The World Photography Organisation announced today the overall winners of the Sony World Photography Awards 2024 at a special gala ceremony held in London. Now in its 17th year, the Awards’ ceremony is a major annual moment recognising the best photography in the world today, and celebrating the images and stories that have resonated with global audiences over the past year. The winning, finalist and shortlisted images are on view at the Sony World Photography Awards 2024 exhibition at Somerset House, London from 19 April.
The prestigious Photographer of the Year title was awarded to Juliette Pavy for her series Spiralkampagnen: Forced Contraception and Unintended Sterilisation of Greenlandic Women. Pavy won a $25,000 (USD) cash prize, a range of Sony digital imaging equipment, and the opportunity to present a new body of work at the Sony World Photography Awards 2025 exhibition.
Additionally recognised at the gala ceremony were the overall winners of the Awards’ Open, Student and Youth competitions and this year’s Sustainability Prize winner. Championing photographers at different junctures of their careers, the Awards’ Open competition celebrates the power of a single image, whilst the Student and Youth Competitions spotlight the work of the next generation. Established last year, the Sustainability Prize platforms photographers highlighting a positive change for our planet.
The Sony World Photography Awards 2024 exhibition is on view at Somerset House, London from 19 April – 6 May 2024. Among the most exciting photography events in London’s spring cultural calendar, this major exhibition features over 200 prints, and hundreds of additional images in digital displays from the winning and shortlisted photographers, and includes a retrospective of works by this year’s Outstanding Contribution to Photography recipient, Sebastião Salgado.
Photographer of the Year
Spiralkampagnen: Forced Contraception and Unintended Sterilisation of Greenlandic Women by Juliette Pavy (France) is a documentary project exploring the severe and lasting impacts of the involuntary birth control campaign led by Danish authorities in Greenland in the 1960s and 1970s. This series examines the spiralkampagnen, in which several thousand Inuit women, some as young as 12, were implanted with intrauterine devices without their consent. The project traces the programme’s origins through to the present day, including the ongoing investigation by the Danish government.
Placing the victims’ perspectives at the forefront, the narrative structure of Pavy’s project is shaped by these difficult and important reflections on the collective trauma experienced by a community. The series uses a variety of photographic formats; from situating shots of the city of Nuuk and its clinical spaces, to X-ray imagery and archival photographs of the young women involved, alongside recent portraits of victims and of doctors who worked in Greenland during and after the programme, to the Danish parliamentarian investigating the spiralkampagnen in the present day.
Commenting on her award, Pavy says: ‘I am truly honoured to be named the Photographer of the Year and for my work to be recognised among such a remarkable selection of projects and stories celebrated here tonight. With this Award I hope to give a voice to those who were silenced for almost half a century, and to all the women in the world who are constantly fighting for their rights. By telling this story, I want to raise awareness of the violence against Inuit women and the social and psychological repercussions of this forced contraception campaign, and the unintended sterilisation of many of its victims.’
PROFESSIONAL CATEGORY WINNERS
The winning photographers in the Professional competition have been selected by a panel of expert judges for submitting an outstanding series of five to 10 images, displaying technical mastery and a strong approach to narrative.
All category winners receive Sony’s digital imaging kit. This year’s winners are:
ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN
WINNER: Siobhán Doran (Ireland) for her series Sala Mayor (Living Room)
Finalists: 2nd place Karol Pałka (Poland); 3rd place Yaser Mohamad Khani (Islamic Republic of Iran)
CREATIVE
WINNER: Sujata Setia (United Kingdom) for her series A Thousand Cuts
Finalists: 2nd place Mackenzie Calle (United States); 3rd place Tine Poppe (Norway)
DOCUMENTARY PROJECTS
WINNER: Juliette Pavy (France) for her series Spiralkampagnen: Forced Contraception and
Unintended Sterilisation of Greenlandic Women
Finalists: 2nd place Brent Stirton (South Africa); 3rd place Davide Monteleone (Italy)
ENVIRONMENT
WINNER: Mahé Elipe (France) for her series Echoes of the Hive
Finalists: 2nd place Jean-Marc Caimi & Valentina Piccinni (Italy); 3rd place Maurizio Di Pietro (Italy)
LANDSCAPE
WINNER: Eddo Hartmann (Netherlands) for his series The Sacrifice Zone
Finalists: 2nd place Jim Fenwick (United Kingdom); 3rd place Fan Li (China Mainland)
PORTFOLIO
WINNER: Jorge Mónaco (Argentina) for his series Portraits and Landscapes
Finalists: 2nd place Aly Hazzaa (Egypt); 3rd place Angelika Kollin (Estonia)
PORTRAITURE
WINNER: Valery Poshtarov (Bulgaria) for his series Father and Son
Finalists: 2nd place Adali Schell (United States); 3rd place Drew Gardner (United Kingdom)
SPORT
WINNER: Thomas Meurot (France) for his series Kald Sòl (Cold Sun)
Finalists: 2nd place Angelika Jakob (Germany); 3rd place Tommaso Pardini (Italy)
STILL LIFE
WINNER: Federico Scarchilli (Italy) for his series Flora
Finalists: 2nd place Peter Franck (Germany); 3rd place Beth Galton (United States)
WILDLIFE & NATURE
WINNER: Eva Berler (Greece) for her series Suspended Worlds
Finalists: 2nd place Haider Khan (India); 3rd place Jasper Doest (Netherlands)
To find out more about this year’s winning and finalist projects please visit online winners galleries.
SUSTAINABILITY PRIZE
Kathleen Orlinsky (United States) was announced as this year’s Sustainability Prize winner for her series America’s First Wilderness and won a $5,000 cash prize (USD).
Orlinsky’s series looks at the landscape, wildlife and people of the Gila Wilderness of southeastern New Mexico, exploring the conservation efforts which have gone into maintaining the untouched natural environment and protecting the biodiversity of the area. Orlinsky’s project looks at the ways in which the people inhabiting the wilderness peacefully coexist with the nature around them, and promote the conservation of this space.
Commenting on her win, Orlinsky says: ‘I am thrilled and honoured to be awarded, and especially excited to be able to raise awareness about pressing environmental and conservation issues right now in the throes of the climate crisis.’
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