Children of Salisbury – Back in the Water. In my project Children of Salisbury: Life After Lockdown, I tell stories of how the pandemic, despite all its upheavals and challenges, has had a positive impact on Salisbury’s children. As a competitive swimmer, dedicating endless hours to the water is part of daily life for this girl. Lockdown shut that down overnight, and it crystallised how much she loved swimming. She relished her first time back in the water and resembled a dolphin being returned to the wild, emanating undisguised pleasure as she flipped about. When training finally resumed, she dived back into the water with a renewed passion that only an enforced break could have engendered. © Gemma Brunton, United Kingdom, Shortlist, Open, Lifestyle, 2021 Sony World Photography Awards

After Show. Ballet backstage. © Alexey Tsiler, Russian Federation, Shortlist, Open, Lifestyle, 2021 Sony World Photography Awards

Farmers Clearing Chickpeas. The chilly autumn shakes the bodies . When harvesting times arrive, rural men sift their crops to separate stones from the chickpeas. © Hamed Rahmati, Iran, Shortlist, Open, Lifestyle, 2021 Sony World Photography Awards

Aquaincess. ‘Aquaincess’ was shot in Byron Bay, Australia, using a DJI Mavic Pro 2, and shows a woman enjoying her summer holidays in the pool. © Brad Walls, Australia, Shortlist, Open, Lifestyle, 2021 Sony World Photography Awards

Cowgirl. This woman works with horses on a farm and competes in barrel racing at rodeos. It’s a lifestyle that appeals to me. I took the photograph in rural Brasília, which is the capital of Brazil. © Isabela Teresa Basilio Neri, Brazil, Shortlist, Open, Lifestyle, 2021 Sony World Photography Awards

Healing Vibes. The hot springs of Bagno Vignoni flow out at a temperature of around 49°C. They were appreciated by the Romans for their healing powers, and have been used as therapeutic treatments since the 12th century, under Emperor Federico II. © Stefano Butturini, Italy, Shortlist, Open, Lifestyle, 2021 Sony World Photography Awards

Días de Playa. Summer, Mediterranean Sea, Spain, Alicante, beach and morning walk: a way of life. © Mariano Belmar , Spain, Category Winner, Open, Lifestyle, 2021 Sony World Photography Awards

Fury in the Slaughterhouse Car Concert. Christof Stein-Schneider of the band Fury in the Slaughterhouse during a Covid-compatible concert in Hannover. They played in front of about 1,000 cars, with indicators, warning lights and high beams replacing the applause. The flag depicts Christof’s guitar, ‘l’Humanité’, which was designed by the contemporary artist Andora, to honour Christof’s positive impact on society. This impact has continued through lockdown with the concert allowing fans to experience culture, the musicians to play on stage, and both musicians and crew to have the opportunity to work and earn money. © Holger Bücker, Germany, Shortlist, Open, Lifestyle, 2021 Sony World Photography Awards

The Horse Next Door. A curious horse looks out of its stable window, while a little bird flies away, scared by the prying eye. © Francesco Lopazio, Italy, Shortlist, Open, Street Photography, 2021 Sony World Photography Awards

Urban Animal. Shot in India. © Dimpy Bhalotia, India, Shortlist, Open, Street Photography, 2021 Sony World Photography Awards

Beauty in the Making. Women getting eyelash extensions, Bangkok, Thailand. 23 January 2020. Taken at an outdoor beauty shop of sorts in Bangkok, Thailand. These women had just had long eyelashes glued in place, and were sealing them in place with hairdryers and fans. Both the composition and lighting seemed lovely, so I snapped the scene up close. © David Keith Brown, United States of America, Shortlist, Open, Street Photography, 2021 Sony World Photography Awards

Love in the Time of Corona. The spirit of youth prevails, even in difficult times. © Dina Alfasi, Israel, Shortlist, Open, Street Photography, 2021 Sony World Photography Awards

A labourer unloads cabbages from a truck at the Da Nyin Gone market in Yangon, Myanmar. © Soemyint Winn, Myanmar, Shortlist, Open, Street Photography, 2021 Sony World Photography Awards

Bus Stop. Taken at a bus stop on an esplanade in Kolkata one summer’s afternoon. © Basu Deb, India, Shortlist, Open, Street Photography, 2021 Sony World Photography Awards

Night in Pandemic Time. Taken at the Pondok Ranggon Cemetery, Jakarta, late one afternoon. The funeral officers were having a break, watching videos on their smartphones and chatting with their families. © Ares Jonekson Saragi, Indonesia, Shortlist, Open, Street Photography, 2021 Sony World Photography Awards

Street Food. Snowy nights in Toronto make for great photographic opportunities. © Gary Cummins, Ireland, Shortlist, Open, Street Photography, 2021 Sony World Photography Awards

