World in pictures: 42 jaw-dropping photos from Sony World Photography Awards finalists

A chinstrap penguin stands on a floating iceberg near the South Orkney Islands captured by Alex Pansier of the Netherlands; open competition shortlist for natural world and wildlife category, Sony World Photography Awards 2023. (Alex Pansier, Sony World Photography Awards 2023)

An impromptu street basketball game at midnight in New York City during Fleet Week in May 2022 photographed by Kathryn Mussallem of Canada; open competition shortlist for street photography category, Sony World Photography Awards 2023. (Kathryn Mussallem, Sony World Photography Awards 2023)

A spotted owlet photographed at the National Botanical Garden of Bangladesh by Protap Shekhor Mohanto of Bangladesh; open competition shortlist for natural world and wildlife category, Sony World Photography Awards 2023. (Protap Shekhor Mohanto, Sony World Photography Awards 2023)

Immersion of lord Ganesha on the final day of 10 days of the Ganpati festival in Mumbai taken by Ankur Tambde of India; open competition shortlist for travel category, Sony World Photography Awards 2023. (Ankur Tambde, Sony World Photography Awards 2023)

A mantis shrimp protects its thousands of eggs in this photo captured by Andrea Michelutti of Italy; open competition shortlist for natural world and wildlife category, Sony World Photography Awards 2023. (Andrea Michelutti, Sony World Photography Awards 2023)

"Mama's Family" taken at Agbura community, Bayelsa state, Nigeria, by Christopher Wonder of Nigeria; open competition shortlist for portraiture category, Sony World Photography Awards 2023. (Christopher Wonder, Sony World Photography Awards 2023)

A ski jump in Ruka, Finland, photographed by Isabel Bielderman of the Netherlands; open competition shortlist for landscape category, Sony World Photography Awards 2023. (Isabel Bielderman, Sony World Photography Awards 2023)

Party girls yell and toast through the sunroof of a pink limo in downtown Queretaro, Mexico, captured by Ricardo Garcia Mainou of Mexico; open competition shortlist for motion category, Sony World Photography Awards 2023. (Ricardo Garcia Mainou, Sony World Photography Awards 2023)

An Elvis tribute artist captured at the Viva Vegas venue in Blackpool, England, by Cath Muldowney of the United Kingdom; open competition shortlist for street photography category, Sony World Photography Awards 2023. (Cath Muldowney, Sony World Photography Awards 2023)

"Stoat's game" by Jose Manuel Grandio of Spain; open competition shortlist for natural world and wildlife category, Sony World Photography Awards 2023. (Jose Manuel Grandio, Sony World Photography Awards 2023)

A rescued lurcher poses in a laundry room taken by Enda Burke of Ireland; open competition shortlist for creative category, Sony World Photography Awards 2023. (Enda Burke, Sony World Photography Awards 2023)

Views from a hike at Pindus National Park in Greece documented by Giorgos Rousopoulos of Greece; open competition landscape category winner, Sony World Photography Awards 2023. (Giorgos Rousopoulos, Sony World Photography Awards 2023)

The famous hot springs at Guroymak, Bitlis, Turkey, photographed by Erhan Coral of Turkey; open competition shortlist for travel category, Sony World Photography Awards 2023. (Erhan Coral, Sony World Photography Awards 2023)

Two artists photographed at a tattoo fair in Austria in spring 2022 by Markus Pasa of Austria; open competition shortlist for lifestyle category, Sony World Photography Awards 2023. (Markus Pasa, Sony World Photography Awards 2023)

The moon rises behind a mountain captured by Jordi Coy of Spain; open competition shortlist for landscape category, Sony World Photography Awards 2023. (Jordi Coy, Sony World Photography Awards 2023)

A cowgirl barrel races in Ontario Canada in Aug. 2022 captured by Zhenhuan Zhou of China; open competition motion category winner, Sony World Photography Awards 2023. (Zhenhuan Zhou, Sony World Photography Awards 2023)

Playtime in an Amish schoolyard taken from a moving car in October 2022 by Jean Veron of France; open competition shortlist for lifestyle category, Sony World Photography Awards 2023. (Jean Veron, Sony World Photography Awards 2023)

"She is Bagheera" captured during a dog agility competition in Italy by Francesco Junior Mura of Italy; open competition shortlist for motion category, Sony World Photography Awards 2023. (Francesco Junior Mura, Sony World Photography Awards 2023)

Crested Caracaras in South Texas pose for a photo by Dinorah Graue Obscura of Mexico; open competition natural world and wildlife category winner, Sony World Photography Awards 2023. (Dinorah Graue Obscura, Sony World Photography Awards 2023)

"Jumping Rope" by Leo Huang of Taiwan; open competition shortlist for motion category, Sony World Photography Awards 2023. (Leo Huang, Sony World Photography Awards 2023)

Germany's Lea Meyer falls head first into the water while competing in the Women's 3000 meter Steeplechase on day two of the World Athletics Championships at Hayward Field, University of Oregon in the United States on July 16, 2022. Picture by Martin Rickett of the United Kingdom; open competition shortlist for motion category, Sony World Photography Awards 2023. (Martin Rickett, Sony World Photography Awards 2023)

