COMPETITION – 2022 SONY WORLD PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS: OVERALL WINNERS
OVERALL AND PROFESSIONAL CATEGORY WINNERS
Australian photojournalist Adam Ferguson won the Photographer Of The Year title in this year’s Sony World Photography Awards… which is quite an achievement given the hundreds of thousands of entries. On these pages you can also see the winners of the other major prizes for 2022 along with the images that topped Professional competition categories.
Now in its 15th year, the world’s largest online photography competition again attracted a huge number of entries – over 340,000 images from 211 countries and territories – giving the judges plenty of work to do. And coming out on top this year was an Australian photographer who was selected from a record number of 156,000 entries in the Professional competition.
Australian photojournalist Adam Ferguson won the Photographer Of The Year title in the 2022 Sony World Photography Awards, collecting a US$25,000 (around A$33,000) and a range of Sony digital imaging equipment as his prizes.
Adam’s winning portfolio is titled Migrantes and comprises a series of black and white selfportraits of migrants in Mexico, taken as they waited to cross the border into the USA. Photographed in collaboration with the subjects, Adam set up the scene for each image, mounting a medium format camera on a tripod with a cable release and then stepping back, allowing the individuals to choose the moment of capture… and
so participate in the process of documenting their lives.
In February 2021, after a change of presidential administrations in the USA, migrants from Central and South America surged on the US-Mexican border. Photographs of fraught migrants carrying their belongings, clinging to loved ones and caught in the flashes of photographers’ strobes were circulating in the media. While Adam acknowledged the importance of this photojournalism, he noticed a distinct lack of photography from the Mexican side of the border, especially images that gave the migrants any measure of agency.
With this in mind, he pitched the project to his editor at the
New York Times and secured the commission to travel to Juarez and Reynosa for 11 days over April and May in 2021. His approach to the project was inspired by Adam Broomberg and Oliver Chanarin’s Ghetto – a visual journey through 12 modern ghettos including the Rene Vallejo Psychiatric Hospital in Cuba in which the former artist duo gave patients control over the shutter release.
Accompanied by Mexican journalists Ernesto Rodríguez,
Silvia Cruz, Noe Gea Medina and Laura Monica Cruz Flores, Adam approached migrants who were staying in shelters near the border, recording their often harrowing
“Through collaborating with migrants, this series of photographs was an attempt to make images that inspired empathy, rather than sympathy.” Adam Ferguson, Photographer Of The Year, 2022 Sony World Photography Awards.
stories and working with them to stage and capture the image in a relaxed space where they would feel less self-conscious. He chose black and white film as a way of cancelling the chaotic medley of background colours and stripping the image down to its emotional value. The resulting series presents a poignant portrait of people suspended in time while in search of a more prosperous life.
Compassion
Commenting on Ferguson’s winning project, Mike Trow, chair of the 2022 Professional competition stated, “What Adam Ferguson has done on the US/ Mexico border with migrant families and individuals is deeply compassionate and moving.
“This set of portraits speaks volumes about how moral intentionality and respect can help avoid some of that sense of manipulation and invasion of the private which photography is often accused of. By giving his subjects the shutter release, Adam hands a certain power to the sitter to make that decision on how to be perceived. These photographs are beautiful, meaningful and kind. There were other stories that we, as a jury, admired deeply, but Adam’s series stood out because it speaks so eloquently and warmly of people under hardship, but who hold on to their decency and love regardless of place and wealth.”
Commenting on his big win, Adam noted, “Through collaborating with migrants, 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 marginalisation and create a story that felt more human, relatable and honest. I’m grateful to the brave and resilient individuals who agreed to work with me, and receive this award on behalf of them also.
“Winning the Photographer Of The Year award gives this story another life. It allows a new audience to connect with the important stories of the individuals who shared their story with me.”
To see more of Adam
Ferguson’s photography visit www. adamfergusonstudio.com.
Open Photographer Of The Year
The Open competition in the
Sony World Photography Awards celebrates the power of single images. Winning photographs are selected for their ability to communicate a remarkable visual narrative combined with technical excellence.
Chosen from the 10 Open category winners for 2022,
Scott Wilson from the United Kingdom was judged the Open Photographer Of The Year 2022, winning a cash prize of US$5,000, along with Sony digital imaging equipment.
Scott’s winning photograph, titled Anger Management, was entered in the Open – Natural World & Wildlife category. The black and white image depicts a dirt-caked wild mustang kicking up a dust storm in northwestern Colorado. The picture was taken shortly after the stallion plunged himself into a mud pool – protection from summer bugs – and while pounding the ground to let competing males know he was ready to fight for his spot at
a nearby watering hole.
Scott commented, “It’s an absolute honour to see
Anger Management win Open Photographer Of The Year for 2022. Viewing mustang behaviour in the wild is a raw and dynamic wildlife experience. The image tension is symbolic of the conservation challenges facing wild horses in the American West, where these treasured animals are being rounded up in record numbers and removed from public lands. By the end of 2022, there will be more wild horses in captivity than running free”.
Student Photographer Of The Year
Ezra Bohm (The Netherlands) of the Nederlandse Acedemie voor Beeldcreatie has been awarded Student Photographer Of The Year for 2022, winning €30,000 worth of Sony photography equipment for his institution.
Ezra won for his series titled, The Identity of Holland, created in response to the brief ‘Connections’ that challenged students to present a story highlighting how they, or someone they have documented, interact with the world. For his winning series, Ezra photographed the residents of close-knit communities in The Netherlands who maintain a traditional way of life, highlighting their extraordinarily detailed customary dress and their connection to Dutch cultural history.
Commenting on his win,
Ezra said, “Winning this prize confirms to me the importance of photographing the unexpected, to tell stories that come from my heart and soul. By following your ambition, everything you do becomes more meaningful, and probably also more successful”.
Youth Photographer Of The Year
Selected from the Youth competition’s six category winners, Tri Nguyen – who is 18-years-old and from Vietnam – has won the Youth Photographer Of The Year title for 2022. His winning image, titled Under The Moonlight, depicts a young man basking in artificial moonlight, standing against a derelict background. The moonlight symbolises a spotlight shining on the young man, and his longing to accept his flaws. The photo is part of a series that investigates selfreflection and a yearning to break the mould and celebrate one’s imperfections.
For his win, Tri Nguyen receives a selection of Sony digital imaging equipment. Tri commented, “As a budding and motivated artist, I am extremely excited and proud to have been chosen as the Youth Photographer Of The Year for 2022. I humbly accept this award and will use this momentum to further my photography”.
For more information about the winners and to see all the shortlisted images in both the
2022 Open and Professional competitions go to
(the winners of the Open categories were published in our March/April 2022 issue). The 2023 competition is now open for entries and the submission deadline is 6 January 2023.