415,000 Entries … 200+ countries … Sony World Photography …

Yes … you’ve likely seen this work before 🙂 (as recently as my last post here … sorry) … BUT … what IS new is that “Mother Africa – Aurora” has been selected (announced yesterday) in the ‘Shortlist’ of just fourteen images in the 2023 Sony World Photography Awards for ‘Portraiture’. When you consider that this years Sony World wide awards attracted approximately four hundred and fifteen thousand entries from over two hundred countries, you’ll maybe understand why I’m pretty ‘chuffed’ and grateful that I can now show it again here in this context !

The fourteen short listed Open works in ‘Portraiture’ emanated from photographers around the planet  …  Denmark, the Philippines, Slovakia, USA, Angola, New Zealand, Australia, Nigeria (2), Poland (2) and the UK (3) … (see complete list below). (You may notice that, unusually, Sony decided to put myself and my work in the UK column (place of birth) rather than the more common place of residence column (Aus) … very nice to be British again 😉 )

The Winners and short listed works from this years awards … arguably the Worlds largest and most prestigious … will be published as a collection in a hard cover book ‘Sony World Photography Awards 2023’, … whilst Winning and shortlisted images will be exhibited as part of the Sony World Photography Awards exhibition at beautiful Somerset House in my old home town London from April 14 – May 1, 2023. (Hope my UK family can make it 😉 ).

“Mother Africa” was also short listed this month in “Portrait of Humanity” … a planet wide award and collection of photographic portraiture by the “British Journal of Photography” … and has also received major attention in several other International and Australian awards.

(NB … SO grateful to my subject, delightful African American Australian based Aurora Coulter … Thanks again ‘Rora’ !)

Image © Brian Cassey

Sony World Photography Awards 2023 - "Mother Africa - Aurora" by Brian Cassey Shortlisted in Open Portraiture ©.
Sony World Photography Awards 2023 - "Mother Africa - Aurora" by Brian Cassey Shortlisted in Open Portraiture ©.

‘Veronica’ Wins MIFA Gold …

But wait … there’s more !  Hot on the heels of the wonderful 2022 ‘International Portrait Photographer of the Year’ results … see the post on the 25th of June … has come the results from the 2022 ‘Moscow International Foto Awards’ (MIFA). (N.B – not political or warmongering in any way).

The great new news is my images picked up two gongs … a Winning shiny Gold in the ‘Editorial’ category and a Bronze in the ‘People’ category.

Really stoked to see ‘Veronica – Where Home Brew Kills’ … an image I made (top below) in Mornington Island in the Gulf of Carpentaria whilst covering the story of a dangerous home brew alcohol epidemic in the community … take out the Gold placement in Editorial & Environment. It’s the second time it’s caught the eye, winning an ‘Honourable Mention’ earlier this year in the 2022 17th Pollux Awards. (Will prepare a print for Veronica and her family and deliver to them when next I get to Mornington Island.)

Also in the MIFA mix was my portrait of the delightful African American Aurora (bottom of this post) entitled ‘Mother Africa’ which won a Bronze award in People/Culture. The aim of ‘Mother Africa’ was to represent the ill treatment of Aurora’s African forbears in the America’s over the centuries. The work is racking up a list of recognitions with previous selections in 2022 The Percival Portrait Prize, the 2022 International Color Awards and the 2022 International Portrait Photographer of the Year.

Huge Thanks to Veronica and Aurora … can’t do this stuff without wonderful subjects.

Without overdoing it … there’s a couple of more bits of good news coming … but I’m not allowed at this stage to share the details 🙂

Images © Brian Cassey

Moscow International Foto Awards (MIFA) 2022 Winning images Gold Award - Editorial Environment - "Veronica - Where Home Brew Kills", Bronze Award - People Culture - "Mother Africa" by Brian Cassey

Moscow International Foto Awards (MIFA) 2022 Winning images Gold Award - Editorial Environment - "Veronica - Where Home Brew Kills", Bronze Award - People Culture - "Mother Africa" by Brian Cassey

One Place Better … International Portrait Photographer of the Year …

Chuffed … !  The results just in for the 2022 ‘The International Portrait Photographer of the Year’ awards … and two of my images are represented.

‘The Yarrick Family of Kunhanhaa’ (top below) has been selected as the winner of Second Place  (The Family Sitting) “The International Portrait photographer of the Year”  … and, very nicely includes the award of some ‘folding stuff’ and … rare these days … a glass trophy to whack in the ‘office’. It will also be showcased TWICE in the accompanying book ‘The Top 101 International Portrait Photographs of the Year’ … firstly in the ‘winners’ section  and then in the ‘Top 101’ portraits section.

Also selected in the ‘Top 101’ section of the book is my portrait of gorgeous African American Aurora Coulter … ‘Mother Africa – Aurora’ (also below).

‘The Top 101 International Portrait Photographs of the Year’ book will be available in hard cover and as an ebook in the very near future. Stay tuned for the link …

Both portraits have featured in other earlier International and Australian award selections. Check ’em out on my ‘awards’ page here …

Images © Brian Cassey

2022 International Portrait Photographer of the Year - WINNER 2nd Place - "The Yarrick Family of Kunhanhaa" - The Family Sitting - "Mother Africa - Aurora" - by Brian Cassey

2022 International Portrait Photographer of the Year - WINNER 2nd Place - "The Yarrick Family of Kunhanhaa" - The Family Sitting - "Mother Africa - Aurora" - by Brian Cassey