'Traditional Dress'. A girl in traditional dress in a region of Saudi Arabia. © Mansoor Mohsen, Saudi Arabia, Winner, National Awards, Sony World Photography Awards 2023 'Tuffie'. Navigating life's twists and turns, one step at a time. © Pradeep Kodimana Ramakrishnan, India, Winner, National Awards, Sony World Photography Awards 2023 'Jumping Rope'. I recorded this moment from a low angle so I could include the clouds in the sky and make the picture more dramatic. © Leo Huang, Taiwan, Winner, National Awards, Sony World Photography Awards 2023 The famous hot springs at Güroymak, Bitlis, Turkey. The hot springs maintain a temperature of about 40℃, even when the outside temperature is as low as -14℃. © Erhan Coral, Turkey, Winner, National Awards, Sony World Photography Awards 2023 'Ascendance'. We climb in order to reach our highest self, rather than to reach the mountain top. As each person walks their path, they shall rise to their full potential. © Ivana Todorović, Montenegro, Shortlist, Regional Awards, Sony World Photography Awards 2023 To create this photograph I positioned my model behind a piece of broken glass, which was illuminated by a red LED strip. © Fabian Jung, Austria, Winner, National Awards, Sony World Photography Awards 2023 'Iceberg'. The Ilulissat icebergs off Greenland’s coast lend perspective to the staggering immensity of the distant ice walls, which stretch for several kilometres and can be as tall as a one-hundred-storey skyscraper. That is only the ‘tip of the iceberg’, though. The glaciers extend well below the water, to an average depth of 2,100 metres, and discharge more ice into the global oceanic current than any other glacier in the Northern Hemisphere. © Huazheng Hong, Singapore, Winner, National Awards, Sony World Photography Awards 2023 'Roots of Life'. This photograph was taken around Passo delle Erbe in the Italian Dolomites, with the magnificent peak of Sass de Putia (Peitlerkofel) behind. I took the shot just before sunset with an ultra-wide-angle lens, using a polarising filter to maximise the drama in the sky. © Vlatko Rafeski, North Macedonia, Shortlist, Regional Awards, Sony World Photography Awards 2023 'Natalia and Ksenia'. A portrait of Natalia Adamenko, 44, and her 17-year-old daughter, Ksenia, at a church housing Ukrainian refugees in Irota, Hungary, taken on 1 April 2022. ‘Everyone from Hungary has tried to help us. They are amazing people’, said Natalia, who stayed in one of the church cottages when she first fled Kyiv. © Vladimir Zivojinovic, Serbia, Shortlist, Regional Awards, Sony World Photography Awards 2023 'Portal of Night'. Winter in the mountains has its charm, even at night. The patterns formed in the frozen lakes are natural artworks in their own right, and help the creativity of the artist who is trying to capture them. This photograph was taken in early winter in Tatra National Park, Slovakia. © Filip Hrebenda, Slovakia, Shortlist, Regional Awards, Sony World Photography Awards 2023 'Matthew'. Matthew is my dear friend from New York. It was so surreal to see him in rural Lithuania running around in the fields and connecting with this horse. When I look at this image I see serenity, inner peace and a connection with nature. © Milda Vyšniauskaitė, Lithuania, Winner, Regional Awards, Sony World Photography Awards 2023 'Lapland'. Moonrise in Lapland, Finland. © Roberto Pavić, Croatia, Winner, Regional Awards, Sony World Photography Awards 2023 'Flame'. A woman represents fire; she is like an element that burns you. © Sima Bivolarska-Stoyanova, Bulgaria, Winner, Regional Awards, Sony World Photography Awards 2023 'Nature’s Abduction'. While travelling in Madeira, I was mesmerised by this specific tree engulfed in fog. I decided to photograph it alongside a mysterious human presence. © Cristina Băzăr, Romania, Winner, Regional Awards, Sony World Photography Awards 2023 'Ballerina'. This reminds me that cats are such beautiful creatures. © Kazutoshi Ono, Japan, 2nd Place, National Awards, Sony World