From skater girls to climate illusions: Meet the winners of the 2025 Sony World Photography Awards
The Sony World Photography Awards have unveiled the winners of their prestigious competition, now in its 18th year - shining a spotlight on the world's most powerful, thought-provoking, and visually arresting images of the past year.
At a ceremony in London, British photographer Zed Nelson was named Photographer of the Year for his haunting and deeply timely series The Anthropocene Illusion, which explores humanity's fractured relationship with nature. From safari parks to synthetic green spaces, Nelson's images reveal a world where the wild is staged and the natural is anything but.
The evening also celebrated the winners across the Professional, Open, Student, and Youth competitions - alongside a special tribute to legendary documentary photographer Susan Meiselas, this year's recipient of the Outstanding Contribution to Photography award.
From intimate portraits of teenagers growing up in Northern Ireland's divided communities to celebrations of Indian women who defy gender stereotypes through skateboarding, this year's winning images are now on display at a sprawling exhibition at London's Somerset House, running until 5 May 2025.
Here's a small selection from this year's most striking winning images:
A six-year journey exploring how humanity's devastating impact on the planet is masked by artificial, stage-managed experiences of nature.
A photograph capturing the danger and excitement of the moment a rider is thrown from their mount during a tbourida, a traditional Moroccan equestrian performance.
For his gorgeous image of a skateboarder doing a trick, silhouetted against a sunset in Venice Beach, Los Angeles.
A project exploring the complexity of female prison spaces and the people who inhabit them, from the inmates to their families. It was carried out at the women's penitentiary centres of San Miguel, San Joaquín and Valparaíso, between the months of March and July 2024.
Documenting what it means for young people, all of whom were born after the peace agreement was signed, to grow up under this intergenerational tension in both Protestant and Catholic neighbourhoods in Northern Ireland.
Captures the stories of young Indian women who use skateboarding as a form of resistance - challenging gender stereotypes and reclaiming public spaces.
Illustrating the resilience of Afro-Brazilian communities in the face of local religious intolerance. Its name derives from an ancient Kongo word for spiritual leaders, before it was distorted by local society to demean African religions.
Exploring the tumultuous lives of young people in the gang-governed Cape Flats area of Cape Town, South Africa, where their daily commute carries the risk of death.
Celebrating the ancestral dyeing techniques of artisans in Chinchero, Peru, highlighting their intricate, time-intensive craft and the natural materials they use.
A project following artist Rhiannon Adam's extraordinary journey as the only woman selected for a civilian mission to the Moon - an ambitious art residency aboard SpaceX that was unexpectedly cancelled, leaving its chosen crew to grapple with broken dreams and unfinished futures.
Exploring Japan's post-war economic growth by overlaying archival photos from the 1940s–60s onto present-day scenes, highlighting how past development has shaped modern challenges like pollution and population imbalance.
Documents the striking, artful public toilets redesigned across Shibuya, Tokyo - capturing how functional architecture can transform everyday spaces into visually engaging, thoughtfully designed landmarks.
A series of collages that explore moments of pause and uncertainty—capturing the quiet tension just before something changes.
A docuseries about four Chadian girls whose journey to become Olympic gymnasts in Spain sparks the creation of Chad's first gymnastics federation.
Exploring the visual vocabulary of the cowboy, to consider new ways of presenting this archetype of masculinity.
Documenting the aftermath of Spain's worst flooding in Valencia, and focusing on the young volunteers - dubbed the 'Mud Angels' - who selflessly aided recovery efforts.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
30 minutes ago
- New York Times
Arise, Sir David: But what does Beckham's knighthood entail, and what does it mean?
