The expert panel of judges looking for the best single image across the categories chose winners from more than 105,000 entries. On April 20, one overall winner will be announced at an awards ceremony in London.
View some of the award-winning images from China, Italy, Nepal, Poland, Russia, South Korea, UAE, Vietnam and other countries in Sputnik's photo gallery.
“Maja and Thomas” by Czech photographer Simona Nalepkova, the winner of the 2017 Sony World Photography Awards’ National Awards competition. The photo, taken in the spring of 2016 in Prague, shows a woman holding a Maine Coon cat called Tomík.
“Howrah Bridge” by Bangladeshi photographer Mohammad Amir Hamja, the winner of the 2017 Sony World Photography Awards’ National Awards competition. This winter morning scene was snapped under the iconic Howrah Bridge in Kolkata, India.
“Mother's love” by Vietnamese photographer Ngoc Mai Nguyen, the winner of the 2017 Sony World Photography Awards’ National Awards competition.
“Ladybug” by Estonian photographer Annela Samuel, the winner of the 2017 Sony World Photography Awards’ National Awards competition. According to the description, this picture of a young Estonian singer called Ladybug was taken on a gray December day in Tallinn.
“Trajectory of Konotori” by Japanese photographer Homare Hamada, the winner of the 2017 Sony World Photography Awards’ National Awards competition. “The stork is the name of the satellite on the rocket. I shot the trajectory by launch of the rocket with long exposure,” the photographer wrote in the description of the image.
“Holy Friday of ENNA” by Italian photographer Salvatore Mazzeo, the winner of the 2017 Sony World Photography Awards’ National Awards competition.
“Homemade lemon beverage” by Finnish photographer Antti Hallakorpi, the winner of the 2017 Sony World Photography Awards’ National Awards competition.
“Fisherman” by Saudi photographer Khalid Alsabat, the winner of the 2017 Sony World Photography Awards’ National Awards competition. “It didn't take too long from our arrival to the Island to see the light of the sunrise. The elderly Chinese fisherman in his traditional clothes pushed his bamboo boat into the water, carrying with him a fishing net, a light and two Cormorants,” Alsabat wrote in the description.
“Cautious” by Panama photographer Jonatan Banista, the winner of the 2017 Sony World Photography Awards’ National Awards competition. Banista captured this iguana near a small creek June 12, 2016, while working in the field.
“Old River” by Bulgarian photographer Ivan Miladinov, the winner of the 2017 Sony World Photography Awards’ National Awards competition. The picture of the Stara Reka (Old River) in the Balkan mountains was taken at the beginning of October 2016. “The swirling autumn leaves on the picture are a common phenomenon there,” the photographer noted.
“Window” by Portuguese photographer Luis Godinho, the winner of the 2017 Sony World Photography Awards’ National Awards competition shows a girl hanging on the bus window.
“The Ballerina” by Nepalese photographer Chitrakar Shashanka, the winner of the 2017 Sony World Photography Awards’ National Awards competition. “The image of an egret was taken in Chitwan National Park in August 2016. The bird soaring elegantly through the white sky almost looks like a ballerina performing on a stage. It goes to say how easy it is to find beauty in even the most common things,” Shashanka described his work.
“Triple Exposed” by New Zealand photographer Miriam Strong, the winner of the 2017 Sony World Photography Awards’ National Awards competition. “This image was taken on a film camera during the summer 2016 in London. It consists of three images that were exposed on the same piece of film. I took the first image of the backyard/houses then wound the film back; then I took a silhouette portrait of my friend and wound the film back; the final image was of some mint in a pot plant which you can see in the girls face,” the photographer explained.
“Mathilda” by Russian photographer Alexander Vinogradov, the winner of the 2017 Sony World Photography Awards’ National Awards competition. This is a portrait of a young girl cosplaying Natalie Portman's role in the famous French movie "Leon."
“Gasing Up At Roy's” by German photographer Ralph Gräf, the winner of the 2017 Sony World Photography Awards’ National Awards competition. The photo was taken at Roy's gas station and motel in Amboy, California. “This almost abandoned village is located at the Historic Route 66, far away from any other service station and major road,” Gräf commented on his work.
“Rounded life…” by Qatari photographer Firos Syed, the winner of the 2017 Sony World Photography Awards’ National Awards competition.
“W for Walk” by Canadian photographer Harley Yang, the winner of the 2017 Sony World Photography Awards’ National Awards competition.
“Submerged field” by Columbian photographer Camilo Diaz, the winner of the 2017 Sony World Photography Awards’ National Awards competition. The photographer captured the Colombian national team in white, gray and black, fighting together for the ultimate position.
“A Certain Order” by Ukrainian photographer Zani Arkadina, the winner of the 2017 Sony World Photography Awards’ National Awards competition.
“116” by Polish photographer Arek Rataj, the winner of the 2017 Sony World Photography Awards’ National Awards competition shows a passenger on the 116 bus in Shijiazhuang, China.
“Flamingos’ Soul” by Swiss photographer Alessandra Meniconzi, the winner of the 2017 Sony World Photography Awards’ National Awards competition. The shot depicting flamingos on the shores of the Namibian Coast in the shallow waters of Walvis Bay was taken in summer 2016.
“Tai Chi” by Chinese photographer Jianguo Gong, the winner of the 2017 Sony World Photography Awards’ National Awards competition. On December 10, 2016, the Yangtze River in Wuhan, more than 1,300 people were practicing Tai Chi in Hubei, China; the photographer stunned by this spectacular scene decided to capture its beauty.
“Los Angeles 2016” by South Korean photographer Seung Jong Lee, the winner of the 2017 Sony World Photography Awards’ National Awards competition.
“Read All About It” by American photographer Argus Paul Estabrook, the winner of the 2017 Sony World Photography Awards’ National Awards competition.
“Tabular iceberg” by French photographer Josselin Cornou, the winner of the 2017 Sony World Photography Awards’ National Awards competition. “In March 2016, I headed to the Antarctic Peninsula, as part of an expedition with explorer Robert Swan. On our way to the 66th parallel south, our boat was navigating in silence through 30 metre (100 feet) high tabular icebergs that were once part of the Larsen Ice Shelf. Those mesmerizing structures were displaying subzero icy corridors, forming a highly photogenic gargantuan maze. The scene was magnificent, but also incredibly scary,” Cornou explained.
“Suit And Tie” by Kenyan photographer Austin Odunga, the winner of the 2017 Sony World Photography Awards’ National Awards competition.
“Suffering” by Spanish photographer Santos Moreno, the winner of the 2017 Sony World Photography Awards’ National Awards competition. This photograph was taken at the Muslim Cemetery of Potocari, Bosnia and Herzegovina, on the evening of July 10, the eve of the commemoration of the 21st Anniversary of the Srebrenica massacre.
“Oculus” by British photographer Tim Cornbill, the winner of the 2017 Sony World Photography Awards’ National Awards competition. “Having just arrived in Berlin on a bright summer's day, my wife and I decided to take a morning walk along the River Spree. We soon came across a large concrete building, and I was immediately struck by its geometry and scale,” the photographer wrote in the description.
“Transportation” by Emirati photographer Mustafa Jindi, the winner of the 2017 Sony World Photography Awards’ National Awards competition.
“Halloween Protagonists” by Greek photographer Constantinos Sofikitis, the winner of the 2017 Sony World Photography Awards’ National Awards competition.
