Italian artist Federico Borella named Photographer of the Year

Jack Guy, CNN

2 minute read

Updated 7:44 PM EDT, Wed April 17, 2019

Italian artist Federico Borella was named Photographer of the Year for "Five Degrees," a documentary series looking at suicide among farmers in Tamil Nadu, India.

Photographer of the Year —

Italian artist Federico Borella was named Photographer of the Year for "Five Degrees," a documentary series looking at suicide among farmers in Tamil Nadu, India.

Federico Borella

Stephan Zirwes won the top prize for his drone shots of public swimming pools in Germany, collected in the series "Cut Outs - Pools 2018."

1st Place, Professional - Architecture —

Stephan Zirwes won the top prize for his drone shots of public swimming pools in Germany, collected in the series "Cut Outs - Pools 2018."

Stephan Zirwes

Finnish photographer Tuomas Uusheimo shot the Paimio Sanatorium, a former tuberculosis sanatorium in southwestern Finland, for his second-place entry.

2nd Place, Professional - Architecture —

Finnish photographer Tuomas Uusheimo shot the Paimio Sanatorium, a former tuberculosis sanatorium in southwestern Finland, for his second-place entry.

Tuomas Uusheimo

Architecture and nature are combined in Peter Franck's "Back to the Future" series.

3rd Place, Professional - Architecture —

Architecture and nature are combined in Peter Franck's "Back to the Future" series.

Peter Franck

Daniel Ochoa de Olza's "Border Wall Prototypes" series took him to Tijuana, Mexico, where he looked on at the walls standing in San Diego, California.

Shortlist, Professional - Architecture —

Daniel Ochoa de Olza's "Border Wall Prototypes" series took him to Tijuana, Mexico, where he looked on at the walls standing in San Diego, California.

Daniel Ochoa de Olza

Inspired by the likes of Mark Rothko and James Turrell, Dimitri Bogachuk's "Space of Light" captured shadows and windows from within stark Soviet buildings.

Shortlist, Professional - Architecture —

Inspired by the likes of Mark Rothko and James Turrell, Dimitri Bogachuk's "Space of Light" captured shadows and windows from within stark Soviet buildings.

Dimitri Bogachuk

In "Home," Felicia Simion transported both traditional and contemporary Romanian tower blocks and houses into the country side.

Shortlist, Professional - Architecture —

In "Home," Felicia Simion transported both traditional and contemporary Romanian tower blocks and houses into the country side.

Felicia Simion

David Behar's "Cabana" captures Miami Beach's most charming structures on white beaches.

Shortlist, Professional - Architecture —

David Behar's "Cabana" captures Miami Beach's most charming structures on white beaches.

David Behar

Michael Najjar sees his "Netropolis" was inspired by the futuristic setting at the heart of director Fritz Lang's seminal "Metropolis" film.

Shortlist, Professional - Architecture —

Michael Najjar sees his "Netropolis" was inspired by the futuristic setting at the heart of director Fritz Lang's seminal "Metropolis" film.

Michael Najjar

Dutch photographer Marinka Masséus took first place in the Creative category with her series "Chosen [not] to be," which focuses on the way in which the visual arts have ignored people with Down syndrome.

1st Place, Professional - Creative —

Dutch photographer Marinka Masséus took first place in the Creative category with her series "Chosen [not] to be," which focuses on the way in which the visual arts have ignored people with Down syndrome.

Marinka Masséus

Leah Schretenthaler shot controversial buildings and infrastructure projects in her native Hawaii for "The Invasive Species of the Built Environment."

2nd Place, Professional - Creative —

Leah Schretenthaler shot controversial buildings and infrastructure projects in her native Hawaii for "The Invasive Species of the Built Environment."

Leah Schretenthaler

In "The Normals," Pol Kurucz cast models, performers and actors from Rio de Janeiro in neon colors.

3rd Place, Professional - Creative —

In "The Normals," Pol Kurucz cast models, performers and actors from Rio de Janeiro in neon colors.

Pol Kurucz

"Sheep Dogs of the North Pole," a series of photo collages by Allan Dransfield, explores "how cultures, memories and phenomena drift and blur between one another as life echoes into the future."

Shortlist, Professional - Creative —

"Sheep Dogs of the North Pole," a series of photo collages by Allan Dransfield, explores "how cultures, memories and phenomena drift and blur between one another as life echoes into the future."

Allan Dransfield

Djeneba Aduayom's "Capsulated" series is "an interpretation of an imaginary inner world expressing numerous emotions and states of minds," according to the artist.

Shortlist, Professional - Creative —

Djeneba Aduayom's "Capsulated" series is "an interpretation of an imaginary inner world expressing numerous emotions and states of minds," according to the artist.

Djeneba Aduayom

Winners: Sony World Photography Awards 2019

CNN —

Italian artist Federico Borella took home the Photographer of the Year prize at the prestigious Sony World Photography Awards 2019, which attracted 327,000 entries from 195 countries.

Borella’s series “Five Degrees” looks at male suicide among farmers in Tamil Nadu, India, an area suffering its worst drought in 140 years.

“As global warming changes the face of life ever more rapidly – particularly in developing and undeveloped nations – the work of artists such as Borella becomes ever more needed,” said Mike Trow, chair of the judges of the Professional section of the competition.

The awards honor a number of photographers across four competitions – Open, Professional, Youth and Student – with the winners announced at a ceremony in London on Wednesday night.

There are 10 categories in the Professional competition, covering diverse areas including documentary, still-life and landscape.

An image from Marinka Masséus' "Chosen [not] to be" series, which one first place in the creative category.

An image from Marinka Masséus' "Chosen [not] to be" series, which one first place in the creative category.

Marinka Masséus

Dutch photographer Marinka Masséus took first place in the Creative category with her series “Chosen [not] to be,” which focuses on the way in which the visual arts have ignored people with Down syndrome.

“With ‘Chosen [not]to be’ I reflect on their reality – the barriers they face, society’s refusal to see their capabilities, the invisibility of their true selves – and translate their experiences visually,” Masséus said in a press statement.

Second place went to US photographer Leah Schretenthaler, whose project “The Invasive Species of the Built Environment” looks at controversial building projects in Hawaii, while Pol Kurucz of France came third with “The Normals,” which looks at the eccentrics who defy societal norms in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

In the Architecture category, Stephan Zirwes won the top prize for his drone shots of public swimming pools in Germany, known as “Cut Outs - Pools 2018.”

A shot from Stephan Zirwes' award-winning "Cut Outs - Pools 2018" series.

A shot from Stephan Zirwes' award-winning "Cut Outs - Pools 2018" series.

Stephan Zirwes

Finnish photographer Tuomas Uusheimo shot the Paimio Sanatorium, a former tuberculosis sanatorium in southwestern Finland, for his second-place entry, which captures the 1933 Functionalist edifice built by architects Alvar and Aino Aalto.

In third place is “Back to the Future,” German photographer Peter Franck’s collection of collages that bring architecture and nature together.

Nadav Kander, an Israeli-born photographer based in London, received the Outstanding Contribution to Photography prize from the World Photography Organisation, which set up the awards.

Shortlisted and winning images will be exhibited at Somerset House in London from April 18 to May 6, 2019.