Photography Awards 2023 'The Peaceful Morning'. It was a foggy November morning at Nara Park in Nara, Japan, when I photographed the autumn leaves and grazing deer. It was so peaceful. © Kyujin Jeong, Korea, Republic Of, 2nd Place, National Awards, Sony World Photography Awards 2023 'Phoenix'. After the harvest, the farmers in my hometown burn the straw back to the soil. From the air, this burning wheat field looks like a phoenix. © Hajime Hirano, Japan, 1st Place, National Awards, Sony World Photography Awards 2023 'Ki-Re-i'. The diverse array of vending machines and photo ID machines is unique to Japanese culture. I felt that a woman coming out of this photo booth in Shibuya, Tokyo, with the two vending machines to the side, would create a stylish scene. Ki-Re-i means ‘beautiful’ in Japanese. © Takahiro Toh, Japan, 3rd Place, National Awards, Sony World Photography Awards 2023 'Forest Entrance'. I spotted this person riding their bicycle on the bike path next to the Yangjaecheon, a small river in Seoul. The path was surrounded by trees that were so dense the road could not be seen, so it felt like he was riding into a deep forest. © Gyu Seob Shim, Korea, Republic Of, 1st Place, National Awards, Sony World Photography Awards 2023 'Slow Motion'. Sometimes, watching a still diver can be beautiful. © Lee Jongkee, Korea, Republic Of, 3rd Place, National Awards, Sony World Photography Awards 2023 'Family Donation'. This image was captured in Myin Twin Village, in upper Myanmar. © Si Thu Ye Myint, Myanmar, Winner, National Awards, Sony World Photography Awards 2023 'Ballet in the Park'. This photograph was taken using available light at Santa Maria Park in Santiago, Chile. The ballerina is in her fifth year at the Ballet School of the Municipal theatre of Santiago. © Oscar Seguel Mangiola, Chile, Shortlist, Latin America National Awards, Sony World Photography Awards 2023 'Guard Illimani'. The majestic peak of Illimani stands like a guardian of La Paz city. I took this photograph at sunset to capture the beautiful contrast of blacks and oranges. © Reynaldo San Martín, Bolivia, Shortlist, Latin America National Awards, Sony World Photography Awards 2023 'Slow Walk'. A red-eyed tree frog walks slowly through the rainforest in northern Costa Rica. © Manuel Rodríguez, Costa Rica, Shortlist, Latin America National Awards, Sony World Photography Awards 2023 'The Darkness of Oil'. Sixto Vásquez is a fisherman from Playa Bahía Blanca in Ventanilla, Peru, which was seriously affected by an oil spill in January 2022. Considered to be the worst ecological disaster to occur in Peru in recent years, many fishermen lost their livelihood. © Alejandra del Carmen Elías Zambrano, Peru, 3rd Place, Latin America National Awards, Sony World Photography Awards 2023 'Galaxy Explosion'. Fireworks celebrate the dawn of a new year in the small town of Santa Rosa Xochiac, Mexico. © Pável Vélez, Mexico, 1st Place, Latin America National Awards, Sony World Photography Awards 2023 'Norma'. Norma was the real name of Marilyn Monroe. Norma is also the energy I invoke when I think about the consumption of happiness and success through social media. © Solange Avena, Argentina, Shortlist, Latin America National Awards, Sony World Photography Awards 2023 'Crocodile.' As the rainy season comes to an end in Guatemala, the water level of the Usumacinta river fall dramatically and huge crocodiles take over the mud banks. These crocodiles are a key part of a healthy, functioning ecosystem, but it is very important not to feed them, as this increases the likelihood of conflict. © Andres Novales, Guatemala, Shortlist, Latin America National Awards, Sony World Photography Awards 2023 'Sangay Dawn'. Sangay has been active for the last couple of years in Ecuador, sending ash to cities that are hundreds of miles away. I travelled to the volcano and waited for 72 hours before I could photograph it at dawn with the clouds and stars in the same picture. © Kevin Moncayo, Ecuador, 2nd Place, Latin America National Awards, Sony World Photography Awards 2023 'Man and Nature'. Man and nature, a scene in Pamukkale, Turkey. © Hernan Jaramillo, Colombia, Shortlist, Latin America National Awards, Sony World Photography Awards 2023 DM/ML