So, arise, Sir David Beckham, and welcome to the small and exclusive band of people from the football industry to receive one of the highest honours in the United Kingdom — a knighthood from the royal family. The announcement was made in The Gazette, the official organ of public record, as part of King Charles III's official birthday honours — one of the two occasions each year when the ruling monarch honours a selection of people for their 'significant contributions' to the country. Advertisement Beckham, the former England captain and now joint owner of MLS team Inter Miami, will be invited to an investiture ceremony to make everything official, including his wife, formerly a pop star with the Spice Girls, becoming Lady Victoria. The wait is finally over for the man she famously christened Goldenballs in his playing days, whose desire to become a Sir has been depicted at times as almost obsessional. 'Growing up in east London with parents and grandparents who were so patriotic and proud to be British, I never could have imagined I would receive such a truly humbling honour,' said Beckham. 'It will take a little while for the news to sink in but I'm immensely proud and it's such an emotional moment for me to share with my family.' Not everyone will wish to join in the celebrations, bearing in mind the honours system — described by The Gazette as 'classes of appointment' to the Order of the British Empire — is regarded by many of its anti-Establishment critics as outdated and elitist and, as such, brings some strong opinions. 'Truly deserved,' writer, author and broadcaster Brian Reade responded on X after the story of Beckham's knighthood was leaked to the UK's Sun newspaper. 'Never before has a man scraped and crawled so hard to get three pointless letters stuck in front of his brand name.' Others, however, will find it hard to begrudge Beckham after a career that took in Manchester United, Real Madrid, LA Galaxy, AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain (plus a loan spell at Preston North End as a youngster), as well as 115 appearances for England's national team and some prodigious work for charity, principally Unicef. Now 50, Beckham will be the 14th name on a list of football knighthoods (excluding administrators) featuring four former England managers — Walter Winterbottom, Alf Ramsey, Bobby Robson and, most recently, Gareth Southgate — as well as celebrated figures such as Tom Finney, Stanley Matthews and Geoff Hurst. Advertisement Charles Clegg, a former England international who became chairman/president of the English Football Association, was the first person from the sport to be knighted, in 1927. It was Kenny Dalglish's turn in 2018 and, before that, Trevor Brooking in 2004. And the other names on the list mean that Manchester United can now claim to have contributed four knights of the realm — more than any other club. One was Matt Busby, the manager who led United from the horrors of the 1958 Munich air disaster to winning the European Cup a decade later. Bobby Charlton, who was alongside him during those moments of tragedy and glory, was another. Then, of course, there is Alex Ferguson, whose knighthood was rushed through in 1999 only weeks after he steered United to an unprecedented treble of Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup. So, how does it all work? And how does the honours committee — a body made up of politicians and senior civil servants — go about informing the relevant people they are under consideration? With great secrecy, is the short answer. 'You get a few months' notice,' says Brendan Foster, the former long-distance runner who was knighted in 2020. 'An email comes through saying they are minded to give you a knighthood, and asking whether you would want to accept; and you have to keep it a secret, otherwise you're in trouble.' Foster, regarded as the voice of British athletics because of his long and distinguished commentary career with the BBC after retiring from the sport, is also the founder of the Great North Run, the largest half-marathon in the world. He received his knighthood from Princess Anne, once an equestrian athlete who had competed with him in Great Britain's squad at the 1976 Olympic Games, rather than her mother, Queen Elizabeth II. 'You think about the people who have helped you get where you are,' says Foster, recalling his knighthood ceremony. 