Mountains shrouded in fog, fascinating underwater statues, a baby monkey “scolded” by its mother and a supermoon “held back” by a skyscraper.
And a very busy “double” roundabout, which serves both cars and pedestrians.
These are some of the scenes captured by impressive national and regional winning and shortlisted works in the Sony World Photography Awards 2024.
The renowned contest organizes several competitions every year and receives more than 395,000 submissions from more than 220 countries by 2024.
The overall champions of the Student, Youth, Open and Professional competitions will be announced on April 18 and their works will be displayed in London ‘s Somerset House from April 19 to May 6.
Scroll down to see 11 of the shortlisted and winning national and regional images in their category.
This spectacular image shows Ba Den Mountain, shrouded in fog. With an elevation of 996 m (3,268 ft), the peak, which looks like an inverted bowl, is the highest in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta. At its summit is a statue of the Bodhisattva, which was cast from more than 170 tons of red bronze. At 72 m (236 ft) tall, it is the tallest bronze Buddha statue in Asia located on a mountaintop. Photographer Tran Tuan Viet wins Vietnam National Award with this captivating shot
LEFT: This captivating image by Singapore National Award winner Ju Shen Lee shows an elephant taking a sand bath in Nepal. The photographer explains that the sand protects the elephant’s skin from insect bites and keeps it warm in the colder months, adding: “The fine sand found along the Narayani River makes a perfect ‘bath’.” RIGHT In this intimate scene, a snow monkey and his baby enjoy a hot spring at Jigokudani Monkey Park in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. The photographer, Seongmin Park, said, “The photograph reminds me of a baby monkey being scolded by its mother.” The image takes second place in the National Awards of the Republic of Korea
See Campanario Island, located in the middle of the sacred Lake Titicaca in Bolivia. Photographer Reynaldo San Martín wins a place on the list of finalists for the Latin American Regional Awards for this dreamy image
Photographer Kyaw Htet received the Myanmar National Award for capturing this serene scene in such a fascinating way. The image shows a couple fishing on Inle Lake in Myanmar under the shade “of a majestic and sprawling tree”, and the photographer adds: “The reflections in the water add an extra touch of beauty to the moment.”
LEFT: Vlatko Rafeski is among the finalists for the Regional Award from Cyprus, Greece, Bulgaria and North Macedonia thanks to this hypnotic image, showing a crescent moon over Lake Kozjak in Macedonia. The photographer explained: ‘As I was using a telephoto lens, I took two exposures to stack them, which ensured I got a sharply focused moon and foreground. This type of moon seems mystical to me.’ RIGHT: A supermoon seemingly swinging over the Saudi Public Investment Fund tower in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in this striking image taken by Yasser Alomari. Winner of the Saudi National Award
This image, by Diana Buzoianu, wants to provoke the viewer to think about the complex interaction of different species and the harmony that is maintained in our environment. So says the Sony World Photography Awards of this incredible image, which shows a school of fish swimming between underwater statues. She is among the Regional Award finalists from the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Moldova.
LEFT: Wilfrido Enríquez is behind the lens of this striking image of the Cotopaxi volcano, taken dozens of kilometers away in Quito, Ecuador. It is on the shortlist for the Latin American Regional Award. RIGHT: Photographer Reginald James Lorico captured this sunrise over Tehran, impressing the judges enough to win gold at the Philippine National Awards. “The sunlit building reminded me of the monolith from the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey,” says the photographer.
“The design of the Pearl Ring roundabout in Beijing, China, harmonizes perfectly with the detailed patterns of its surroundings,” says the competition for this fascinating image titled “Traffic Circle”, winner of the Malaysian National Awards.