London, 16 April 2025 — The World Photography Organisation today revealed the winners of the Sony World Photography Awards 2025 at a ceremony in London’s Somerset House. British photographer Zed Nelson claimed the prestigious Photographer of the Year title for his series The Anthropocene Illusion, a six-year documentary project exploring humanity’s fractured relationship with nature through artificial landscapes like safari parks and green cities.
French photographer Olivier Unia was named Open Photographer of the Year for Tbourida La Chute, capturing Morocco’s equestrian tradition in motion. Peruvian student Micaela Valdivia Medina won the Student category with The Last Day We Saw the Mountains and the Sea, documenting Chile’s female prison dynamics, while 16-year-old Taiwanese photographer Daniel Dian-Ji Wu took the Youth prize for a skateboarding silhouette in Los Angeles .
This year’s Outstanding Contribution to Photography honor went to Susan Meiselas, celebrated for her five-decade career in documentary photography. Over 60 of her works are featured in the awards’ exhibition, running at Somerset House until 5 May 2025 .
The 2025 edition drew 419,000 entries from 200+ countries, showcasing themes from environmental crises to cultural resilience. Highlights include Singaporean Ng Guang Ze’s aerial Times Square shot (400 million pixels) and Xuecheng Liu’s architectural win for Centre of the Cosmos.
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Exhibition Details:
Dates: 17 April – 5 May 2025
Location: Somerset House, London
Tickets: www.worldphoto.org
The Sony World Photography Awards continue to champion global creativity, offering free entry and platforms for emerging and established artists alike.