The 2016 Sony World Photography Awards are now taking entries, and the organizers have been kind enough to share some of their early entries with us, gathered below. Last year’s competition attracted over 173,000 entries from 171 countries. Entries will be accepted until January 5, 2016. All captions below come from the photographers.
#1
Rush Hour. In late summer the European hamster gets ready for hibernation. He fills up his pouches with grains, roots, plants or insects and transports them into his food chamber (that’s why he is running). Julian Ghahreman-Rad, Austria, Nature & Wildlife, Open, 2016 Sony World Photography Awards
#2
Evening mood at Tre Cime di Lavaredo. The picture was taken near Three Peaks refuge, located in the heart of the Dolomiti di Sesto, Italy. Stefan Achorner, Austria, Nature & Wildlife, Open, 2016 Sony World Photography Awards
#3
Zay Yar Lin from Burma shared this image of a fisherman ‘leg rower’ from Innlay Lake in Myanmar rowing his boat with his legs
#4
Giovanni Frescura from Italy shared his image – of an eagle latching on to another as they battle in the snow – with the competition
#5
Mass hysteria. A group of red flamingos arguing. Pedro Jarque Krebs, Peru, Nature & Wildlife, Open, 2016 Sony World Photography Awards
#6
Hello London. This image was taken on my (cracked) iPhone on board a flight from Oslo, Norway, into London Heathrow on July 28, 2015. Maria Farrelly, UK, Architecture, Open, 2016 Sony World Photography Awards
#7
Isadora after bathing, happy and still adjusting to life. Marcio Yuzo Oshiro, Brazil, Smile, Open, 2016 Sony World Photography Awards
#8
Fighting. I captured this photo of a crocodile and lizard battling. The crocodile was sunbathing when the lizard suddenly attacked. Hendy Lie, Indonesia, Nature & Wildlife, Open, 2016 Sony World Photography Awards
#9
Smile at the heavens. Old smartly dressed man laughing towards the heavens after some good fortune. Otieno Nyadimo, Kenya, Smile, Open, 2016 Sony World Photography Awards
#10
Dune surfer. Motocross rider surfing dunes in Villa Gesell, Argentina. Ariel Pasini, Argentina, Split Second, Open, 2016 Sony World Photography Awards
#11
Momentum. Mildreth Vasquez López, Colombia, Arts & Culture, Open, 2016 Sony World Photography Awards
#12
Life is a competition. Pelicans competing for food at Jurong Bird Park, Singapore. Nikhil Rasiwasia, India, Split Second, Open, 2016 Sony World Photography Awards
#13
Meanwhile. A young boy training hard in the pool to participate in the yearly triathlon while other kids are playing. The image is taken at Sandsbeach resort pool in Lanzarote, Canary Islands. Petra Van Borm, Belgium, Split Second, Open, 2016 Sony World Photography Awards
#14
Silver. Landscape in nothern Norway. Manfred Voss, Germany, Travel, Open, 2016 Sony World Photography Awards
#15
Eduardo Minte from Chile captured the spectacular moment the Calbuco Volcano – the third most active Volcano in Chile – erupted for the second time this year. The volcano had been dormant for the last 43 years until this April
#16
Amri Arfianto from Indonesia submitted this breathtaking image of a peacock spreading out its tail feathers to display the bright eyespots
#17
Antje Kakuschke from Germany snapped this image of hundreds of King Penguins standing together and looking in different directions
#18
These monkeys were caught having a soak in a hot spring during a light snow flurry in Japan by photographer Christopher Yeoh, Australia
#19
Simone Cmoon from Switzerland sent in this incredible image of the stars, flowers and settled snow above The Bernese Alps
#20
Joanna Szewczyk from Poland took this eye-catching shot of a lone zebra strolling down a path leading towards mountains and dry land
#21
Douglas Croft from USA captured the moment a gray whale and her calf glided silently through the kelp forests along the Californian coast
#22
Henrik Spranz from Germany sent in his incredible image of a cute critter jumping up to reach wild berries for its lunch
#23
Kris Williams from the UK took an amazing picture of a starry night above a derelict farm surrounded by barley fields on the Isle of Anglesey in Wales
#24
Sara Brudkiewicz from Poland captured a stag caught in the rainfall. The animal stands strong and has water falling from its antlers
#25
Michael Pachis’s incredible image shows a stunning bald eagle captured standing in the rain. The droplets splash against his feathers
#26
Vladimir Cech Junior from Czech Republic managed to capture an image of this stunning tiger prowling through the long grass in India
#27
Taha Ahmed from India captured this neutral coloured pelican and submitted the stunning imagery to the 2016 Sony Photography Awards
#28
This short-tailed weasel was captured mid-air fleeing in the snow with a freshly killed vole – shot by Canadian photographer Stuart McKay
#29
Sheldon Bilsker from Canada published this photo of a Rufous Hummingbird, known for its amazing flight skills, in its natural environment
#30
Z Chen from China submitted an incredible still of the sunset around Viti, a bright blue crater in Iceland that is shaped like a love heart
#31
Govindarajan Venugopal from India submitted his image of zebras stood in a field during sunrise with rays seeping through the clouds
#32
Taha Ahmed from India also submitted this shot, which appears to show both grey-scale and colourful birds in flight at night-time