'You think about your parents, your coaches, the guys you trained with and everyone else who helped. But you also think about the country. This is a great country and anybody who accepts the honours is, by definition, saying, 'I'm proud of the country I live in'.' Advertisement Most of the time, the knights-elect receive their insignia at either Buckingham Palace in London or Windsor Castle, when the protocol is to kneel on your right knee while the King, or another member of the royal family, touches your right shoulder, then the left one, with a bare sword blade. For females, the equivalent is to be made a Dame. After that, it is the individual's choice whether they want to use their new title. Foster, for example, says he is '50-50' about using 'Sir', though he jokes that it comes in handy when he needs to make a restaurant booking. Anthony Hopkins, knighted by the Queen in 1993, also found it a dilemma. 'I only ever use the title in the U.S.,' the actor explained. 'The Americans insist on it, and get offended if I don't.' Ferguson, statistically the most successful manager in British football history, had some misgivings of his own, despite having previously been given an OBE (Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) and CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) — two of the awards beneath a knighthood in rank — in 1985 and 1995 respectively. He and his wife were worried about the extra commitments the new title might involve (although there are no special requirements) and how it might look, with them hailing from a working-class background in the Scottish city of Glasgow, to be known as Sir Alex and Lady Cathy. 'I put it to the family,' Ferguson revealed in a 2000 interview with the official Manchester United magazine, 'and Cathy was a bit, 'Oh, I don't know, what would your father think?'. And my son said, 'Mum, it's nothing to do with Dad's parents. They're gone. They'd be proud of him — you can't refuse this, it's recognition of what he's done'. We had a discussion and decided it was right.' In 2020, it was revealed that the number of people refusing an honour was 68 out of 2,504 offered (2.7 per cent), whereas there were only 277 occasions from 1951 to 1999 when somebody took that stance. So the frequency with which people say 'Thanks, but no thanks' is going up. Realistically, though, Beckham's name was never going to be added to a list that includes singer David Bowie, physicist Professor Stephen Hawking, the ex-Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone and, on five occasions for various honours including a knighthood, artist LS Lowry. The only awkwardness here is that Beckham, awarded an OBE in the Queen's birthday list in 2003, will probably never be allowed to forget the controversy in 2017 when leaked emails, from four years earlier, showed his anger about being rejected for a knighthood. The emails had been hacked from a company associated with his then-representative, Simon Oliveira, and were published by a variety of newspapers, showing him branding the honours committee 'unappreciative c**ts' and insisting he didn't 'care about being knighted'. The email exchanges also revealed the UK authorities had concerns over Beckham's tax affairs. Advertisement And now? Nobody should be surprised he has finally got his wish, bearing in mind his career achievements and several other factors that may or may not have counted in his favour. He is, after all, on friendly terms with Prince William, Charles' eldest son, and has banqueted at Buckingham Palace as a guest of the King (they are said to have bonded over a shared love of making honey). Plus, who could forget Beckham standing for 12 hours in the queue of people to see the late Queen lying in state in central London's Westminster Hall following her death in 2022? All that is left, perhaps, is to see whether the six-time Premier League champion chooses to call himself Sir David or takes a similar approach to the manager who gave him his professional debut. 'Ferguson found the title uncomfortable for a while,' Michael Crick wrote in The Boss, his 2002 biography of the Scot, noting how the subject of the book 'refused to sign himself 'Sir Alex' when asked to by a woman autograph-hunter shortly afterwards.'
Buzz Feed
2 hours ago
- Buzz Feed
angrysedan195
You Exist! Welcome to BuzzFeed! Have 100 points. That is a lot of points. Earned May 14, 2025 First Post You made your first post! Is it glorious? Is it terrible? Who cares, you made one! Great job. Earned 13 minutes ago Homepage Hero Your post got promoted to the homepage of BuzzFeed Dot Com, the website! Our team of writers loved it so much that with a little spit and polish, they put it right up on the fridge. Right where everyone can see it! Not yet earned Challenge Winner Your creativity and hard work shone through and you won a freakin' Community Challenge! Congratulations, pard'ner. Not yet earned List Legend When everyone else zigged, you zagged. When everyone took the low road, you took the high road. When everyone posted