Female Photographers Shine at the 2025 Sony World Photography Awards
Chantal Pinzi with some of her award-wining images at the Sony World Photography Awards 2025 exhibition.
The winners of the 2025 Sony World Photography Awards were announced on the evening of Wednesday 16th April at a ceremony in London, with Zed Nelson taking the prestigious Photographer of the Year title. His series The Anthropocene Illusion makes a powerful commentary on humanity’s broken relationship with nature. While Nelson’s work rightly received widespread acclaim, the night also belonged to a number of outstanding female photographers whose stories and imagery made a lasting impression.
Susan Meiselas (left) at the press conference ahead of the Sony World Photography Awards 2025 ceremony.
Susan Meiselas Recognised for Outstanding Contribution to Photography
Documentary photographer Susan Meiselas was honoured with this year’s Outstanding Contribution to Photography award. Known for her compassionate, collaborative approach and long-standing commitment to documenting social issues, Meiselas has been a guiding voice in documentary photography for over five decades. Her images, often focused on underreported communities and conflicts, are featured in a special exhibition at Somerset House as part of the Awards showcase.
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Spotlight on Female Winners
The Professional competition recognised several women working across a variety of photographic genres.
Ulana Switucha with some of her images at the Sony World Photography Awards 2025 exhibition.
Ulana Switucha won the Architecture and Design category for The Tokyo Toilet Project, an exploration of Tokyo’s public toilets, many of which boast innovative and often futuristic features. “Some of these buildings are really playful,” said Switucha at the pre-awards press conference. “Others are beautifully designed or offer clever, high-tech functions, like doors that trigger opaque glass when closed. Photographing them was quite different to my usual architectural work, and that made it even more rewarding.”
Rhiannon Adam at the Sony World Photography Awards 2025 exhibition.
Rhiannon Adam was awarded the top prize in the Creative category for Rhi-Entry, a personal project reflecting on her involvement in a cancelled civilian space mission. “I spent three years preparing for a trip to the moon,” said Adam, who was selected as one of eight artists from over a million applicants. “The cancellation made me reflect on how space is often portrayed as democratic, yet access is still so exclusive, especially for queer people like me. This project plays with the blurred lines between reality and fiction, and the politics of aspiration.”
One of Laura Pannack’s award-winning images from The Journey Home from School.
In the Perspectives category, Laura Pannack won with The Journey Home from School. Her series of images was created in collaboration with young people in Cape Town and explores the emotional and physical realities of their journeys to and from school, some of which are impacted by gang violence. “We’ve all walked that journey,” said Pannack. “It’s full of emotion - loneliness, excitement, fear. This project gave space to those feelings and helped me connect with the young people through photography, poetry and workshops.”
One of Chantal Pinzi’s award-winning images.
Italian photographer Chantal Pinzi claimed the Sport category win for Shred the Patriarchy, a compelling body of work documenting the rise of female skateboarders in India. The project highlights how skateboarding has become a way for women to challenge stereotypes and push back against gender norms. “Some of these women have avoided arranged marriages, gained financial independence and found their voices through skateboarding,” said Pinzi. “It’s about freedom, power and self-expression.”
Student Photographer of the Year
The Student Photographer of the Year award went to Micaela Valdivia Medina from Peru for The Last Day We Saw the Mountains and the Sea. The project documents women’s prisons across Chile and the emotional toll on inmates and their families. She commented that it’s not easy to talk about prison life, but it’s necessary.
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SheClicks Success
It was fantastic to see SheClicker Ana Peiró Muñoz shortlisted for the Creative category of the Open Competition with the beautiful image below. It’s a brilliant achievement in a competition that attracted over 400,000 entries.
Ana Peiró Muñoz’s shortlisted image in the Creative category of the Open Competition.
Sony World Photography Awards 2025 Exhibition
The Sony World Photography Awards 2025 exhibition is open at Somerset House, London, from 17 April to 5 May. It features more than 300 prints, digital displays and a special section dedicated to the work of Susan Meiselas.
