See the 2016 Sony World Photography Awards Winners

There are hundreds of thousands of photographers in the world whose work you might never see were it not thanks to platforms like the World Photography Organization's 2016 Sony World Photography Awards. With 230,103 submissions from 186 countries, the pool of candidates made this a record-breaking year for the competition, and late last week, the list of winning photographers was shared online along with galleries of their work.
The top prize of the competition, L’Iris d’Or Photographer of the Year, was awarded to Iranian photojournalist Asghar Khamseh, whose Fire of Hatred portrait series depicts survivors of acid-throwing. The complete roster of winners—in categories from Architecture to Sport—hail from every part of the world. Their work is now on display in an exhibition at the Somerset House in London through May 8, and in a book now available for purchase at the WPO website.
In addition to handing out a slew of awards in the Professional category, the World Photography Organization recognized 18-year-old Sam Delaware as the Youth Photographer of the Year, 23-year-old Sofia Jern as the Student Focus Photographer of the Year, and husband and wife duo RongRong & Inri for their Outstanding Contribution to Photography.
"The awards consistently provide an incredible array of work, from a multitude of countries, and most importantly provide the chance for photographers to be discovered and extend their careers," WPO CEO Scott Gray said in a press release. "I hope that the winning work this year can provide an inspiration to other photographers, helping to push their creative boundaries, whilst also serving to build the wider appreciation of photography.”
We've included a handful of the winners and finalists here (listed by category and photographer's name), but to see them all, click through to the 2016 Sony World Photography Awards website.
WINNER, LANDSCAPE: MAROESJKA LAVIGNE
Land of Nothingness
3RD PLACE, CONCEPTUAL: BARBAROS KAYAN
Moving Portraits
3RD PLACE, DAILY LIFE: STEPHANIE SINCLAIR
Running Away with the Circus // National Geographic Creative
WINNER, DAILY LIFE: ESPEN RASMUSSEN
The Curse of Coal / VG / Panos Pictures
WINNER, CANDID: KIRSTIN SCHMITT
Swoon or Scoliosis
2ND PLACE, ARCHITECTURE: LI FENG
The Tang Dynasty Tomb Three Series / Sanxia Dail
[h/t Discovery]
All images courtesy of the 2016 Sony World Photography Awards.