Competitions · Humanities and writing · Sony World Photography Awards
The Sony World Photography Awards.
One of the few genuinely international competitions a school-age photographer can enter, free, with three images. But read the category names carefully - the one called Student has a minimum age of eighteen.
Read this first
Youth is the school competition. Student is not.
The four competitions are named in a way that misleads almost every family that reads them. Get this right before anything else.
Student means university student
Entrants in the Student competition must be aged 18 to 30 at the closing date. It is aimed at people studying photography at higher education level. A school student cannot enter it.
Youth is the one that is open
The Youth competition is open to entrants aged nineteen and under at the closing date. This is where a school-age photographer belongs.
And their deadlines differ by six weeks
Student closes in late November; Youth closes in early January. A student who plans against the wrong deadline loses either the entry or a month of shooting time.
Open is available too
The Open competition has no age restriction, so a school-age photographer can enter both Youth and Open. Under-16s need a parent or guardian’s consent.
The four competitions
Side by side.
All four run in the same season on different deadlines. The first two columns are the ones that decide where you belong.
| Competition | Age | What you submit | Deadline | Top prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Youth | 19 and under | Up to three single images, free. More are charged | Early January | A set of Sony digital imaging equipment, plus a trophy, catalogue, exhibition and international coverage |
| Open | No restriction | Up to three single images, free. More are charged | Early January | $5,000 and Sony equipment for the overall winner; Sony equipment for each category winner |
| Student | 18 to 30 | Five to ten images answering a set brief | Late November | Sony digital imaging equipment, a trophy, catalogue and exhibition. Up to ten photographers are shortlisted |
| Professional | 18 and over | A series of five to ten images per category, with captions. One series per category | Mid-January | $25,000 and Sony equipment for Photographer of the Year, plus an exhibition in London the following year |
The Open competition additionally runs national and regional awards and the Alpha Female Award. The Professional competition additionally runs the Latin America Professional Award and a Sustainability Prize. Registration for the whole season opens on 1 June.
What "free" means
Free up to three images, then not.
The awards are widely described as free to enter, and that is broadly true - but the detail matters if you want to submit a body of work.
Three images free in Youth and Open
Each entrant may submit up to three photographs at no charge, and they may be spread across different categories.
Beyond three, there is a fee
The published rates for Open are £14.95 for eight images and £39.95 for twenty. Youth charges for entries beyond three on the same basis.
Professional is free throughout
The Professional competition carries no entry fee, which is unusual for an award at that level.
So plan the three carefully
For most school-age entrants the sensible entry is three strong images, chosen deliberately, at no cost. Paying for volume is rarely the better use of the opportunity.
The rules that catch entrants
Dates, files and rights.
Four things worth settling before you shoot, not after.
| What | The rule |
|---|---|
| When the photograph was taken | Youth and Open state the photograph must have been taken in the competition year, and then give a window running a few days into the following January. Confirm the exact window before entering an image taken near the boundary |
| Previously published work | Youth and Open both accept photographs that have already been in other competitions, won awards, or appeared in books, magazines, newspapers, online and print editorial, self-published websites or gallery exhibitions |
| File format | JPEG, saved in sRGB, between 1MB and 5MB, with the EXIF data intact. Shortlisted entrants must be able to supply a high-resolution file suitable for exhibition printing |
| Rights granted | Entrants warrant the work is their own and grant the organiser free use of the work, or part of it, in print and other media for promotion connected with the awards |
| Rights you are responsible for | Entrants warrant that the work does not infringe any third party’s copyright, image rights, reputation or privacy, and bear that liability themselves |
| Consent | Entrants under sixteen need a parent or legal guardian’s consent |
The rights points are worth a real conversation before entering. A free competition of this scale is funded by the promotional value of the images, and the liability for anyone recognisable in a photograph sits with the photographer - which matters for street and portrait work in particular.
The Open categories
Ten categories, and a school-age entrant can use any of them.
These are the Open competition categories, which is where most school-age entrants have the widest choice. Youth entries follow a set theme announced by the organiser.
Architecture, Landscape, Travel
Buildings and structures, or an interpretation of them, with the photographer’s aesthetic evident. Landscape reads broadly - mountains, glaciers, plants. Travel is about images made on a journey, near home or far away.
Creative, Motion, Street Photography
Creative allows abstraction, panorama, montage and compositing. Motion asks for a moment of movement in a single still image. Street Photography records everyday life in public space.
Portraiture, Lifestyle, Still Life, Natural World
Portraiture needs the subject aware of being photographed and a real connection to the image. Lifestyle places people in a situation or event, shot naturally. Still Life excludes people. Natural World covers the environment and everything living in it.
What winning brings
Mostly equipment, exhibition and reach.
