The Sony Alpha Awards 2023 Are Back And Open For Entries

SYDNEY, 21 February 2023 – The 2023 Sony
Alpha Awards marks the eighth year of the photo competition
showcasing incredible photography captured on Sony cameras
and lenses. The Alpha Awards aim to reinvigorate and
reconnect photographers across the region, reward
professionals and enthusiasts alike, and provide a platform
for the greatest photography work captured on Sony Alpha
cameras and lenses, across Australia and New
Zealand.

Categories
continue to represent the diverse range and passions of all
Sony photographers, allowing entrants to submit their work
across ten categories, including Astrophotography,
City/Street, Creative, Editorial, Landscape, Nature,
Portrait, Seascape, Sports and Wedding.

$50,000
worth of Sony camera gear will be available to win at the
2023 Alpha Awards – including $4,000 of Sony digital
imaging gear per category and each of the category finalists
will be in with the chance to win the overall Grand Prize of
Sony digital imaging gear to the value of $10,000.

All
applicants for the Open categories can submit up to five
entries through the submissions
page. Eligible images must be taken with Sony Digital
Imaging cameras (body and lens or integrated camera).
Submissions will close on 25th June
2023.

All entries to the Sony Alpha Awards are free
via the submissions
page.

Key dates:

20 February 2023,
12:00pm – entries for the Alpha Awards open

25
June 2023, 11:59pm – entries for the Alpha Awards
close

2023 Sony Alpha Awards – Prize and Category
Summary

Prizes:

Grand Prize: Sony digital
imaging gear to the value of $10,000

Category
Prize Winners: Sony digital imaging gear to the value of
$4,000 for each category
winner

Categories:

Astrophotography

A
photograph that prominently features the night sky. Judges
in this category are looking for images that demonstrate
exceptional mastery of this field’s significant technical
constraints, alongside the aesthetic considerations of the
Landscape category. Composite images that do not alter the
explicit content of the image are allowed (i.e., exposure
blending, colour compositing, dark frame subtraction). Pure
starfield images may be submitted, but judging will be based
on aesthetic and pictorial criteria; astronomy work that
lacks aesthetic impact may not be highly awarded, in spite
of technical excellence.

City /
Street

This category covers any image that
documents life in an urban centre. Both people and places
will be considered. Judges in this category are looking for
images that give insight into urban life or reveal
unexpected or extraordinary
aesthetics.

Creative

A category which
rewards originality, experimentation and imagination,
Creative is for photo composite images. Any number of
photos can be used and edited together to form an image of a
subject, object, environment, idea, or concept. All elements
used in the composite must be captured by the submitting
photographer, and should the submission reach the final
round of judging, entrants will be required to submit the
original layered file and/or contributing images. Judges in
this category are looking for a clear concept, executed with
sensitivity to the subject matter and a high level of
technical competence.

Editorial

Submitted
images should be drawn from a body of work, commissioned or
otherwise. Subject matter can range from commercial work to
photo reportage documenting current affairs, newsworthy
events, etc. For an image which reaches the final stage of
judging, the photographer will be required to submit the
full body of work for context. Judges in this category are
looking for clear storytelling, executed both within the
individual image and, for finalists, sustained throughout
the series.

Landscape

A photo of a place
and/or thing, typically the natural world. Judges in this
category are looking for unique and powerful framings, or
new takes on familiar scenes. Technical photographic
excellence is needed, but final decisions in this category
are made on the basis of a photographer’s use of colour,
composition and sensitive post-production to complement the
scene presented. Photo compositing in this category for
technical purposes will not be penalised, but composites
from significantly different times/places are grounds for
disqualification. Photographs that qualify for consideration
in Astrophotography or Seascape are unlikely
to receive an award in this
category.

Nature

A photo of the natural
living world. Animals, plants, fungi – if it’s alive, it
counts. Judges in this category are looking for images that
reveal something new or unexpected from the natural world
around us. As a hotly contested category, technical
considerations are often a factor in deciding the top
contenders for Nature.

Domesticated animals and
animals in clearly artificial settings or captivity are
unlikely to be awarded.

Portrait

A photo
of a person who is aware of the photographer and
participating in the creation of the photo. Judging in this
category will reward photos that reveal more than just the
surface of the subject. Candid photography is not considered
in this category.

Seascape

A landscape
photograph that prominently features the sea. Judges in this
category are looking for unique and powerful framings, or
new takes on familiar scenes. Technical photographic
excellence is needed, but final decisions in this category
are made on the basis of a photographer’s use of colour,
composition and sensitive post-production to complement the
scene presented.

Sports

A photo of a
sport being played or related to the culture of a sport.
Judges in this category are looking for images that reveal a
deep understanding of the sport being documented, and which
capture either peak action, or something quintessential to
the sport.

Wedding

Photography
documenting a wedding. Judges in this category are looking
for intelligent and intuitive photography that demonstrates
the photographer’s ability to read the environment of a
wedding and zero in on powerful moments, while upholding
aesthetic considerations. Alternatively, pre-wedding work
that goes beneath the surface and speaks to the couple being
photographed. Documentary work related to a wedding will
also be considered.

Please visit the website
for rules and conditions of entry.

About Sony
mirrorless range: Sony is the leader in mirrorless
technology with 9 full-frame bodies; 4 APSC bodies; 40
full-frame lenses; and 20 APSC lenses in market in
Australia. The Alpha mirrorless system gives you an
unmatched range of creative options.

Picture
credits

Grand Prize Winner of the 2022 Sony Alpha
Awards, Caitlin Eafie, Rainfall in
Limbo

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