“The eye has to travel,” Vogue editor Diana Vreeland famously said, and what better way to enjoy some escapism right now than by feasting your eyes on stunning photography from around the world?

The category winners in the Open competition of the Sony World Photography Awards 2021 have been unveiled, with an overall winner set to be announced on April 15.

Ranging from architecture to animals, intimate portraits to epic landscapes, these stunning images are in the running for the grand prize…

1. The Blue Window by Klaus Lenzen (Germany) in the architecture category

The Blue Window by Klaus Lenzen

2. African Victorian by Tamary Kudita (Zimbabwe) in the creative category

African Victorian by Tamary Kudita

3. Electric Storm on Lavender by Juan López Ruiz (Spain) in the landscape category

Electric Storm on Lavender by Juan López Ruiz

4. Dias de playa by Mariano Belmar Torrecilla (Spain) in the lifestyle category

Dias de playa by Mariano Belmar Torrecilla

5. Girl Power by Marijo Maduna (Croatia) in the motion category

Girl Power by Marijo Maduna

6. Little Kiss by Cristo Pihlamäe (Estonia) in the natural world and wildlife category

Little Kiss by Cristo Pihlamäe

7. Memento by Kata Zih (Hungary) in the object category

Memento by Kata Zih

8. Son by Lyudmila Sabanina (Russian Federation) in the portraiture category

Son by Lyudmila Sabanina

9. Disinfection by F. Dilek Uyar (Turkey) in the street photography category

Disinfection by F. Dilek Uyar

10. Drying Fish by Khanh Phan (Vietnam) in the travel category