Only two of the four competitions carry cash. What the others carry is arguably more useful to someone starting out.
Cash in Professional and Open only
$25,000 for the Professional Photographer of the Year and $5,000 for the Open overall winner - together, the $30,000 prize fund the organisers advertise.
Equipment for Youth and Student winners
The Youth and Student winners each receive a set of Sony digital imaging equipment, a certificate and trophy. One recent Student winner received equipment described as worth €30,000 for use in their university studies.
Exhibition and catalogue
Winners and shortlisted photographers are exhibited, included in the catalogue, and promoted through the awards site and online community. Shortlisting alone carries international exposure.
Which is the real prize at this age
For a school-age photographer, being exhibited and catalogued by an internationally recognised award is worth more than most cash prizes at this level.
Preparation
How Hanlin prepares a photography entry.
Three free images and a whole year to shoot them is a good problem to have, and it is mostly a problem of editing.
Choosing three, not submitting three
The constraint is the point. Selecting the three strongest frames from a year - and being able to say why each earns its place - is the skill the competition actually rewards.
Reading the category definitions properly
The organisers define each category precisely: Still Life excludes people, Portraiture requires the subject to be aware of the camera. Entering the wrong category loses a good image on a technicality.
Shooting to the window
Photographs generally have to be taken within the competition year, so a body of older work cannot simply be entered. Planning the year around the deadline matters.
And settling the rights questions early
Recognisable people, private property, other people’s artwork in frame. The liability sits with the photographer, and it is much easier to handle at the moment of shooting than at the moment of entering.
Talk to an advisor
Hanlin does not coach Sony World Photography Awards. Ask what it does coach.
The services below are real, but not for this competition. An advisor will say plainly whether there is a route here and what is worth entering instead.
Competition entry and planning
Which competitions suit this student, in what order, and by when - then we handle the registration, including the ones that can only be entered through a school or a centre.
Competition coaching
Taught by full-time subject tutors, on a course tier chosen by placement paper rather than by year group.
International curriculum tutoring
IB, AP, A-Level, IGCSE and the US high school curriculum, taught alongside school and timed around the exam calendar.
Competition past papers, free
A large library of past papers, mark schemes and syllabus breakdowns across every competition on this site. No charge and no enrolment.
Scan to add an advisor
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Or call +86 21 6352 6630FAQ
Sony World Photography Awards, briefly answered.
What students and families ask before entering.
Which competition should a school student enter?
Youth, which is open to entrants aged nineteen and under at the closing date. The competition called Student requires entrants to be aged 18 to 30 and is aimed at higher education. School-age photographers may also enter Open, which has no age restriction.
Is there a lower age limit for Youth?
The published material describes Youth both as being for ages 12 to 19 and as open to everyone aged nineteen and under. Confirm with the organiser if the entrant is under twelve.
Does it cost anything?
Up to three images are free in Youth and Open. Beyond three there is a fee - the published Open rates are £14.95 for eight images and £39.95 for twenty. The Professional competition is free throughout.
Can I enter a photograph that has been published before?
In Youth and Open, yes. Photographs that have appeared in other competitions, won awards, or been published in books, magazines, newspapers, editorial, self-published websites or gallery exhibitions are accepted.
What are the file requirements?
JPEG, saved in sRGB, between 1MB and 5MB, with EXIF data retained. Shortlisted entrants must be able to supply a high-resolution file suitable for exhibition printing.
What rights am I granting?
Entrants warrant that the work is their own and allow the organiser to use it, or part of it, free of charge in print and other media for promotion connected with the awards.
What am I responsible for?
That the photograph does not infringe any third party’s copyright, image rights, reputation or privacy. That liability rests with the photographer, which matters particularly for street and portrait work.
Do I need my parents’ permission?
Entrants under sixteen need a parent or legal guardian’s consent.
When are the deadlines?
Registration opens on 1 June. Student closes in late November, Youth and Open in early January, and Professional in mid-January, all at 13:00 UK time.
Is the Youth competition themed?
The published material states that Youth entries should respond to a set theme, but does not say what it is. Check the organiser’s site for the current theme before shooting.
What do winners receive?
$25,000 for Professional Photographer of the Year and $5,000 for the Open overall winner. Youth and Student winners receive Sony digital imaging equipment, a certificate and a trophy. Winners and shortlisted entrants are exhibited, catalogued and promoted internationally.
Related
Other art and design competitions.
What students enter alongside the photography awards.
Photography awards enquiries
Three images, free, and a real international field.
Youth takes entrants aged nineteen and under; Open takes anyone. Both allow three images at no cost, so the work is in choosing which three and getting the category right. Tell us what the student photographs and an advisor will help build the year around the deadline.