Plenty of us fancy ourselves as decent photographers when we’re snapping holiday photos to post on our stories, but the winners of the annual Sony World Photography Awards are in a completely different league.
Back for its eighteenth edition, the winners of 2025’s competition were announced at a gala in London, with renowned British photographer Zed Nelson claiming the prestigious title of ‘photographer of the year’ for his series The Anthropocene Illusion (which was also the champion in the wildlife category).
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Along with the accolade, Nelson won US$25,000, a range of Sony digital imaging equipment and a solo presentation of his work at next year’s Sony World Photography Awards exhibition at Somerset House.
However, this wasn’t the only title awarded at the ceremony – there were also winners named in portraiture, landscape and architecture and design, to name a few, who were all selected by a panel of expert judges. So, scroll on for all the winning snaps from the competition’s professional categories.
These are the winners of the Sony World Photography Awards 2025
Architecture and design – The Tokyo Toilet Project, Ulana Switucha
Creative – Rhi-entry, Rhiannon Adam
Documentary Projects – Divided Youth of Belfast, Toby Binder
Environment – Alquimia Textil, Nicolás Garrido Huguet
Landscape – The Strata of Time, Seido Kino
Perspectives – The Journey Home from School, Laura Pannack
Portraiture – M’kumba, Gui Christ
Sport – Shred the Patriarchy, Chantal Pinzi
Still life – Still Waiting, Peter Franck
Wildlife and nature – The Anthropocene Illusion, Zed Nelson
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