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/847_2101_MansoorMohsen_SaudiArabia_NationalAwards_2023.jpg "'Traditional Dress'. A girl in traditional dress in a region of Saudi Arabia. © Mansoor Mohsen, Saudi Arabia, Winner, National Awards, Sony World Photography Awards 2023")
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/849_2103_PradeepKodimanaRamakrishnan_India_NationalAwards_2023.jpg "'Tuffie'. Navigating life's twists and turns, one step at a time. © Pradeep Kodimana Ramakrishnan, India, Winner, National Awards, Sony World Photography Awards 2023")
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/851_2105_LeoHuang_Taiwan_NationalAwards_2023.jpg "'Jumping Rope'. I recorded this moment from a low angle so I could include the clouds in the sky and make the picture more dramatic. © Leo Huang, Taiwan, Winner, National Awards, Sony World Photography Awards 2023")
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/853_2107_ErhanCoral_Turkey_NationalAwards_2023.jpg "The famous hot springs at Güroymak, Bitlis, Turkey. The hot springs maintain a temperature of about 40℃, even when the outside temperature is as low as -14℃. © Erhan Coral, Turkey, Winner, National Awards, Sony World Photography Awards 2023")
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/855_2109_IvanaTodorovi_Montenegro_NationalAwards_2023.jpg "'Ascendance'. We climb in order to reach our highest self, rather than to reach the mountain top. As each person walks their path, they shall rise to their full potential. © Ivana Todorović, Montenegro, Shortlist, Regional Awards, Sony World Photography Awards 2023")
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/857_2111_FabianJung_Austria_NationalAwards_2023.jpg "To create this photograph I positioned my model behind a piece of broken glass, which was illuminated by a red LED strip. © Fabian Jung, Austria, Winner, National Awards, Sony World Photography Awards 2023")
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/859_2113_HuazhengHong_Singapore_NationalAwards_2023.jpg "'Iceberg'. The Ilulissat icebergs off Greenland’s coast lend perspective to the staggering immensity of the distant ice walls, which stretch for several kilometres and can be as tall as a one-hundred-storey skyscraper. That is only the ‘tip of the iceberg’, though. The glaciers extend well below the water, to an average depth of 2,100 metres, and discharge more ice into the global oceanic current than any other glacier in the Northern Hemisphere. © Huazheng Hong, Singapore, Winner, National Awards, Sony World Photography Awards 2023")
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/861_2115_VlatkoRafeski_NorthMacedonia_NationalAwards_2023.jpg "'Roots of Life'. This photograph was taken around Passo delle Erbe in the Italian Dolomites, with the magnificent peak of Sass de Putia (Peitlerkofel) behind. I took the shot just before sunset with an ultra-wide-angle lens, using a polarising filter to maximise the drama in the sky. © Vlatko Rafeski, North Macedonia, Shortlist, Regional Awards, Sony World Photography Awards 2023")
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/863_2117_VladimirZivojinovic_Serbia_NationalAwards_2023.jpg "'Natalia and Ksenia'. A portrait of Natalia Adamenko, 44, and her 17-year-old daughter, Ksenia, at a church housing Ukrainian refugees in Irota, Hungary, taken on 1 April 2022. ‘Everyone from Hungary has tried to help us. They are amazing people’, said Natalia, who stayed in one of the church cottages when she first fled Kyiv. © Vladimir Zivojinovic, Serbia, Shortlist, Regional Awards, Sony World Photography Awards 2023")