Kings of Camden Town. From the streets of London. © Tomasz Kowalski, Poland, Shortlist, Open, Street Photography, 2021 Sony World Photography Awards

Let me peek at that! Can you resist a pair of legs? Little Ettore can’t, apparently. © Tommaso Galli, Italy, Shortlist, Open, Street Photography, 2021 Sony World Photography Awards

Redyk. Redyk is a traditional annual march of shepherds with their sheep. Each summer, the sheep are taken high up into the mountains to graze for a few months; in October, they return to the villages for winter – an event that is much celebrated. Shepherds lead the flock through the villages, while locals welcome them with music and cheering. Despite the traffic problems it causes, everybody is happy to see them. During the summer grazing, the shepherds sleep in small wooden houses without electricity or running water. All they have is what nature provides. © Bartlomiej Jurecki, Poland, Shortlist, Open, Street Photography, 2021 Sony World Photography Awards

Disinfection. During the coronavirus pandemic, the Health Affairs unit of Ankara Municipality sprays all public transportation, day and night. © F.Dilek Uyar, Turkey, Category Winner, Open, Street Photography, 2021 Sony World Photography Awards

Road Construction. A portrait of labour. © Shirsendu Banerjee, India, Shortlist, Open, Portraiture, 2021 Sony World Photography Awards

Queezy. My personal work explores youth identity and concepts of representation in South Africa. This image, from a piece featuring young musicians in Cape Town, depicts Queezy at his grandmother’s home in Vanguard. Queezy is a multifaceted artist whose work confronts South African political history, with a particular focus on gender. © Justin Keene, United Kingdom, Shortlist, Open, Portraiture, 2021 Sony World Photography Awards

Only a Dreamer. Young people are often labelled as tsotsi, drug abusers, nyaope kids – a generation in crisis. I believe these narrow-minded opinions to be untrue, as my experience of such youth is that they work hard to try to secure a better future for themselves and their families. This is the story of Fortune, who is 22 years old, and was born and raised in Alexander, South Africa. He has no hopes of higher education because it is out of reach financially, but he is utilising his gifts as a musician. All he can do is dream, like most black African township youth, that one day his talent will pay off. © King (Tendai) Mtambisi, Zimbabwe, Shortlist, Open, Portraiture, 2021 Sony World Photography Awards

Tae Jung and Ha Ru I. The Korean Baek-il party is a centuries-old tradition. It celebrates a child’s 100th day and came into being because of Korea’s high infant mortality rate during the 18th century. On the 100th day, a family traditionally prays and gives food offerings to thank the Shaman Spirit of Childbirth for the child having survived this difficult period. During the celebration, parents dress their babies in the traditional Korean ‘Hanbok’, as worn by my niece Ha Ru in this image. Owing to the Covid-19 pandemic, relatives and friends joined in a video call to celebrate this memorable moment for my niece. This portrait shows my younger sister, Tae Jung, celebrating this milestone with her daughter, and is an attempt to reflect on the vulnerability of life and the strength of motherhood during these unprecedented times. © Heun Jung Kim, Korea (Republic of), Shortlist, Open, Portraiture, 2021 Sony World Photography Awards

Porto BLM. This boy was alone during Porto’s Black Lives Matter protests, and I could feel the emotion in his eyes. When I look at this image, I can recall the intensity of feeling that existed on that day. © Jose Pessoa Neto, Portugal, Shortlist, Open, Portraiture, 2021 Sony World Photography Awards

The Singing Bowl. My father after he has meditated, holding his singing bowl and looking towards the light. The photograph emits the calmness he feels. My dad meditates to help him cope with his mental health. Copyright: © Rhianna Payne, United Kingdom, Shortlist, Open, Portraiture, 2021 Sony World Photography Awards

Dream Set Sail. Thirteen-year-old Cairen Suonan holds a model airplane at the home of a Tibetan herder in Yushu, Qinghai Province. It was given to him two years earlier, when he was invited by an airline to travel to Beijing. His dream is to be a pilot in the future. © Zeng Jinwen, China, Shortlist, Open, Portraiture, 2021 Sony World Photography Awards

Wishbowl. This image was created at the start of lockdown, when everything seemed so confined and all I wanted was to find a bubble of peace. © Kylli Sparre, Estonia, Shortlist, Open, Creative, 2021 Sony World Photography Awards

Chameleon. What is hidden behind the human shell? Whether good or bad, it is only by removing all the tinsel that you can see the soul. © Georgе Shpuntov, Russian Federation, Shortlist, Open, Creative, 2021 Sony World Photography Awards

LYTHAM JETTY. © Stefan Pankow, United Kingdom, Shortlist, Open, Object, 2021 Sony World Photography Awards

African Victorian. 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, Open Photographer of the Year, Open, Creative, 2021 Sony World Photography Awards DM/ ML