The jury of the 2021 Sony World Photography Awards named Alex Pansier’s photograph Hello World from the “Natural World & Wildlife” category the winner of the Netherlands National Award.
The Sony World Photography Awards is the world’s largest photography competition. The National Awards are a global program open to photographers of all levels, with 53 countries taking part that year. More than 330.000 images from 220 territories were submitted, and more than 165.000 images were entered in the Open competition.
Alex Pansier (46) is a photographer from Oss. As an internet entrepreneur in an increasingly fast-changing world, he enjoys spending time in nature. He says: “It is a wonderful counterbalance—a way to relax, enjoy myself, and capture all the beauty around us. I prefer to do that in the most natural setting possible, drawing strong inspiration from dark and gloomy days.”
Speaking about the winning photograph, Alex explains: “Animals take center stage in my work. I prefer to photograph them in their natural environment, with simplicity at the heart of the image. I try to give them a human quality, as in this photograph of a red ant that seems to be looking at you through a hole in an autumn leaf.”
As the National Award winner, Alex received the latest digital imaging equipment from Sony. Commenting on his win, he said: “Stay focused and be patient.”
The winners of the Student, Youth, Open, and Professional competitions at the 2021 Sony World Photography Awards were scheduled to be announced digitally by the World Photography Organization on April 15, 2021.
That year, two Dutch photographers were shortlisted for the Open competition, namely Alex Pansier and Ruud Peters.
For more information, visit www.worldphoto.org.
