Emotional reunions to frozen spider webs: The winning images of Sony World Photography Awards 2024
French photographer Juliette Pavy won Photographer of the Year, for her series on the forced contraception and sterilisation of Greenlandic Inuit women.
ADVERTISEMENTThe World Photography Organisation has announced the overall winners of the Sony World Photography Awards 2024.
French photographer Juliette Pavy claimed the coveted award for Photographer of the Year for her series Spiralkampagnen: Forced Contraception and Unintended Sterilisation of Greenlandic Women. The project explores a dark chapter in Greenlandic history where Inuit women were subjected to an involuntary birth control program.
Pavy was selected from the 10 winners in the professional category; she receives a $25,000 prize, Sony equipment, and the opportunity to present a new body of work at the Sony World Photography Awards 2025 exhibition.
Over 395,000 images from more than 220 countries and territories were submitted to the Sony World Photography Awards 2024, with the highest number of entries on record for the professional competition.
You can view Pavy's award-winning photos below, as well as the winners of the other professional categories.
Juliette Pavy, Photographer of the Year
Project - Spiralkampagnen: Forced Contraception and Unintended Sterilisation of Greenlandic Women
Description - Between 1966 and 1975, Greenlandic Inuit women were subjected to an involuntary birth control program led by Danish authorities. This program, known as the Spiralkampagnen (spiral campaign), involved the implantation of nearly 4,500 intrauterine devices (IUDs), or 'coils,' into Inuit women and girls, some as young as 12.
Pavy's documentary project uses various photographic formats, including cityscapes of Nuuk, X-rays, archival photos, and portraits to raise awareness about violence against Inuit women and the psychological repercussions of the horrific campaign.
Siobhán Doran, Architecture & Design (1st Place)
Project - Sala Mayor (Living Room)
Description - The series is part of the book project "Houses that Sugar Built: An Intimate Portrait of Philippine Ancestral Homes," which granted Doran access to historic mansions in the Philippines. The main living room, known as the sala mayor, is a focal point, showcasing the architecture and lifestyle of the people living there.
Sujata Setia, Creative (1st Place)
Project - A Thousand Cuts
Description - This is an ongoing series depicting patterns of domestic abuse in the South Asian community. Inspired by the ancient Asian torture method of lingchi, or death by a thousand cuts, it portrays the cyclical nature of abuse. The portraits feature cuts representing the continuous chipping away at the soul of the abused, printed on thin paper to symbolise fragility.
Mahé Elipe, Environment (1st Place)
Project - Echoes of the Hive
Description - The project examines the impact of the tragic poisoning of Melipona bees, sacred to the Maya people, in Hopelchén, Campeche, Mexico. Through photographs, Elipe aims to illustrates the significance of the bees to indigenous communities and the threats they face from agro-industry.
Eddo Hartmann, Landscape (1st Place)
Project - The Sacrifice Zone
Description - This series explores a remote area of Kazakhstan known as ‘The Polygon’, which was once home to the Soviet Union’s major nuclear testing facilities. The images were made using an infrared camera, which hints at a menace that is equally invisible to the human eye: the radiation resulting from the nuclear explosions.
Valery Poshtarov, Portraiture (1st Place)
Project - Father and Son
Description - This project explores the emotional bond between fathers and sons, capturing the powerful moment when they hold hands after years or even decades of separation. Spanning across various cultures in Bulgaria, Georgia, Turkey, Armenia, Serbia, and Greece, it aims to promote emotional expression and cultural preservation.
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Thomas Meurot, Sport (1st Place)
Project - Kald Sòl (Cold Sun)
Description - Kald Sòl (Cold Sun) explores cold surfing in Iceland during the winter months. Through black-and-white photographs, it captures the harsh conditions of surfing in cold environments, even when the sun is shining.
Federico Scarchilli, Still Life (1st Place)
Project - Flora
Description - This project explores how plants produce medicinal substances that play crucial roles in both their own survival and human health.
Eva Berler, Wildlife & Nature (1st Place)
Project - Suspended worlds
ADVERTISEMENTDescription - This project started as an exploration of the world of spider webs for photographer Eva Berler, where both time and action are frozen, but it led to a personal journey into her deepest fears and aspirations. As she focused on what was hidden in the webs, she became fascinated by the artful random creations she found; the impermanent worlds that aren’t usually noticed.
Jorge Mónaco, Portfolio (1st Place)
Project - Portraits and Landscapes
Description- Jorge Mónaco's images are part of various personal projects, some of which detach from the main body and function as independent pieces. His focus is on sincerity and authenticity, inviting viewers to explore into the intimate stories of the protagonists.
The Sony World Photography Awards 2024 exhibition at Somerset House, London runs until 6 May 2024, featuring over 200 prints and hundreds of images in digital displays from winning and shortlisted photographers.
