World Photography Organisation
A British photography company and international platform best known for the Sony World Photography Awards and Photofairs.
Last updated August 22, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
The World Photography Organisation is a British photography company established in 2007 by Scott Gray. It develops and delivers international photography competitions, exhibitions, fairs, awards programs and related cultural events. The organisation is best known for creating and operating the Sony World Photography Awards, an annual global competition covering professional, open, youth and student photography. It also operates Photofairs, an art-fair brand focused on photography, moving image and related visual-media practices, and has produced exhibitions and photography platforms for external partners. The organisation's work extends beyond a single annual awards ceremony. It maintains a year-round program that connects photographers, galleries, curators, publishers, museums, commercial partners and audiences. Its events have included exhibitions dedicated to individual artists, thematic programs about photography and presentations involving artists and curators from more than 20 countries. The resulting model combines competition, public exhibition, professional recognition, commercial partnerships and educational or networking activity. The Sony World Photography Awards are the organisation's principal public-facing property. The awards recognise work made during the preceding year across multiple genres and are divided into four principal competitions: Series, formerly known as Professional, for bodies of work across ten categories; Single Image, formerly known as Open, for individual photographs across ten categories; Youth, for photographers aged 12 to 19; and Student, for photography students. Judging is conducted by figures drawn from museums, galleries, publishing, writing, curatorial practice and the arts, with support from the World Photographic Academy. According to the organisation's reference material, more than 1.5 million images from over 200 countries and territories had been submitted since the awards began. The awards program includes the Photographer of the Year prize, category and series awards, and the Outstanding Contribution to Photography honour. Recipients have included photographers such as Vanessa Winship, William Eggleston, Martin Parr, Nadav Kander, Graciela Iturbide, Edward Burtynsky and Sebastião Salgado. Winners receive a combination of financial awards, Sony digital-imaging equipment, publication in the annual awards book and opportunities to exhibit internationally. The annual ceremony began in Cannes and subsequently became associated with London, where it is followed by an exhibition at Somerset House and a touring presentation of winning and shortlisted work. In 2014, the organisation created Photofairs as a specialist fair format for photography and moving image. The concept ranges from traditional still photography to large-scale installations, video works and technology-oriented practices. The fairs combine gallery presentations with collector-oriented VIP programs and public events. Shanghai has hosted annual editions, while the brand has also held editions in San Francisco. The World Photography Organisation has also developed partner-led programs. The Zeiss Photography Award, launched in 2015 with Zeiss, invited photographers to submit coherent bodies of work responding to a selected theme. The award emphasised narrative strength and offered a package that included Zeiss lenses, project travel support, a London exhibition and the chance to work with Zeiss and the organisation. The company is currently a subsidiary of Creo, Scott Gray's art-events business, and remains active as an international platform for photographic culture.
History
The World Photography Organisation was founded in 2007 by Scott Gray as a British company dedicated to developing an international platform for photography. From the outset, its activities were broader than a conventional competition organiser: the organisation sought to connect photographers with audiences, museums, galleries, publishers, curators and commercial partners through awards, exhibitions and events. Its principal initiative became the Sony World Photography Awards. The awards are held annually and recognise photographs and photographic projects made during the preceding year. The program developed into four main competitions: Series, previously called Professional, for bodies of work; Single Image, previously called Open, for individual photographs; Youth, for photographers aged 12 to 19; and Student, for photography students. Judging is conducted by professionals from the museum, gallery, publishing, curatorial, writing and artistic communities, with support from the World Photographic Academy. The awards have attracted submissions from a large international field, with more than 1.5 million images from over 200 countries and territories reported since the program's beginning. The awards also created a recurring public and professional calendar. An early ceremony was held in Cannes, while later ceremonies became associated with London each April. The ceremony is followed by an exhibition at Somerset House presenting winning and shortlisted works, after which the exhibition travels to other locations. The awards package has included cash prizes, Sony digital-imaging equipment, publication in an annual book and attendance at the London ceremony for overall and series winners. The organisation also established the Outstanding Contribution to Photography honour, which has recognised influential photographers, artists and figures in photographic culture. In 2014, the organisation expanded into the art-fair sector with Photofairs. The brand was designed to present photography and moving image through galleries and artists, covering both traditional photographic practice and newer forms such as video, installation and technology-led work. Its format includes collector and VIP activity as well as public programming. Shanghai became an important location for the fair, and the brand also held two editions in San Francisco. The organisation continued to build partnership-based programs. In 2015, it launched the Zeiss Photography Award with Zeiss. Unlike a single-image contest, the award invited photographers to submit bodies of work responding to a selected theme and placed particular emphasis on narrative. The prize package included Zeiss lenses, travel support for a photographic project, a London exhibition and an opportunity to work with Zeiss and the World Photography Organisation. Winners between 2016 and 2020 included Tamina-Florentine Zuch, Kevin Faingnaert, Nick Hannes, Rory Doyle and KyeongJun Yang. The organisation's wider event-production activity includes exhibitions of individual artists and platforms dealing with photography as a subject, often involving artists and curators from multiple countries. This gives it a dual role: it operates proprietary brands such as the Sony World Photography Awards and Photofairs, while also producing cultural events for partners. The company is now a subsidiary of Creo, the art-events company associated with founder Scott Gray. It remains active as an international photography platform.