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/865_2119_FilipHrebenda_Slovakia_NationalAwards_2023.jpg "'Portal of Night'. Winter in the mountains has its charm, even at night. The patterns formed in the frozen lakes are natural artworks in their own right, and help the creativity of the artist who is trying to capture them. This photograph was taken in early winter in Tatra National Park, Slovakia. © Filip Hrebenda, Slovakia, Shortlist, Regional Awards, Sony World Photography Awards 2023")
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/867_2121_MildaVyniauskait_Lithuania_NationalAwards_2023.jpg "'Matthew'. Matthew is my dear friend from New York. It was so surreal to see him in rural Lithuania running around in the fields and connecting with this horse. When I look at this image I see serenity, inner peace and a connection with nature. © Milda Vyšniauskaitė, Lithuania, Winner, Regional Awards, Sony World Photography Awards 2023")
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/869_2123_RobertoPavi_Croatia_NationalAwards_2023.jpg "'Lapland'. Moonrise in Lapland, Finland. © Roberto Pavić, Croatia, Winner, Regional Awards, Sony World Photography Awards 2023")
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/873_2127_SimaBivolarska-Stoyanova_Bulgaria_NationalAwards_2023.jpg "'Flame'. A woman represents fire; she is like an element that burns you. © Sima Bivolarska-Stoyanova, Bulgaria, Winner, Regional Awards, Sony World Photography Awards 2023")
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/875_2129_CristinaBzr_Romania_NationalAwards_2023.jpg "'Nature’s Abduction'. While travelling in Madeira, I was mesmerised by this specific tree engulfed in fog. I decided to photograph it alongside a mysterious human presence. © Cristina Băzăr, Romania, Winner, Regional Awards, Sony World Photography Awards 2023")
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/877_2131_KazutoshiOno_Japan_NationalAwards_2023.jpg "'Ballerina'. This reminds me that cats are such beautiful creatures. © Kazutoshi Ono, Japan, 2nd Place, National Awards, Sony World Photography Awards 2023")
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/879_2133_KyujinJeong_KoreaRepublicOf_NationalAwards_2023.jpg "'The Peaceful Morning'. It was a foggy November morning at Nara Park in Nara, Japan, when I photographed the autumn leaves and grazing deer. It was so peaceful. © Kyujin Jeong, Korea, Republic Of, 2nd Place, National Awards, Sony World Photography Awards 2023")
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/881_2135_HajimeHirano_Japan_NationalAwards_2023.jpg "'Phoenix'. After the harvest, the farmers in my hometown burn the straw back to the soil. From the air, this burning wheat field looks like a phoenix. © Hajime Hirano, Japan, 1st Place, National Awards, Sony World Photography Awards 2023")
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/883_2137_TakahiroToh_Japan_NationalAwards_2023.jpg "'Ki-Re-i'. The diverse array of vending machines and photo ID machines is unique to Japanese culture. I felt that a woman coming out of this photo booth in Shibuya, Tokyo, with the two vending machines to the side, would create a stylish scene. Ki-Re-i means ‘beautiful’ in Japanese. © Takahiro Toh, Japan, 3rd Place, National Awards, Sony World Photography Awards 2023")
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/885_2139_GyuSeobShim_KoreaRepublicOf_NationalAwards_2023.jpg "'Forest Entrance'. I spotted this person riding their bicycle on the bike path next to the Yangjaecheon, a small river in Seoul. The path was surrounded by trees that were so dense the road could not be seen, so it felt like he was riding into a deep forest. © Gyu Seob Shim, Korea, Republic Of, 1st Place, National Awards, Sony World Photography Awards 2023")
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/887_2141_LeeJongkee_KoreaRepublicOf_NationalAwards_2023.jpg "'Slow Motion'. Sometimes, watching a still diver can be beautiful. © Lee Jongkee, Korea, Republic Of, 3rd Place, National Awards, Sony World Photography Awards 2023")
