The 2010 Sony World Photography Awards are open for entries from today, Monday 1 June 2009.

With categories for both professional and amateur photographers, the Sony World Photography Awards is one of the world’s largest photographic events. The awards are a platform for both established and emerging photographers and in 2009 the competition attracted over 60,000 entrants from 139 different countries.

The competition for professional photographers incorporates 12 categories across three genres – commercial, fine art and photojournalism/documentary. The overall winner will take the coveted L’Iris D’Or title together with $25,000 (USD) along with Sony camera equipment. The 36 category finalists will then be exhibited in galleries across the world as part of the Sony World Photography Awards Global Tour throughout 2010 and 2011.

New for the 2010 awards, a documentary category has been introduced for amateur photographers. Whether documenting a person, place or current issue, the category is looking for an image which captures momentous occurrences of every day life. From the nine categories, one photographer will be chosen as the Sony World Photography Awards Amateur Photographer of the Year and win a grand prize of $5,000 (USD) and Sony camera equipment.

The Campaign Award 2010 also launches on 1 June. A special category for amateur photographers, the award seeks to uncover imagery that captures the emotion and the passion of football from the fan’s point of view - the highs, the lows, and the incredible lengths supporters will go to support their teams. The winning photograph will be selected by renowned sports photographer Delly Carr and the prize will include two tickets to a 2010 South Africa World Cup game, a Sony Alpha DSLR camera and lens plus the opportunity to a photographer in a Sony digital campaign.

The Sony World Photography Awards is supported by the World Photographic Academy. It includes nearly 100 of the world’s leading photographers including Elliott Erwitt, Mary-Ellen Mark, Susan Meiselas, Bruce Davidson and Tom Stoddart; gallery owners; representatives of international photo agencies; international Guilds; photo editors; critics and publishers. The judging panel for the competition will comprise of members of the World Photographic Academy and will be announced later this year.

Key dates for 2009

• 1 June - Amateur and Professional categories open for submissions
• 2 – 15 June - Global Tour at Gallery 21, Tokyo, Japan
• 4 December - Closing date for professional and amateur categories
  

Key dates for 2010

• February Shortlist announcement
• March Category winners announcement
• April The World Photography Awards Forum and Sony World Photography Awards ceremony in Cannes

Categories

Professional categories are:

• Architecture
• Arts and Entertainment
• Advertising
• Conceptual and Constructed
• Contemporary Issues
• Current Affairs
• Fashion
• Landscape
• Music
• Natural History
• Portraiture
• Sport
  

Amateur categories are:

• Architecture
• Conceptual & Constructed
• Documentary
• Fashion
• Landscape –
• Music
• Natural History
• Portraiture
• Sport
  
  

For further information about the awards and to enter the competition please visit www.worldphotographyawards.org

The Sony World Photography Awards, launched in 2007, lend a global platform for the photographic industry and community. Through a variety of international programmes including the World Photography Forum, the launch of an online magazine and a gallery, an international student programme and a touring exhibition, the World Photography Organisation will continue to discover new talent and create avenues through which to reward photographers with the support and expertise of industry professionals.