The future of photography is in good hands.
How can we be sure? Because the Sony World Photography Awards has just released the shortlisted images for its 2020 student and youth competitions – and they are quite something to behold.
Student entrants, from higher education institutions across the world, were challenged to submit images that showed people trying to break invisible barriers, whether natural, social or intellectual and also a body of work connected to sustainability.
The youth competition entrants, meanwhile, were asked between June and December last year to submit up to three images relating to a specific theme each month. The themes included landscape, travel, portraiture and street photography.
The stunning shortlisted pictures, taken by young photographers from the USA to the UK via South Africa, will go on display at Somerset House in London this April.
Scroll down to see just why the judges picked them out…