2025 Sony World Photography Awards: Sports

Martha and Teresa, natives of Oruro, Bolivia, have been working for more than a decade on one of the highest golf Martha and Teresa, natives of Oruro, Bolivia, have been working for more than a decade at one of the highest golf courses in the world — the La Paz Golf Club, which sits 3,600 meters above sea level. Every Monday they leave their usual work roles and practice the sport they are passionate about, wearing the traditional clothing of the Bolivian ‘chola.’ (Photo: Michael Dunn, Bolivia, Finalist, Professional competition, Sport, 2025 Sony World Photography Awards)

Martha and Teresa, natives of Oruro, Bolivia, have been working for more than a decade on one of the highest golf Martha and Teresa, natives of Oruro, Bolivia, have been working for more than a decade at one of the highest golf courses in the world — the La Paz Golf Club, which sits 3,600 meters above sea level. Every Monday they leave their usual work roles and practice the sport they are passionate about, wearing the traditional clothing of the Bolivian ‘chola.’ (Photo: Michael Dunn, Bolivia, Finalist, Professional competition, Sport, 2025 Sony World Photography Awards)

This series of photographs portrays Altinha, a popular game in Rio de Janeiro that aims to keep the ball in the air, where the players can’t use their hands. A carioca sport par excellence, it emerged in the 1960s and is played at the beach, preferably next to the water, where the players’ feet can’t be burned by the hot sand. Tanara Stuermer started to photograph it for many reasons, but mostly because she found the spirit of cooperation between the players beautiful. The players do not compete because they all have the same objective: not to let the ball touch the ground. (Photo: Tanara Stuermer, Brazil, Shortlist, Professional competition, Sport, 2025 Sony World Photography Awards)

This series of photographs portrays Altinha, a popular game in Rio de Janeiro that aims to keep the ball in the air, where the players can’t use their hands. A carioca sport par excellence, it emerged in the 1960s and is played at the beach, preferably next to the water, where the players’ feet can’t be burned by the hot sand. Tanara Stuermer started to photograph it for many reasons, but mostly because she found the spirit of cooperation between the players beautiful. The players do not compete because they all have the same objective: not to let the ball touch the ground. (Photo: Tanara Stuermer, Brazil, Shortlist, Professional competition, Sport, 2025 Sony World Photography Awards)

Catch Me If You Can is a sports documentary series about the wrestling subculture in Berlin, Germany. At the heart of the series are protagonists who ‘transform' into their characters for each show to offer an entertaining and energetic spectacle for the audience. (Photo: Svenja Wiese, Germany, Shortlist, Professional competition, Sport, 2025 Sony World Photography Awards)

Catch Me If You Can is a sports documentary series about the wrestling subculture in Berlin, Germany. At the heart of the series are protagonists who ‘transform' into their characters for each show to offer an entertaining and energetic spectacle for the audience. (Photo: Svenja Wiese, Germany, Shortlist, Professional competition, Sport, 2025 Sony World Photography Awards)

India, the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, only has a handful of female skaters. It is here that Shred the Patriarchy comes to life, portraying how – against prejudice and threats – some women have rebelled, balancing on a board and transforming skateboarding into a form of resistance against the patriarchy. Through the art of falling and getting back up, these women challenge stereotypes, fight marginalisation and reclaim public spaces in both urban and rural areas. Many have managed to avoid arranged marriages, while others have gained financial independence and earned respect within their communities by skateboarding. It is with these simple yet revolutionary gestures that young Indian women make the patriarchal system tremble, reclaiming the freedom to imagine something different for themselves: to be a voice and no longer an echo. (Photo: Chantal Pinzi, Italy, Finalist, Professional competition, Sport, 2025 Sony World Photography Awards)

