Sony World Photography Awards 2016: First batch of powerful images revealed

Vivid pink flamingos, adorably happy babies and a man howling in distress are among this year's eclectic range of images

‘Indian Tribal Fashion’ by Sanghamitra Sarkar (© Sanghamitra Sarkar/SWPA)

The first set of images for this year’s Sony World Photography Awards have been revealed, featuring vivid pink flamingos, a motorcyclist in the sand dunes and a stunning aerial shot of London at night.

Kenyan photographer Otieno Nyadimo’s photograph of a African man holding his hands up to the sky is joyous, while Jose Maria Perez’s superimposed giraffe has got to be the most surreal submission so far.

Marcio Oshiro’s black and white picture of a happy baby is adorable; Indonesian photographer Rengga Marantica’s portrait of a man howling in distress, emotive.

(© Mildreth Vasquez López/SWPA)

(© Pedro Jarque Krebs)

New judges from across the photography industry have also been confirmed, with writer and curator David Campany and consultant Dominique Green chairing the Professional competition.

Time Out’s group picture editor Jael Marschner will lead the Open competition, while the Student Focus competition will be judged by Simon Bainbridge, editor at the British Journal of Photography, Mark Murrmann, photo editor at Mother Jones and Matthew Tucker, picture editor at Buzzfeed UK.

Winners will be announced at a London ceremony on 21 April, with prizes including the latest Sony digital imaging gear, inclusion in the 2016 awards book and cash prizes of between $5,000 and $25,000.

Shortlisted and winning photographers enjoy worldwide exposure and recognition, with the opportunity to promote and sell their work through the World Photography Organisation. Images will be exhibited in an exhibition at Somerset House in London from 22 April to 8 May.

Interested photographers can enter the competition by heading to the official website. There are seven weeks to go until the deadline and submission is free.

Last year’s contest attracted close to 175,000 entries from 171 countries, with the professional title going to Getty Images photographer John Moore.