The Mundari tribe of South Sudan appear like apparitions among the nightly fires they light to keep the tsetse flies and mosquitoes off their beloved Ankole-Watusi cows photographed by Max Vere-Hodge of the United Kingdom; open competition travel category winner, Sony World Photography Awards 2023. (Max Vere-Hodge, Sony World Photography Awards 2023)

A house sandwiched between two rocks on a spit of land on the coast of Brittany, France, captured by Robert Bolton of the United Kingdom; open competition shortlist for architecture category, Sony World Photography Awards 2023. (Robert Bolton, Sony World Photography Awards 2023)

A barn owl is photographed selecting and capturing its prey by Vince Burton of the United Kingdom; open competition shortlist for natural world and wildlife category, Sony World Photography Awards 2023. (Vince Burton, Sony World Photography Awards 2023)

On the night of a new moon in April, with the cherry blossoms in full bloom, the Milky Way rose above Mount Fuji and photographed by Yukihito Ono of Japan;  open competition shortlist for travel category, Sony World Photography Awards 2023. (Yukihito Ono, Sony World Photography Awards 2023)

A volcano in Iceland erupts and spills lava captured by Fabian Pfeifhofer of Italy; open competition shortlist for travel category, Sony World Photography Awards 2023. (Fabian Pfeifhofer, Sony World Photography Awards 2023)

A beach seller sitting down next to his stall in Puglia, Italy, photographed by Lorenzo Grifantini of Italy; open competition shortlist for street photography category, Sony World Photography Awards 2023. (Lorenzo Grifantini, Sony World Photography Awards 2023)

Moonrise in Lapland, Finland, photographed by Roberto Pavic of Croatia; open competition shortlist for landscape category, Sony World Photography Awards 2023. (Roberto Pavic, Sony World Photography Awards 2023)

Apache sisters from Albuquerque, New Mexico, photographed by Lukas Palatinus of Slovakia; open competition shortlist for portraiture category, Sony World Photography Awards 2023. (Lukas Palatinus, Sony World Photography Awards 2023)

Bits of recycling resembling flowers taken by Mieke Douglas of the Netherlands; open competition object category winner, Sony World Photography Awards 2023. (Mieke Douglas, Sony World Photography Awards 2023)

"Puffin at Sunset" captured on the Faroe Islands by James Hunter of the United States; open competition shortlist for natural world and wildlife category, Sony World Photography Awards 2023. (James Hunter, Sony World Photography Awards 2023)

An aerial view of the cranberry harvest at Makepeace Farm in Wareham, Massachusetts, taken by Michael Prince of the United States; open competition shortlist for landscape category, Sony World Photography Awards 2023. (Michael Prince, Sony World Photography Awards 2023)

A Bargibanti Pygmy Seahorse is photographed in the Indo-Pacific in Tulamben, Bali, by Charly Clerisse of France; open competition shortlist for natural world and wildlife category, Sony World Photography Awards 2023. (Charly Clerisse, Sony World Photography Awards 2023)

A morning vision captured by Tibor Prisznyak of Hungary; open competition shortlist for natural world & wildlife category, Sony World Photography Awards 2023. (Tibor Prisznyak, Sony World Photography Awards 2023)

Swimmers in the Bilbao estuary during the 2022 Multisport Triathlon European Championship photographed by Pedro Luis Ajuriaguerra Saiz of Spain; open competition shortlist for motion category, Sony World Photography Awards 2023. (Pedro Luis Ajuriaguerra Saiz, Sony World Photography Awards 2023)

14th-century church tower jutting from Italy's Lake Resia photographed by Pawel Jagiello of Poland; open competition shortlist for travel category, Sony World Photography Awards 2023. (Pawel Jagiello, Sony World Photography Awards 2023)

A young Rajasthani nomad looks after his pet camel captured by Donell Gumiran of the Philippines; open competition shortlist for portraiture category, Sony World Photography Awards 2023. (Donell Gumiran, Sony World Photography Awards 2023)

Earth pyramids in Percha, Italy, formed millions of years ago in the Dolomite mountains, taken by Robert Bilos of Croatia; open competition shortlist for landscape category, Sony World Photography Awards 2023. (Robert Bilos, Sony World Photography Awards 2023)

Photograph of silos and associated buildings at the Port of Brest, France, taken by Mark Benham of the United Kingdom; open competition architecture category winner, Sony World Photography Awards 2023. (Mark Benham, Sony World Photography Awards 2023)

In the area surrounding Nordenskjold Land National Park in Svalbard (Spitsbergen) a lone polar bear is exposed on the rocks where a decade ago stood a glacier captured by Mark Fitzsimmons of Australia; open competition shortlist for natural world and wildlife category, Sony World Photography Awards 2023. (Mark Fitzsimmons, Sony World Photography Awards 2023)

A cob of corn posed by Roberto Emiliano Porsella Jurado of Argentina; open competition shortlist for object category, Sony World Photography Awards 2023. ( Roberto Emiliano Porsella Jurado, Sony World Photography Awards 2023)

A portrait of a pure Arabian stallion named Perun created by Kinga Wnuk of Poland; open competition shortlist for creative category, Sony World Photography Awards 2023. (Kinga Wnuk, Sony World Photography Awards 2023)