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/889_2143_SiThuYeMyint_Myanmar_NationalAwards_2023.jpg "'Family Donation'. This image was captured in Myin Twin Village, in upper Myanmar. © Si Thu Ye Myint, Myanmar, Winner, National Awards, Sony World Photography Awards 2023")
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/891_2145_OscarSeguelMangiola_Chile_NationalAwards_2023.jpg "'Ballet in the Park'. This photograph was taken using available light at Santa Maria Park in Santiago, Chile. The ballerina is in her fifth year at the Ballet School of the Municipal theatre of Santiago. © Oscar Seguel Mangiola, Chile, Shortlist, Latin America National Awards, Sony World Photography Awards 2023")
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/893_2147_ReynaldoSanMartn_Bolivia_NationalAwards_2023.jpg "'Guard Illimani'. The majestic peak of Illimani stands like a guardian of La Paz city. I took this photograph at sunset to capture the beautiful contrast of blacks and oranges. © Reynaldo San Martín, Bolivia, Shortlist, Latin America National Awards, Sony World Photography Awards 2023")
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/895_2149_ManuelRodriguez_CostaRica_NationalAwards_2023.jpg "'Slow Walk'. A red-eyed tree frog walks slowly through the rainforest in northern Costa Rica. © Manuel Rodríguez, Costa Rica, Shortlist, Latin America National Awards, Sony World Photography Awards 2023")
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/897_2151_AlejandradelCarmenElasZambrano_Peru_NationalAwards_2023.jpg "'The Darkness of Oil'. Sixto Vásquez is a fisherman from Playa Bahía Blanca in Ventanilla, Peru, which was seriously affected by an oil spill in January 2022. Considered to be the worst ecological disaster to occur in Peru in recent years, many fishermen lost their livelihood. © Alejandra del Carmen Elías Zambrano, Peru, 3rd Place, Latin America National Awards, Sony World Photography Awards 2023")
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/899_2153_PvelVlez_Mexico_NationalAwards_2023.jpg "'Galaxy Explosion'. Fireworks celebrate the dawn of a new year in the small town of Santa Rosa Xochiac, Mexico. © Pável Vélez, Mexico, 1st Place, Latin America National Awards, Sony World Photography Awards 2023")
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/901_2155_SolangeAvena_Argentina_NationalAwards_2023.jpg "'Norma'. Norma was the real name of Marilyn Monroe. Norma is also the energy I invoke when I think about the consumption of happiness and success through social media. © Solange Avena, Argentina, Shortlist, Latin America National Awards, Sony World Photography Awards 2023")
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/903_2157_AndresNovales_Guatemala_NationalAwards_2023.jpg "'Crocodile.' As the rainy season comes to an end in Guatemala, the water level of the Usumacinta river fall dramatically and huge crocodiles take over the mud banks. These crocodiles are a key part of a healthy, functioning ecosystem, but it is very important not to feed them, as this increases the likelihood of conflict. © Andres Novales, Guatemala, Shortlist, Latin America National Awards, Sony World Photography Awards 2023")
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/905_2159_KevinMoncayo_Ecuador_NationalAwards_2023.jpg "'Sangay Dawn'. Sangay has been active for the last couple of years in Ecuador, sending ash to cities that are hundreds of miles away. I travelled to the volcano and waited for 72 hours before I could photograph it at dawn with the clouds and stars in the same picture. © Kevin Moncayo, Ecuador, 2nd Place, Latin America National Awards, Sony World Photography Awards 2023")
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/907_2161_HernanJaramillo_Colombia_NationalAwards_2023.jpg "'Man and Nature'. Man and nature, a scene in Pamukkale, Turkey. © Hernan Jaramillo, Colombia, Shortlist, Latin America National Awards, Sony World Photography Awards 2023 DM/ML")
'Ski Jumper Above Fans'. A ski jumper soars above fans at a contest in Planica, Slovenia. © Andrej Tarfila, Slovenia, Shortlist, Regional Awards, Sony World Photography Awards 2023