THE judges for the 10th anniversary of the world›s largest photography competition, the Sony World Photography Awards, were announced recently. Esteemed experts from across the photographic industry will come together to uncover and celebrate the best images shot in 2016 across the awards' Professional, Open, Youth, National Award, and Student Focus competitions. By participating in any of the ten open categories of the 2017 Sony World Photography Awards, a participant's images are automatically entered into the UAE National Award, increasing changes to win. Countries in the Middle East & Africa taking part in the National Awards are Egypt, Kenya, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. Registration for the Middle East & Africa National awards can be completed through http://www.sony-mea.com/microsite/swpa/index.html. All winning and shortlisted images will be exhibited as part of the 2017 Sony World Photography Awards exhibition at Somerset House, London from April 21 to May 7, 2017. Student Focus competition closes on Dec. 5, 2016. Open, National Award and Youth competitions closes on Jan. 5, 2017. Professional competition closes on Jan. 10, 2017. The 2016 Sony World Photography Awards received a record-breaking number of submissions: 230,103 images from 186 countries, a 33 percent increase in entries from 2015. The chosen winners will not only receive the latest Sony digital imaging equipment and cash prizes, but their works will also be exhibited globally. Most importantly, all winners and shortlisted entries will receive worldwide exposure and recognition. Speaking about his experience winning the 2016 Professional Conceptual category, Julien Mauve said «with the visibility you get in all types of media and the people you meet, the Sony World Photography Awards is a major award in any photographer›s journey and cannot be overlooked. I really enjoyed the experience, which did not stop after the night of the award ceremony but continued throughout the year. The judges of the Professional competition are: Zelda Cheatle (Chair) Curator (UK); Allegra Cordero di Montezemolo, Curator and Head of Exhibitions, Centro de la Imagen (Mexico); Russ O›Connell, Picture Editor, The Sunday Times Magazine (UK); Aida Muluneh, Photographer and Cultural Entrepreneur (Ethiopia); Denis Curti, Creative Director, Tre Oci Foundation (Italy) and Francoise Callier, Program Director at Angkor Photo Festival & Workshops (France). The Open and Youth competitions will be chaired by journalist and photographer Damien Demolder (UK), who will also judge the National Awards competition which runs across 61 countries worldwide. The Student Focus competition will be judged by a selection of judges including Andrea Kurland, Editor-in-Chief, Huck (UK), Dan Rubin, photographer and Creative Director (UK) and Jennifer Shaw, founder and Creative Director, PhotoNOLA (US).
