Sony World Photography Awards 2014 - Judges revealed alongside last call for entries

With just over one month remaining for photographers to enter the 2014 Sony World Photography Awards, the World Photography Organisation (WPO) is proud to announce the Honorary Judging Committee for this year’s competition and to reveal an exclusive selection of submissions to the 2014 awards.

The 2014 Honorary Judging Committee will be chaired by William Hunt, photography consultant based in New York, who will once again also host the annual awards gala on 30 April, 2014. The full panel comprises of photography professionals from the World Photographic Academy including: Ruth Eichhorn, Director of Photography, Geo Magazine (Germany); Johanna Neurath, Design Director for Thames & Hudson publishing (UK); Isbaella Icoz, Curator (Turkey); Guy Harrington, Director, Soho Management (UK); Matthew Pillsbury, Photographer (US); Harry Hardie, Panos Pictures/ HERE Press (UK); Suzy Koo, Creative Media Manager, Burberry (UK); Poorna Bell, Lifestyle Editor, Huffington Post and Simon Barnett, Director of Photography, CNN Digital.

Entries to the Open and Youth competitions of the 2014 Sony World Photography Awards will close on 6 January, followed by the deadline for the Professional competition on 9 January. All entries are free via www.worldphoto.org

Exclusive images, which have been entered into the 2014 Open competition, can be downloaded from the WPO press centre at press.worldphoto.org.

Now in its seventh year, the awards are one of the leading photography competitions in the world and it gives international exposure, recognition and opportunity to both its winning and shortlisted photographers.

Norwegian photographer Andrea Gjestvang, winner of the 2013 Sony World Photography Awards Photographer of the Year title, comments: “Winning the L'Iris d'Or was a great recognition and it made my work reach out to a worldwide audience – not only to editors, collectors and potential collaborators in the business but, most importantly, the everyday readers who were moved and engaged by the images. It opened up new opportunities for me, and was a huge motivation to continue following the stories that I believe in.”

In the 2014 awards Professional photographers will compete for the coveted title of L'Iris d'Or/Sony World Photography Awards Professional Photographer of the Year, plus a $25,000 (USD) cash prize. Judges will also award the 15 winners for each of the Professional categories for their series of work.

Amateur and enthusiast photographers will contend the Open Photographer of the Year 2014 title, plus a $5,000 (USD) cash prize. The judges will also select the best single winning shot for each of the ten Open categories. In addition, three photographers under 20 years old will be chosen as winners of the Youth competition.

All category winners across the awards will receive the latest digital imaging equipment from Sony. Furthermore, the winning and finalist photographers will receive an exhibition of their work at Somerset House, London, from 1-18 May 2014, will be published in the 2014 edition of the Sony World Photography Awards book and will also be featured across the WPO website.

The shortlists for the 2014 awards will be announced on 4 February, followed by the winners of the Open categories on 18 March. The overall and Professional categories winners will be revealed at the Sony World Photography Awards gala ceremony held in London on 30 April.