Winners Revealed for 2025 Sony World Photography Awards Professional Contest
Title: The Anthropocene Illusion and Beyond: A Deep Dive into the 2025 Sony World Photography Awards
The eagerly awaited 2025 Sony World Photography Awards has just revealed its winners, honoring remarkable visual narratives that span diverse global realities. British photographer Zed Nelson earned the title of Photographer of the Year for his evocative and introspective series, “The Anthropocene Illusion” — a visual exploration of humanity’s orchestrated reconnection with a natural world that it simultaneously continues to devastate.
Nelson’s work captures the contradiction of contemporary life. In a striking image of a chimpanzee enclosure at Shanghai Wild Animal Park, the creature rests beneath a carefully painted forest mural. The enclosure mimics a forest habitat, but this façade is tailored for the comfort of human spectators, not the chimpanzee. In their natural habitat, chimpanzees traverse treetops, flourish in intricate social groups, and defend territories. In this setting, they are merely actors in a staged ecosystem.
“Over the past six years, I have examined how we immerse ourselves in choreographed and simulated environments to conceal our destructive footprint on the natural world,” Nelson stated. “We have become adept at creating a managed, artificial ‘experience’ of nature — a comforting illusion, a spectacle.”
This poignant message resonates powerfully within the recognized Anthropocene epoch — a proposed geological time frame defined by humanity’s predominant influence on Earth’s ecosystems and geology. Nelson’s images and reflections echo the extent to which humanity has distanced itself from nature, losing its connection to what it truly means to coexist with the Earth.
The Series Behind the Award
“The Anthropocene Illusion” spans four continents, documenting artificial depictions of nature — from urban zoos and indoor botanical gardens to fabricated beaches and biodiversity-themed amusement parks. Nelson’s methodology generates both visual fascination and emotional disquiet, urging viewers to scrutinize the genuineness of their interactions with nature and the appeal of artificial comfort over true environmental stewardship.
By contrasting beauty with artificiality, Nelson compels the viewer to confront the growing divide between human perception and ecological reality. The illusion referenced in his title symbolizes society’s pervasive inability to confront the irreversible harm inflicted on the Earth, obscured behind soothing imagery and curated experiences.
Other Marked Winners from the 2025 Awards
The Sony World Photography Awards 2025 also recognized nine additional professional category winners who employed the medium to relay urgent, overlooked, or inspiring narratives from around the globe. Highlights include:
– Chantal Pinzi (Italy), Professional Winner – Sport:
Her series “Shred the Patriarchy” highlights India’s trailblazing female skateboarders, such as 18-year-old Shradda Gaikwad, who defy oppressive gender conventions by reclaiming public spaces through skateboarding.
– Toby Binder (Germany), Professional Winner – Documentary Projects:
Through “Divided Youth,” Binder explores the psychological and physical divides within Northern Ireland’s post-conflict neighborhoods, examining the implications for a new generation growing up amidst past sectarian violence.
– Gui Christ (Brazil), Professional Winner – Portraiture:
His project “When Esu Crossed the Atlantic” honors Afro-Brazilian spiritual resilience and mythology in the face of religious oppression, offering intimate portrayals that connect historical contexts to contemporary resistance.
– Nicolás Garrido Huguet (Peru), Professional Winner – Environment:
“Washing Fibers” chronicles indigenous artisans in Peru who use natural dyes harmoniously with their environment — safeguarding ancestral knowledge endangered by industrial growth and climate change.
– Rhiannon Adam (United Kingdom), Professional Winner – Creative:
“Preflight, Baikonur Cosmodrome” delves into the poetic yet unrealized potential of space exploration, particularly the artist’s own experience with the now-abandoned dearMoon project.
– Laura Pannack (UK), Professional Winner – Perspectives:
In “Ronaldo,” Pannack follows transgender youth living in Cape Flats, South Africa, as they navigate identity in the context of gang violence and social stigma, utilizing mixed media to enrich their intricate stories.
– Peter Franck (Germany), Professional Winner – Still Life:
His “Circle of Life” series captures transitional spaces, where objects remain in ambiguous stillness — a contemplative meditation on time and existential pause.
– Ulana Switucha (Canada), Professional Winner – Architecture & Design:
Through images of Tokyo’s artistic public toilets, “Nishisando by Sou Fujimoto” blurs the line between architecture and daily public life, merging function with aesthetic appeal.
– Seido Kino (Japan), Professional Winner – Landscape:
“Urbanisation” layers historical photographs onto contemporary landscapes to reveal the environmental and social consequences of Japan’s post-war industrial expansion.
Winners Beyond the Professional Circle
In the Open Competition, which recognizes extraordinary single images, Olivier Unia (France) claimed the top prize for capturing the aftermath of a dramatic fall during a Moroccan tbourida equestrian performance, showcasing raw intensity and inherent risk.