we’ve not been able to travel for long,” Trow said.