The world sure looks like a beautiful place through the eyes of these photographers from Asia. Eight talented shutterbugs were recently crowned at the 18th Sony World Photography Awards, a competition that celebrates brilliant photography from professionals, amateurs, students, and youths around the world.
Two winners were announced in the Professional competition, with Seido Kino taking first place in the Landscape category for an evocative photo series that captures Japan's rapid economic development in the late 20th century; and K M Asad taking second place in the Still Life category for their document of (exceptionally expensive) murals installed by a former Bangledeshi prime minister, who fled the country in 2024 after widespread protests.
Meanwhile, five Asian photographers swept the Creative, Street, Architecture, Landscape, and Lifestyle categories in the Open competition. From a dreamy landscape of grasslands in China to a buoyant image of football fans celebrating a win in Indonesia, these single images effectively freeze a moment while telling a compelling story.
There's evidently young talent blooming in the region, too, with Taiwanese 16-year-old photographer Daniel Dian-Ji Wu winning Youth Photographer of the Year with a stunning golden hour image of a skate park in Los Angeles.
We'll say no more – the images speak for themselves.
Here are all the winning shots by Asian photographers at the Sony World Photography Awards 2025:
Professional – Landscape, 1st place: The Strata of Time by Seido Kino (Japan)
A series overlaying archival photographs of Japan in the 1940s to 1960s within current scenes of the same location. It invites viewers to consider the consequences of rapid development. See the full series here.
Professional – Still Life, 2nd place: Death of a Hero by K M Asad (Bangladesh)
This image is part of a series that examines the murals created during the 15-year rule of Sheikh Hasina, the former Prime Minister of Bangladesh. The government reportedly spent more than $3 million to install these works. See the full series here.
Open – Creative, Winner: Kem the Unstoppable, Jonell Francisco (Philippines)
An elegant collage portrait alluding to Renaissance traditions of portraiture.
Open – Street Photography, Winner: Celebrating Football Club Victories, Khairizal Maris (Indonesia)
A vibrant image capturing the elation of fans celebrating a win by their local football club in Bandung, West Java.
Open – Architecture, Winner: Centre of the Cosmos, Xuecheng Liu (China)
A wide-angle image capturing the awesome scale of New York's iconic Times Square from above.
Open – Landscape, Winner: Curved Stream, Ng Guang Ze (Singapore)
A stream meandering through grasslands into a distant lake in Wenhai, Lijiang.
Open – Lifestyle, Winner: Akihabara, Hajime Hirano (Japan)
A meticulously composed image of a street vendor selling electronic parts in Akihabara, once Japan's largest electronics town.
Youth Photographer of the Year: Eclipse of Motion, Daniel Dian-Ji Wu (Taiwan)
Taken by 16-year-old photographer Daniel Dian-Ji Wu at Venice Beach Skatepark in Los Angeles during golden hour. He says this image "made me feel a sense of passion and freedom".
In pictures: Prada and Wong Kar Wai's glamorous fine dining restaurant in Shanghai
Plus: UNESCO adds 8 Asian geological wonders to its Global Geoparks Network
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