This series follows the inspiring story of four girls from Chad who, in 2019, received scholarships from a Spanish foundation to move to Spain and pursue their dream of becoming professional gymnasts. The girls worked hard throughout their training with the goal of representing Chad at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Although they did not qualify, their story has had a transformative impact on their home country, leading to the creation of Chad's first gymnastics federation, which already has five registered clubs. With sports acting as a catalyst for change, their story becomes a symbol of hope and resilience, showing how educational and sports opportunities can transform not only the future of individuals but entire communities.(Photo: Antonio López Díaz, Spain, Finalist, Professional competition, Sport, Sony World Photography Awards 2025)

This series follows the inspiring story of four girls from Chad who, in 2019, received scholarships from a Spanish foundation to move to Spain and pursue their dream of becoming professional gymnasts. The girls worked hard throughout their training with the goal of representing Chad at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. (Photo: Antonio López Díaz, Spain, Finalist, Professional competition, Sport, 2025 Sony World Photography Awards)

Since the beginning of the Russia–Ukraine war, skateboarding in Ukraine has taken on a unique dimension: an escape. From a sport once practiced surrounded by friends, skateboarding has become a window to freedom amidst chaos and anxiety. However, it is difficult not to be brought back to reality, as the war asserts itself at every turn. ‘Near vast brutalist squares lie buildings torn apart by Russian shells, and even the composition of the roads they skate on reminds them of the situation: the rough pavement that hinders them is firmly oriented towards the East and its Soviet past. Today, Ukrainian skaters who have not gone to fight are waging an entirely different battle — to reclaim the streets and the spaces marked by war and to allow themselves to live again.’ (Photo: Robin Tutenges, France, Shortlist, Professional competition, Sport, 2025 Sony World Photography Awards)

Since the beginning of the Russia–Ukraine war, skateboarding in Ukraine has taken on a unique dimension: an escape. From a sport once practiced surrounded by friends, skateboarding has become a window to freedom amidst chaos and anxiety. (Photo: Robin Tutenges, France, Shortlist, Professional competition, Sport, 2025 Sony World Photography Awards)

Over the summer, Bulgaria-based Mihaela Ivanova’s kids discovered a love for skateboarding and riding scooters. With them, she began visiting Sofia’s only skatepark and found joy in watching young people immerse themselves in their passion with energy and dedication rather than spending their time glued to a smartphone. The photographer started capturing these portraits with a vintage twin-lens Rolleiflex camera, sparking curiosity among kids who had never seen a camera like it before. Bulgaria offers very few spaces for sports, social interaction and play, so through this series, Ivanova wants to highlight the pressing need for more recreational spaces and show that ‘rolling is infinitely cooler than staring at a screen.’ (Photo: Mihaela Ivanova, Bulgaria, Shortlist, Professional competition, Sport, 2025 Sony World Photography Awards)

Over the summer, Bulgaria-based Mihaela Ivanova’s kids discovered a love for skateboarding and riding scooters. (Photo: Mihaela Ivanova, Bulgaria, Shortlist, Professional competition, Sport, 2025 Sony World Photography Awards)

Munirah Abdiwahid is a British-Somali female taekwondo athlete whose eyes are firmly set on the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games. Hailing from White City in London, England, she has grit, determination and focus, coupled with strong family and community support. Matthew Joseph was drawn to produce a short film that not only showcases Munirah’s journey but also the wider values that she represents. These still images accompany the film, which shares the title, This Sport Belongs To Them. Filming took place in the church hall where Munirah’s taekwondo club regularly trains, adding another cultural angle to her Somali-Muslim background. This perfectly encapsulates the core values shared by all involved, with community at the heart of everything. This is a project about empowerment, dedication to a cause and a message to the world that everyone has a right to pursue their dreams.(Photo: Matthew Joseph, United Kingdom, Shortlist, Professional competition, Sport, 2025 Sony World Photography Awards)

Munirah Abdiwahid is a British-Somali female taekwondo athlete whose eyes are firmly set on the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games. (Photo: Matthew Joseph, United Kingdom, Shortlist, Professional competition, Sport, 2025 Sony World Photography Awards). DM