SA Photographer wins 1st place in World Photography Awards

Lee-Ann Olwage, a visual storyteller from South Africa, has won 1st place in the professional creative category at the World Photography Organisation. The winners of the various categories of the prestigious Sony World Photography Awards 2023 were announced at a special gala ceremony in London, hosted by broadcaster and art historian Kate Bryan.

In Lee-Ann’s award-winning submission, The Right to Play, she features Maasai girls from Kenya where the majority (over 80%) leave school at the age of 12 to get married. Lee-Ann seeks to reveal what’s possible when these girls are given the chance to choose a different path.

Lee-Ann, who uses photography as a mode of co-creation and celebration, says:

«What do girls dream of? And what happens when a supportive environment is created where girls are empowered and given the opportunity to learn and dream? The Right to Play creates a playful world where girls are shown in an empowered and affirming way.»

The multi award-winning photographer says that worldwide, it is estimated that around 129 million girls are out of school and only 49 percent of countries have achieved gender parity in primary education, with the gap widening at secondary school level.

« Every day, girls face barriers to education caused by poverty, cultural norms and practices such as FGM, poor infrastructure and violence, » she says, adding:

« For this project, I worked with girls from Kakenya’s Dream in Enoosaen, Kenya who have avoided FGM and child marriage, showing what the world can look like when girls are given the opportunity to continue learning in an environment that supports them and their dreams. »

Acclaimed photographer Edgar Martins from Portugal won the overall Photographer of the year title, scooping a $25,000 (USD) cash prize, and a range of Sony digital imaging equipment Additionally, Martins receives a solo presentation of his work as part of next year’s Sony World Photography Awards exhibition.

Also announced at the event were the 10 category winners, and those who placed 2nd and 3rd in the Professional competition, as well as the overall winners of the Open, Youth and Student competitions and the first-time winner of the Sustainability Prize.

To view Lee-Ann’s prize-winning photographs, the Sony World Photography Awards 2023 exhibition is at Somerset House, London until 1 May 2023, featuring over 200 prints and hundreds of additional images in digital displays from winning and shortlisted photographers.

Or view her photos on the World Photographer’s page here.