nothing but quizzes, you're out here posting lists. Hero. Here's your trophy. Not yet earned Lord of Lists We knew you were a whiz at making lists before, but now you've made THREE lists?! You're truly everything we aspire to be, and one day we hope to be half the genius you are. Not yet earned 100k Views A hundo thow views. Nice. Not yet earned 250k Views A quarter of a million views! You really have the posts with the mosts. Views, that is. Not yet earned 500k Views Five hundred thousand views on your posts. That's incredible! Statistically, you're excelling yourself. We asked a data scientist and he said it's true! Not yet earned 1m Views A cool milzo. These are rare. Like a beautiful statue which isn't covered in bird poo. Not yet earned Could You BE Making Any More Posts? We can't seem to 'PIVOT' away from your incredible posts, and we never want you to 'go on a break' from creating these posts we love so much. Anyway, congrats on getting 5 Friends posts promoted! Not yet earned You Don't Need To Calm Down We promise that we'll never find another like you. Ya know, someone else who has gotten 5 Taylor Swift posts promoted to the homepage. Not yet earned Best of 2022 Thanks to your ingenuity and knowledge of all things internet, you showed everyone up and are in the top 1% of BuzzFeed Community creators in 2022! From quizzes to lists, you can do it all — and now you have a trophy to show off and prove you're one of the best of the year. Not yet earned Fairest Of Them All Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who has had 5 Disney posts promoted to the BuzzFeed homepage? It's you, obviously! We don't have any attractive heroes coming to save you, but here's a trophy, which is just as good — trust us. Not yet earned Golden Genius You ain't no snitch, but you do know everything about the Harry Potter universe. Since you got 5 posts promoted to the homepage, here's a lil' Quidditch gift for ya. Not yet earned Slime Time You soaked up episodes of SpongeBob, got Odd with the Fairies, and mentally spent a lot of time at Good Burger. You were and are a Nick kid through and through, but we don't need to tell you that since you've already Figured It Out, haven't you? (We could go on forever, don't test us.) Not yet earned K-Pop Konnoisseur You know every dance, you know every word, and let's be real, no one can make you budge about your bias. Congrats on getting your K-Pop post promoted to the front page of BuzzFeed — here's a trophy! Not yet earned Totally Stylin' Oh baby, you're ~golden~, and we're gonna give you a (Watermelon Sugar) high by handing you your very own Harry Styles trophy, just for writing a post about him. Not yet earned Animal Lover From reptiles to fluffy felines and tiny rats to giant whales, your love of animals knows no bounds. Your animal-themed post was promoted. Thanks for making the world a more cuddly place. Meow. Not yet earned XOXO Roses are red, / Poems are quoted. / You wrote about love, / and your post was promoted! Not yet earned Sucker For Love You love all things about love, and we can't blame you. We can't give you a little kiss, so here's a trophy for getting 5 posts promoted instead. Not yet earned Snacks on Snacks on Snacks All you do is think about food, obviously, or else you wouldn't have made a post about it. We don't blame you, and actually applaud you. We'd give you a feast, but we don't feel like it. So here's a trophy. Not yet earned Food Fanatic You're really ~hungry~ for more trophies, aren't you? No? Then why do you make so many food posts?! We're actually not mad, just impressed. Here's another one, and we hope it's as satisfying as your next droolworthy meal. Not yet earned Up, Up, And Away For you, the thought of packing a bag and exploring a new place is unlike any other. Whether you're dreaming of stomping through the rainforest or hitting up the city that's been on your bucket list for years, travel is something you can't deny loving, so we'll do the best we can and give you a trophy since you've expressed your love for it in a post. Not yet earned Super Stan You know the thrilling feeling of staying up 'til a new song release at midnight and everyone trusts you to make the perfect playlist for every occasion and mood. Let's face it, you're just a master of all things music, so here's a trophy since you wrote a post about it! Not yet earned Cinema Savvy You've been to countless midnight showings and have spent half of your life savings on theater popcorn — but hey, baby, that's a small price to pay to be a true film fanatic. You made a movie-themed post, we loved it, here's a trophy! Not yet earned Film Fiend When it comes to movies, you're addicted. From comedy to horror and musicals to