One of the largest and most prestigious photo contests in the world has revealed its first wave of 2020 winners. The Sony World Photography Awards National winners focus on the best regional talent across more than 60 countries around the globe.

The 2020 Sony World Photography Awards received a record breaking 350,000 submissions, with 190,000 entries into its Open category. The Open category spans a number of thematic sections, all seeking the best single photograph from either amateur or professional photographers.

All entries in the Open category automatically qualify for a national award based on the nationality of the photographer, and this year 63 countries are celebrated in the National and Regional awards. The winning selections span a spectacularly diverse variety of images from gorgeously framed drone shots to surreal and fantastic portraits.

Winner, Australia. "That's Nothing to Laugh About". Adam Stevenson, Australia, Winner, National Awards, 2020 Sony World Photography Awards

Adam Stevenson won the best Australian photograph with an incredible shot of a Kookaburra watching over the devastation of the bushfires that tore through the country over the past few months. The shot is titled “That’s Nothing to Laugh About” and was snapped with a Iphone X near Stevenson’s home at Wallabi Point in New South Wales.

“As I watched the sun set through the smoke a kookaburra appeared and allowed me to walk right up to it,” Stevenson writes, describing the instantly iconic moment. “We shared a moment, watching the sun fade behind the apocalyptic scene… he was laughing.”

Winner, Sweden. "Spread'em". The Onguma Private Reserve, near Etosha, Namibia Marcus Westberg, Sweden, Winner, National Awards, 2020 Sony World Photography Awards

Another impressive highlight is Marcus Westberg’s strange portrait of a giraffe awkwardly bending to drink at a waterhole. Winning the best Swedish photograph, Westberg spent days in a hiding spot near the waterhole waiting to capture a shot of a giraffe.

“I knew if I was patient enough I would have a good chance of photographing giraffes as they came in to drink, but I never imagined any of them would squeeze in between the hide and the waterhole,” writes Westberg, describing how he took the odd shot. “This presented me with a different perspective than I had envisioned.”

Take a look through our gallery at some more stunning highlights from the first wave of winning photographs in the Sony World Photography Awards.

Source: World Photography Organization