‘Perfection’. We have shared the same gym for many years, and I knew that her kata – a choreographed set of moves – would be beautiful. Taken at the European Championship of Catalonia in Santa Susana, 22 October 2022. © Gabriel Hernandez, Spain, Shortlist, Open Competition, Motion, 2023 Sony World Photography Awards

‘Sequence’. This image was taken in the French Alps. I tried to capture the skiers in some aesthetic sequence and find the essence, order and beauty in this popular winter sports arena. © Raido Nurk, Estonia, Shortlist, Open Competition, Motion, 2023 Sony World Photography Awards

‘Between the Eyes’. A triathlete competes in the elimination round to qualify for the national student level triathlon games in the city of Bogotá, Colombia. © Andres Moreno, Colombia, Shortlist, Open Competition, Motion, 2023 Sony World Photography Awards

I was shooting at night across a park in downtown Queretaro, Mexico, trying out a new off-camera flash with panning shots of passing cars. As soon as I saw this pink limo with girls toasting and yelling through the sunroof I knew I had to take the shot. Thanks to the unlit park behind the vehicle, I got a very nice black background. © Ricardo García Mainou, Mexico, Shortlist, Open Competition, Motion, 2023 Sony World Photography Awards

‘Steeplechase Fall’. At the World Athletics Championships in Oregon, the women’s 3,000-metre steeplechase heats witnessed a dramatic fall from Germany’s Lea Meyer. As she ran up to the water obstacle, Lea clipped the hurdle, flew through the air and disappeared into the water, reemerging totally soaked. © Martin Rickett, United Kingdom, Shortlist, Open Competition, Motion, 2023 Sony World Photography Awards

‘Rowers in the Arno’. Rowers in the Arno, Florence. © Zacarías Abad Torres, Spain, Shortlist, Open Competition, Motion, 2023 Sony World Photography Awards

On 1 September 2022, Greenpeace UK dropped 18 boulders into the South West Deeps marine protected area, 200 kilometres (125 miles) off the Cornish coast, creating a boulder barrier that prevents bottom trawlers dragging their fishing nets across the sea floor. Some of the stones had the names of Greenpeace supporters stencilled onto them – this one had the name of actor, writer and comedian Simon Pegg. © Kristian Hvidtfeldt Buus, Denmark, Shortlist, Open Competition, Motion, 2023 Sony World Photography Awards

This photograph was taken in the marble quarries of Carrara, Italy, and is part of a larger project documenting the natural world and semi-precious materials. The landscape was epically beautiful, surreal and slightly melancholy, and made me feel humble. The act of this trip to Carrara, and documenting monumental landscapes, symbolised a moment of strength and resilience in my personal life – to be as strong as the ‘big stone’. © Olivia Bennett, United Kingdom, Shortlist, Open Competition, Landscape, 2023 Sony World Photography Awards

‘Textures’. The South Moravian agricultural landscape stretches over low hills and valleys, creating a unique combination of natural curved shapes and manmade geometries. The varying shades of the soil make the winter landscape extremely beautiful, almost unearthly. © Andreja Ravnak, Slovenia, Shortlist, Open Competition, Landscape, 2023 Sony World Photography Awards

‘Cranberry Harvest’. This is an outtake from a story I shot for Boston Magazine, covering the cranberry harvest at Makepeace Farm in Wareham, Massachusetts. The orange/red shapes at the top of the frame are the floating cranberries, and you can see a truck and some workers moving them so they can be vacuumed up. Taken with a DJI Mavic 3 drone. © Michael Prince, United States, Shortlist, Open Competition, Landscape, 2023 Sony World Photography Awards

‘Earth Pyramids’. Taken in Percha, Italy. These earth pyramids were formed millions of years ago in the Dolomite mountains. On this particular morning they were in low clouds, which adds to the atmosphere. © Robert Bilos, Croatia, Shortlist, Open Competition, Landscape, 2023 Sony World Photography Awards

‘Lunar Eruption’. Although this looks like a volcano, it is not – it is a mountain that has a classic volcano shape when seen from this direction. I had a hard time planning this photograph, as I wanted to make it look like the moon is rising from inside the ‘volcano’. Because I also wanted to achieve this in a single shot, I had to calculate the correct distance and angle that I needed to take my photograph from. In the end, I took this photograph from 10 kilometres away. © Jordi Coy, Spain, Shortlist, Open Competition, Landscape, 2023 Sony World Photography Awards

‘Dunes’. Layers of spectacular sand dunes illuminated by the sun before it hides below the horizon in Death Valley National Park. © Marcin Zajac, Poland, Shortlist, Open Competition, Landscape, 2023 Sony World Photography Awards

‘Skaftá’. The Skaftá is a volcanic river in southern Iceland that rises in the north-west of Vatnajökull, flows south in a wide arc and finally flows into the North Atlantic at Kirkjubæjarklaustur. Regular jökulhaups (glacial runs) from the Skaftárkatlar flood the river bed annually. The splitting of the river is due to the eruption of the Laki Craters (Lakagígar) in 1783. © Judith Kuhn, Germany, Shortlist, Open Competition, Landscape, 2023 Sony World Photography Awards

‘Reflection Pace’. I was on a train passing through Andhra Pradesh state in India, when I saw this scene. I photographed it with my mobile phone. © Indirani Thevar, India, Shortlist, Open Competition, Landscape, 2023 Sony World Photography Awards

‘La Palma Volcano’. La Palma volcano, one year after it erupted. © David Del Rosario Dávila, Spain, Shortlist, Open Competition, Landscape, 2023 Sony World Photography Awards

‘Autumn Glory’. Nowhere exhibits such rich autumn colours as Patagonia – it is breathtaking. © Bing Li, Canada, Shortlist, Open Competition, Landscape, 2023 Sony World Photography Awards

‘Serene’. Sunrises are not normally my thing, but after this experience that may well change.
After bumbling out of bed before dawn, I drove to Lake Tyrrell in NW Victoria, Australia. In the pre-dawn glow I stumbled to the lake’s edge to my favourite location. There was not a breath of wind. All was silent. All was calm. Serene. © Gill Fry, Australia, Shortlist, Open Competition, Landscape, 2023 Sony World Photography Awards

‘Art of Winter’. Winter landscape in the Czech Republic. © Martin Rak, Czech Republic, Shortlist, Open Competition, Landscape, 2023 Sony World Photography Awards

A ski jump in Ruka, Finland. © Isabel Bielderman, Netherlands, Shortlist, Open Competition, Landscape, 2023 Sony World Photography Awards