COUNTRY WINNER ANNOUNCED

EXHIBITION: 19 APRIL – 6 MAY 2024 | SOMERSET HOUSE, LONDON

The World Photography Organisation and Sony Middle East and Africa are delighted to reveal Lourens Durand as South Africa’s National Award winner for the Sony World Photography Awards 2024.

The National Awards program is an initiative set up by the World Photography Organisation and Sony to support local photographic communities around the world, with 54 countries taking part this year.

Over 395,000 images from over 220 countries and territories were submitted to the Sony World Photography Awards 2024.

Lourens Durand was anonymously selected by judges for his photograph Fantasy Shapes, entered into the Creative category of the Open competition. Fantasy Shapes is a close-up photograph of an arrangement of dry leaves and a snail shell on a black tile.

Durand is an amateur photographer and retired Industrial Chemist/Technical Services Manager. He’s a long-time member of the Photographic Society of South Africa and the International Federation of Photographic Art (FIAP), and his photographic Honours include: LPSSA Colour; DPSSA (Cls) and Excellence FIAP.

Commenting on his win, Durand said: “I’m absolutely thrilled to be named the winner and represent South Africa! This is an opportunity of a lifetime and I hope to have inspired current and upcoming photographers who have the same dream”.

As South Africa’s National Award winner, Durand receives Sony digital imaging equipment and will be included in the Sony World Photography Awards exhibition and book.

The overall winners in the Student, Youth, Open and Professional competitions of the Sony World Photography Awards 2024 will be announced on 18 April 2024 and will go on display as part of the exhibition at Somerset House, London (19 April-6 May 2024). For more information about upcoming announcements and winners please visit www.worldphoto.org

This year’s National and Regional Awards winners are:

Bangladesh – Mahdin Shafiq Omi

Cambodia – Davuth Van

Egypt – Karim Osama

Germany – Natalie Strohmaier

India – Mitul Kajaria

Indonesia – Dhiky Aditya

Japan – Kenichiro Hagiwara, Winner

Japan – Hajime Hirano, 2nd Place

Japan – Masayuki Hirata, 3rd Place

 Republic of Korea – Lee Jongkee, Winner

Republic of Korea – Seongmin Park, 2nd Place

Republic of Korea – Jaeeun Kim, 3rd Place

Kuwait – Mohammed Mirza

Malaysia – Lim Chien Ting

Myanmar – Kyaw Htet

Nepal – Bibek Kunwar

Nigeria – Onyekachi Iloh

Pakistan – Muhammad Saddique Inam

Philippines – Reginald James Lorico

Poland – Barbara Szydlowska

 Qatar – Abdulla AL-Mushaifri

Saudi Arabia – Yasser Alomari

Singapore – Ju Shen Lee

South Africa – Lourens Durand

Sri Lanka – Wasiri Gajaman

Taiwan – Chia Jung Chou

Thailand – Thanayu Jongwattanasilkul

Turkey – Okan Yilmaz

United Arab Emirates – Vinaya Mohan

United States – Pascal Fouquet

Vietnam – Tran Tuan Viet

 

EUROPEAN REGIONAL AWARDS

Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania & Moldova:

Tomáš Havrda (Czech Republic), Winner

Cziráki Orsolya Boglárka (Hungary), Shortlist

Diana Morozovskaia (Moldova), Shortlist

Diana Buzoianu (Romania), Shortlist

Michal Zahornacky (Slovakia), Shortlist

 Latvia, Estonia & Lithuania:

Viktors Rimarevs (Latvia), Winner

Raido Nurk (Estonia), Shortlist

Ieva Lozuraitytė (Lithuania), Shortlist
Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia, Montenegro, Kosovo, Bosnia & Herzegovina:

Ana Skobe (Slovenia), Winner

Danilo Kreso (Bosnia & Herzegovina), Shortlist

Robert Marić (Croatia), Shortlist

Suer Celina (Kosovo), Shortlist

Ivana Todorović (Montenegro), Shortlist

Tijana Morača (Serbia), Shortlist

 Cyprus, Greece, Bulgaria & North Macedonia:

Vladimir Karamazov (Bulgaria), Winner

Elena Georgiou (Cyprus), Shortlist

Stefanos Papaioannou (Greece), Shortlist

Vlatko Rafeski (North Macedonia), Shortlist

LATIN AMERICA REGIONAL AWARDS

Marcos Azulay (Argentina), Winner

Jair Fernando Coll Rubiano (Colombia), 2nd Place

Marco Chacana (Chile), 3rd Place

Reynaldo San Martín (Bolivia), Shortlist

Alexa Obando (Costa Rica), Shortlist

 Wilfrido Enriquez (Ecuador), Shortlist

Juan Pablo Méndez Garzona (Guatemala), Shortlist

Daniel Heras (Mexico), Shortlist

Connie France Calderon Martel (Peru), Shortlist