documentaries, you've seem 'em all. Since you made three posts about movies, we're giving you a trophy to celebrate your expertise. Not yet earned Know-It-All You love testing everyone on their knowledge of pop culture, school you are a true trivia master, and no one can deny that! Sometimes it's okay to show off, so here's a lil' something for ya. Not yet earned Master of Knowledge You made three trivia quizzes, and we loved them so much that we had to promote them to the front page of BuzzFeed! There's no doubt that during the next trivia night, we call dibs on being your partner. Not yet earned In The Stars Let's be real: Whenever you meet someone, you check your zodiac compatibility. Smart, honestly. Whether you're a total Gemini, fiery Aries, emotional Pisces, or anything in-between, you know the importance of star signs. And that's why you're getting a trophy because we liked your post about it. Not yet earned Nerdy for Nostalgia Nostalgia just hits different, okay? From 'I Love Lucy' to 'Fresh Prince' to 'Lizzie McGuire,' you're all about living in the past — and that's totally rad in our book. Not yet earned Heart On Your comment got 10 hearts. Here's a trophy to commemorate the foundation of your little fan club! Not yet earned Hearty Animal Can you feel the love tonight? You got 50 hearts on one comment. Have another hit of serotonin to celebrate!!! Not yet earned Heartthrob ONE HUNDRED HEARTS!! I almost feel bad for you, because you're going to be chasing this feeling forever. Check out this awesome trophy you just earned! Not yet earned There's No Place Like Home You clicked your heels and visited home — the home PAGE, that is — every day for five straight days. We've loved seeing your shining face, so please enjoy this trophy that expresses our excitement. Not yet earned Habitual Homepager Don't think we haven't noticed you visiting the homepage for the last 10 days in a row! Whether you were finding out which Disney character you are, sifting through TV show recommendations, or catching up on the news, we love you loving us. Not yet earned You Live Here Now You've visited the homepage 15 full days in a row! At this point, we've made up the BuzzFeed guest room for you and even added some touches to make it more personal. After all, with the amount of times you've visited, you pretty much live here now. Not yet earned Pin There, Done That You pinned a quiz result to your profile, and now everyone knows that you are in fact like your favorite TV character or that you've discovered a new personality trait about yourself. Maybe we guessed your age correctly, or we were so off in guessing that you weren't even mad — you were impressed. Either way, now the world knows your result, so here's a trophy!
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Is This The Absolute Best Vogue Spain Could've Done with Kaia Gerber?
The industry continues to endorse Kaia Gerber like there's no tomorrow. Since her modelling debut as the face of Versace kids in 2012, the daughter of Cindy Crawford has walked a staggering amount of blue chip runway shows, became the face of mega brands like Chanel, Valentino, Celine and graced multiple editions of Vogue worldwide (including British, American, French, Italian, Chinese and Japanese). Therefore, it should come as no surprise to see Kaia Gerber take to the cover of Vogue Spain. Inés Lorenzo, who has served as head of editorial content since 2021, welcomes Gerber as the title's cover girl for June 2025. The model-turned-actress poses before the lens of Amy Troost for the occasion, and is styled by Max Ortega. Gerber gazes down Troost's lens wearing a top from Spanish high-street retailer Mango and a necklace from Sophie Buhai. 'It's good!' declared WAVES upon first look. 'Really?' replied forum member RMDV in a state of shock. 'On the very rare occasion… this cover needed more text. It feels lazy just slapping Kaia's name on the cover and calling it a day. No thought, no effort, no nothing. Always been a Kaia Gerber fan but I'm struggling to defend this. She looks vapid, lifeless, and completely devoid of energy,' voiced vogue28. Also majorly underwhelmed was Zorka. 'Aside from the cheap/amateurish set design and basic photography style, the whole wet hair look just ruins the whole thing for me. This is NOT Vogue cover material,' they declared. 'What a waste of Kaia Gerber. Ugh!' sighed prylvi. 'What do u expect?' asked Xone. 'Max Ortega is involved. He is terrible. Vogue Spain did much better covers with local talent.' See more of Kaia Gerber from the Vogue Spain June 2025 cover shoot and join the conversation, here. The post Is This The Absolute Best Vogue Spain Could've Done with Kaia Gerber? appeared first on theFashionSpot.
