News Current Events Lovely Moments and Pandemic Images Win Sony Photo Awards Thoughtful portraits and haunting memories are 2021 highlights. By Mary Jo DiLonardo Mary Jo DiLonardo LinkedIn Twitter Senior Writer University of Cincinnati Mary Jo DiLonardo has worked in print, online, and broadcast journalism for 25 years and covers nature, health, science, and animals. Learn about our editorial process Published March 19, 2021 11:32AM EDT Share Twitter Pinterest Email "Electric Storm on Lavender". Juan López Ruiz / 2021 Sony World Photography Awards News Environment Business & Policy Science Animals Home & Design Current Events Treehugger Voices News Archive There's a lovely moment as women walk on a beach and the exciting instant when lightning strikes a beautiful landscape. There are thoughtful portraits and haunting images of the pandemic. The winners of the Open competition of the 2021 Sony World Photography Awards recognize the best single images of 2020 in 10 individual categories. Winners include Juan López Ruiz of Spain who won in the Landscape category with the image above. He captured the moment lightening strikes a field of flowering lavender with a lone tree standing on the horizon. "Electric Storm on Lavender" was taken in Brihuega, Guadalajara, Spain. More than 100 photographers were also shortlisted in the 2021 competition in addition to the 10 winners. The Open winner will be announced on April 15. Here's a look at the remainder of the Open winners with notes on what each photographer said about their winning image. Architecture: "The Blue Window" Klaus Lenzen / 2021 Sony World Photography Awards "The stairs at the Hyatt hotel in Düsseldorf, Germany." — Klaus Lenzen, Germany Creative: "African Victorian" Tamary Kudita / 2021 Sony World Photography Awards "With this image, I wanted to portray a hybrid African-Victorian: my way of probing the stereotypical contextualisation of the black female body. I provide an alternative version of reality, where dualities fuse to create a new visual language. Taking a Victorian dress and merging it with traditional shona cooking utensils was my way of showing a multifaceted identity." — Tamary Kudita, Zimbabwe Lifestyle: "Dias de Playa" Mariano Belmar / 2021 Sony World Photography Awards "Summer, Mediterranean Sea, Spain, Alicante, beach and morning walk: a way of life." — Mariano Belmar, Spain Motion: "Girl Power" Marijo Maduna / 2021 Sony World Photography Awards "A young girl shows off her skills, diving from a cliff on the island of Lokrum in Croatia." — Marijo Maduna, Croatia Object: "Memento" Kata Zih / 2021 Sony World Photography Awards "Autumn of 2020… Pandemic, lockdown, solitude, memories…" — Kata Zih, Hungary Travel: "Drying Fish" Khanh Phan, Vietnam / 2021 Sony World Photography Awards "A woman dries trays of fish at Long Hai fish market in the Vung Tau province of Vietnam. Thousands of trays of scad are dried on rooftops and in yards by hundreds of workers. I came to Long Hai on a photo trip and was overwhelmed by the scale of the fishing village." — Khanh Phan, Vietnam Portraiture: "Son" Lyudmila Sabanina / 2021 Sony World Photography Awards "Another side of childhood: contemplation and calm." — Lyudmila Sabanina, Russian Federation Street Photography: "Disinfection" F. Dilek Uyar / 2021 Sony World Photography Awards "During the coronavirus pandemic, the Health Affairs unit of Ankara Municipality sprays all public transportation, day and night." — F. Dilek Uyar, Turkey Natural World and Wildlife: "Little Kiss" Cristo Pihlamäe / 2021 Sony World Photography Awards "Little kiss?" — Cristo Pihlamäe, Estonia Beyond the winners, these are some of the shortlist entries in various categories. "Breath" — Creative Shortlist Joosep Kivimäe / 2021 Sony World Photography Awards "This image was taken during lockdown in Estonia, when I took part in a project called ‘Isolation Dialogues’. In it, two photographers/artists would ‘speak’ to each other only through images they created. Words were not allowed. My image symbolises a change in my mindset, a breath of fresh air, and letting go. There has been no manipulation of the image, barring some colour grading and minor removal of plastic rubbish using the healing brush tool." — Joosep Kivimäe, Estonia "Ciara #5" — Motion Shortlist Daniel Portch / 2021 Sony World Photography Awards "Storm Ciara at Newhaven, East Sussex." — Daniel Portch, United Kingdom "Leopard Foals" — Natural World and Wildlife Shortlist Inger Rønnenfelt / 2021 Sony World Photography Awards "I photographed these leopard fillies when I visited a leopard horse breeder who lives outside Copenhagen. She has 24 of these horses and I was in heaven. It’s a very old breed that can even be seen in cave paintings in France." — Inger Rønnenfelt, Denmark "A Quiet Autumn Day" — Travel Shortlist Rune Mattsson / 2021 Sony World Photography Awards "On a trip along the coastal highway in northern Norway, I found this old boathouse in Gildeskål. It was a beautiful autumn day, with great light and reflections." — Rune Mattsson, Norway "Ezo Red Fox" — Natural World & Wildlife Shortlist Yuta Doto / 2021 Sony World Photography Awards "Taken in Biei, Hokkaido, Japan, I focused on the point at which the fox was likely to appear in the dusk." — Yuta Doto, Japan "Frío Cálido" — Travel Shortlist Alexis Guevara / 2021 Sony World Photography Awards "An ecosystem of large hills with pine trees surrounds the Laguna Larga in Los Azufres, Mexico. At sunrise, the water gives off steam, which, because of the minerals found in the area, generates a thick mist." — Alexis Guevara, Mexico