- 2015
Zeiss Photography Award introduced
[1]A collaboration with Zeiss created a themed international competition for photographic bodies of work.
- 2014
Photofairs created
[1]The organisation launched an art-fair brand dedicated to fine-art photography, moving image and related visual practices.
- 2008
First Sony World Photography Awards ceremony
[1]The awards held their first ceremony in Cannes and began their annual cycle of competitions and exhibitions.
- 2007
World Photography Organisation founded
[1]Scott Gray established the British company to develop international photography competitions, exhibitions and events.
Sony World Photography Awards expand their international reach
[1]The awards reported more than 1.5 million submitted images from over 200 countries and territories since inception.
Products and positioning
An international photography and visual-culture platform that combines global competitions, artist recognition, exhibitions, fairs and partner programs.
Photography competition and awards program · 2008
Sony World Photography Awards
The organisation's best-known annual program recognises photography from around the world. Its main competitions cover multi-image series, individual photographs, young photographers aged 12 to 19 and photography students. Entries are judged by museum and gallery directors, curators, publishers, writers and artists. The program includes the Photographer of the Year award, category prizes and the Outstanding Contribution to Photography honour. Winning and shortlisted work is exhibited in London and subsequently shown internationally.
Photography and moving-image art fair · 2014
Photofairs
Photofairs is a specialist fair format created by the World Photography Organisation in 2014. It presents fine-art photography, moving image, large-scale installations, video works and technology-oriented visual practices through galleries and their artists. The program is designed for collectors and the public, combining commercial presentations with VIP and public events. The fair has taken place in Shanghai and previously had two editions in San Francisco.
Partner photography competition · 2015
Zeiss Photography Award
The Zeiss Photography Award was a themed international competition created with Zeiss in 2015. Photographers submitted bodies of work rather than isolated images, and the jury sought projects with a strong narrative. The prize package included Zeiss lenses valued at 12,000 euros, 3,000 euros for project travel, a London exhibition and an opportunity to work with Zeiss and the World Photography Organisation.
Photography exhibition
Sony World Photography Awards Exhibition
The exhibition presents winning and shortlisted work from the Sony World Photography Awards. It became associated with Somerset House in London after the annual awards ceremony and is subsequently presented in other locations as part of an international exhibition tour.
Brand decisions
2015
Launch of the Zeiss Photography AwardProduct launchBackground
The organisation and Zeiss created a competition intended to encourage coherent, narrative photographic projects.
Action taken
They introduced an annual themed contest with free entry, a jury focused on narrative bodies of work, equipment and travel support, and exhibition opportunities.
Aftermath
The award recognised photographers from multiple countries, including winners from Germany, Belgium, the United States and South Korea.
Prize package. EUR 12000 in Zeiss lenses plus EUR 3000 for project travel (Award terms described for the Zeiss Photography Award)
2014
Creation of the Photofairs brandProduct launchBackground
The organisation sought to extend its work beyond competitions and exhibitions into the specialist art-fair market.
Action taken
It created Photofairs to present photography, moving image, installations and technology-oriented work through galleries and artist presentations.
Aftermath
The fair brand developed an international presence through editions in Shanghai and two earlier editions in San Francisco.
Sources2 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/world-photography-organisation · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled