© Craig Easton
The World Photography Organisation is delighted to announce the overall winners in the prestigious Sony World
Photography Awards 2021. The Photographer of the Year title and accompanying $25,000 (USD) cash prize and a range of Sony’s digital imaging kit is awarded to the esteemed
documentarian Craig Easton (United Kingdom) for his series Bank Top. Also announced are the ten category winners alongside 2nd and 3rd place of the Professional competition as well as
overall winners of the Open, Student and Youth competitions.
Bank Top is a result of the Blackburn Museum & Art Gallery initiative Kick Down the Barriers, a project instigated in response to media reports portraying the town as the ‘the most segregated in Britain’. Seeking
to challenge this narrative, the museum invited artists and writers to collaborate with residents of various
neighbourhoods and create a robust and authentic representation of their communities.
Over the course of a year Easton and Hafiz worked closely with local inhabitants to explore their stories and
experiences through a series of black & white portraits and accompanying texts. These highlight issues around social deprivation, housing, unemployment,
immigration and representation, as well as the impact of past and present foreign policy. Their work counters simplistic
generalisations and aims to provide context as to how these communities came together and a better understanding of how
they thrive together now.
Commenting on his win Easton says: “I am delighted to have this work recognised by the Sony World Photography Awards. I photograph to learn, to try to
understand and to document and share stories. It is a privilege to be able to do so and to challenge perceptions and
stereotypes – something that is especially important to me. To have these stories from underrepresented or
misrepresented communities in northern England where I live recognised and shared worldwide is wonderful. Thank you.”
PROFESSIONAL CATEGORY WINNERS
ARCHITECTURE
3rd place Sasha Bauer (Russian Federation)DOCUMENTARY PROJECTS
3rd place Lorenzo Tugnoli (Italy)ENVIRONMENT
3rd place Antonio Perez (Spain)LANDSCAPE
3rd place Loli Laboureau (Argentina)PORTRAITURE
3rd place Paloma Rincon (Spain)WILDLIFE & NATURE
To find out more about this year’s winning and finalist projects please visit: ONLINE WINNERS GALLERIES