British Photographer Named Photographer Of The Year At Sony WPAs

© Alys Tomlinson, United Kingdom, Photographer of the Year, Professional competition, Discovery, 2018 Sony World Photography Awards

The World Photography Organisation has named British photographer Alys Tomlinson as Photographer of the Year at the Sony World Photography Awards.

Upon winning the Award, Tomlinson said "I am very surprised to have won, there is so much amazing photography in this competition. This is a huge boost both personally and professionally. It’s a project I invested so much in, so this recognition makes it all worth it."

It's the first time in 10 years that the award has been given to a British photographer. Tomlinson was also named winner of the Professional Discovery category. That wasn't all for British success this year. London based photographer Tom Oldham was named as winner of the Professional Portraiture category, Glaswegian Margaret Mitchell was awarded second place in the Professional Still Life category and long-term UK resident Edgar Martins won the Professional Still Life category and was awarded second place in the Professional Architecture category.  

London-based photographer Alys Tomlinson was chosen from the 10 Professional category winners to win Photographer of the Year. Her series, Ex-Voto, won the Discovery category for its striking and beautiful presentation of pilgrims at their sites of pilgrimage across Europe. The work was praised by the jury for its beautiful production, technical excellence and sensitive illustration of pilgrimage as a journey of discovery and sacrifice to a greater power.

See all the 2018 winning images on the Sony World Photography Awards website.