‘Looking for the Missing Piece’. An original architectural solution consisting of three striking buildings of different heights, connected by a terraced podium that wants to emulate the concept of a valley between the mountains (hence the building’s name). Valley, Amsterdam, Netherlands. © Angiolo Manetti, Italy, Shortlist, Open Competition, Architecture, 2023 Sony World Photography Awards

‘The Squashed House’. A house sandwiched between two rocks on a spit of land on the coast of Brittany, France. Thankfully, it was a very calm day when I took this photograph, which emphasised the pink granite in the otherwise tranquil setting. © Robert Bolton, United Kingdom, Shortlist, Open Competition, Architecture, 2023 Sony World Photography Awards

‘Temperate House at Kew Gardens’. The Temperate House at Kew Gardens, London, on a clear summer day. I created this panorama from three images, which I converted to black and white. © Tony Cowburn, United Kingdom, Shortlist, Open Competition, Architecture, 2023 Sony World Photography Awards

‘Abandoned Complex’. Although it is abandoned, this building in Japan is beautiful and has a strong presence. I was conscious of making sure my camera was aligned horizontally and vertically when shooting. © Yuya Takahashi, Japan, Shortlist, Open Competition, Architecture, 2023 Sony World Photography Awards

‘Heydar Aliyev Centre’. The Heydar Aliyev Centre was designed to become the primary building for Azerbaijan’s cultural programs. It breaks from the rigid and often monumental Soviet architecture that is so prevalent in Baku, the country’s capital, aspiring instead to express the sensibilities of Azeri culture and the optimism of a nation looking to the future. © Donell Gumiran, Philippines, Shortlist, Open Competition, Architecture, 2023 Sony World Photography Awards

‘Monte Rosa Hut – Blue Hour’. I took this photograph as part of my Modern Alpine Architecture series. After crossing a glacier and hiking for many hours we arrived at the mountain hut and stayed there for the night. Early in the morning, before sunrise, I started my drone to capture the first light of the new day falling on this beautiful piece of architecture. © Albrecht Voss, Germany, Shortlist, Open Competition, Architecture, 2023 Sony World Photography Awards

‘The Peanut Art Gallery’. This tiny art gallery is made of 88 different pieces of wood, placed on a very, very small island. It is a tiny, innovative piece of architecture that is worth visiting on a warm summer day. © Kjell Vikestad, Norway, Shortlist, Open Competition, Architecture, 2023 Sony World Photography Awards

‘The Observer’. The Pass Museum on the Timmelsjoch is located at an altitude of 2,509m and documents the history of the Alpine region between Tyrol and South Tyrol. It has the spectacular shape of a boulder and was built by the South Tyrolean architect Werner Tscholl in a very daring place. In search of unusual alpine architecture, I became aware of this impressive concrete building. I obtained permission to spend the night there because the pass road would close overnight. Suddenly, heavy dark clouds appeared, which then seemed to cling to the mountains. Strong wind and freezing cold snow showers surprised me. The atmosphere was incredibly intense. The museum seemed to loom menacingly out of the mountain, like an observer seeing everything and everyone. © Margit Lisa Roeder, Germany, Shortlist, Open Competition, Architecture, 2023 Sony World Photography Awards

‘City of Dawson’. A portrait set against a photograph of the Old Nairobi cityscape, within the construction of the new city. © Peter Irungu, Kenya, Shortlist, Open Competition, Creative, 2023 Sony World Photography Awards

‘Memoirs of Lockdown’. The Covid-19 pandemic affected many people’s lives in many different ways. This picture is a metaphor that describes how people reacted during isolation or lockdown; some people struggled with stress and boredom, but some handled the situation by doing activities that kept them occupied. © Hardijanto Budyman, Indonesia, Shortlist, Open Competition, Creative, 2023 Sony World Photography Awards

‘The Beach’. A different beach where people come with their worries and to put an end to them, here they are diluted until they disappear. © Angel Ros Die, Spain, Shortlist, Open Competition, Creative, 2023 Sony World Photography Awards

‘Cubist Still Life’. This is one of the images from my Dialogue with Art series, in which I reference my favourite artists. This particular image was inspired by Pablo Picasso, and was created using my camera’s multiple-exposure setting. © Elli Asker, Azerbaijan, Shortlist, Open Competition, Creative, 2023 Sony World Photography Awards

‘Bobo’s Socks’. My friend’s rescued lurcher, posing in a laundry room. © Enda Burke, Ireland, Shortlist, Open Competition, Creative, 2023 Sony World Photography Awards

‘Tree and Electric Wire and 「 」’. There are many electricity poles and electric wires in Japan’s streets. In this man-made landscape, they are intertwined and interlaced with the tree branches and the natural world around them; the end result is not beautiful. I associate them with loneliness and death. At the end, I recompose the image of a devil. © Chenghao Zhao, China Mainland, Shortlist, Open Competition, Creative, 2023 Sony World Photography Awards

‘The Last Resort’. When I start to read a book, the door to a magical world opens. Reading is my refuge, a last resort for me. © Yi Han, China Mainland, Shortlist, Open Competition, Creative, 2023 Sony World Photography Awards

‘Perun’. A portrait of a pure Arabian stallion named Perun. © Kinga Wnuk, Poland, Shortlist, Open Competition, Creative, 2023 Sony World Photography Awards DM/ML