Two homeless street children were playing in the smoke created from burnt straws at Chittagong, Bangladesh. Suddenly dense smoke covered them and they were trying to protect themselves and escape. (Kazi Riasat Alve, Bangladesh, Shortlist, Split Second, Open Competition 2013 Sony World Photography Awards)
Portraits of children and youths who survived the massacre on the island of Utoeya outside Oslo (NO) on 22nd of July 2011. Cecilie Herlovsen (17) hid at the south end of the island, where she was shot in her arm, her shoulder and chin. The last bullet was stopped by her wisdom tooth, which most likely saved her life. Cecilie had to amputate her arm. (Andrea Gjestvang, Norway, L'Iris d'Or Winner, 2013 Sony World Photography Awards)
Usain Bolt of Jamaica races ahead of Ryan Bailey of the United States, Yohan Blake of Jamaica, Justin Gatlin of the United States and Tyson Gay of the United States to win the Men's 100m Final on Day 9 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium on August 5, 2012 in London, England. (Adam Pretty, Australia, Finalist, Sport, Professional Competition, 2013 Sony World Photography Awards/Getty Images)
New Year's eve traditions in Romania (Alecsandra Dragoi, Romania, Youth Photographer of the Year, 2013 Sony World Photography Awards)
The southern winter sky shows off its best in this 240 degree view of the Milky Way behind the Quiver Tree Forest near Keetmanshoop, Namibia. Both Magellanic clouds are visible on the left, while the central bulge of our own galaxy contrasts with the warm glow of light pollution from the nearby town. (Florian Breuer, South Africa, Shortlist, Panoramic, Open Competition 2013 Sony World Photography Awards)
That girl stand firm in the 'storm', When confronting challenges, she will never give up. (Hoang Hiep Nguyen, Vietnam, Open Photographer of the Year, 2013 Sony World Photography Awards)
The twins Laura and Beln on the day of their fifteenth birthday celebration. In Latin America, the celebration of the fifteenth birthday of a teenager is very important because it marks the transition from childhood to maturity. (Myriam Meloni, Italy, Finalist, Arts and Culture, Professional Competition, 2013 Sony World Photography Awards)
The protagonists of my pictures are taken out of the context of place and time. They share visual kinship which is further emphasized by the scenery among which they are placed. We can only wonder what their relationships out of the frame are and whether the community they have formed in front of the eye of the camera really exists. It is entirely up to us to decide what conclusions we will draw and whether we will resist the temptation to classify and judge quickly. (Natalia Wiernik Poland, Student Focus Photographer of the Year, 2013 Sony World)
Little girl of Turtuk Village, Nubra Valley, Ladakh, India. (Sandipan Mukherjee, India, Shortlist, Smile, Open Competition 2013 Sony World Photography Awards)
How often we arrived in an airport of an unknown city, ask for a taxi and drive into it in the search of our hotel or our meeting. That route through the window, longer or shorter, is the first impression we get of the city, and it's completely new for us. Quick glances to the locals, to the streets with no names, to the buildings. We astonishingly recognize those touristic icons that we see passing by, we track them and unsuccessfully put them in place because we haven't explored the city yet. That feeling of ephemeralness is what I pretended to get in this project, to which I aim to add more cities. New York, Paris and Marrakesh are the first chosen metropolis, on purpose, because they represent three continents and three cultures. I don't ask the taxi driver what do I want to see. I just simply let me being carried, with my open eyes and aware of what happens outside the car. I shoot left and right, back and forth, with the avidity of a tourist, enthusiast of his new destination. (Daniel Duart, Spain, Finalist, Travel, Professional Competition 2013 Sony World Photography Awards)
