NATIONAL & REGIONAL AWARDS: MALAYSIA WINNER ANNOUNCED

© Chong Wan Yong, Malaysia, Winner, National Awards, Sony World Photography Awards 2025 

(MALAYSIA, 4 FEBRUARY 2025) – Sony Malaysia reveals today Chong Wan Yong as Malaysia’s National Award winner for the Sony World Photography Awards 2025. 

The National & Regional Awards programme is an initiative set up by Sony and Creo under its photography strand the World Photography Organisation to support local photographic communities around the world, with 56 countries taking part this year. Across this year’s Awards over 419,000 images from over 200 countries and territories were submitted to the Sony World Photography Awards 2025.   

National and Regional Award winners were selected from the Open competition, which champions the best single images taken in the past year. 

Chong Wan Yong was anonymously selected by judges for her photograph Spider-Verse, entered into the Motion category of the Open competition. In this photograph, a group of freedivers skilfully defy gravity, suspended upside down beneath a boat in clear water. Their silhouettes create a mesmerising scene that is reminiscent of the ‘Spider-Verse’; their forms seem to dance in harmony with the underwater world, blending the artistry of human movement with the fluidity of aquatic life. 

Wan Yong is a diving instructor with over a decade of experience. She combined her love for the ocean with her passion for photography, capturing the beauty of both land and underwater worlds. Traveling fuels her creativity, and through her photos, she strives to inspire others to explore, protect, and connect with the underwater realm. 

Commenting on her win, Wan Yong said: ‘I'm grateful for the opportunity to inspire a deeper connection with our world through the stories my lens captures.’ 

As Malaysia’s National Award winner, Chong Wan Yong receives Sony digital imaging equipment and will be included in the Sony World Photography Awards exhibition and book. 

The overall winners in the Student, Youth, Open and Professional competitions of the Sony World Photography Awards 2025 will be announced on 16 April and will go on display as part of the exhibition at Somerset House, London (17 April – 5 May 2025). For more information about upcoming announcements and winners please visit worldphoto.org. 

This year’s National and Regional Awards winners are: 

Bangladesh - Syed Mahabubul Kader  Cambodia - Sam Ang Ourng  China Mainland - Hao Guo, Winner  China Mainland - Yaping Du, 2nd Place  China Mainland - KunPeng Zhu, 3rd Place  Egypt - Ahmed Abdallah  Germany - Timo Zilz  India - Rajeev Gaikwad  Indonesia - Sim Jhones Gozali  Kazakhstan - Anel Bazylova

Republic of Korea - Kibong Nam, Winner  Republic of Korea - Gilyoung Pyo, 2nd Place  Republic of Korea - Kyunghwan Oh, 3rd Place  Kuwait - Mohammad Mirza  Malaysia - Wan Yong Chong  Myanmar - Zay Yar Lin  Nepal - Rabik Upadhayay  Nigeria - Nsikanabasi Effiong  Pakistan - Ali Sohail  Philippines - Renzer Rev Damaso  Poland - Hanna Kantor

Qatar - Ridhwan Mohammed Rafi  Saudi Arabia - Mohammed Muhtasib  Singapore - Ng Guang Ze  South Africa - Werner De Kock  Sri Lanka - Sasindu Pramuditha  Taiwan - Chen De-Huang  Thailand - Kiyoshi Hijiki  Turkey - Rahsan Firtina  United Arab Emirates - Donell Gumiran  Uzbekistan - Mubina Fayzullaeva  Vietnam - Việt Văn Trần

EUROPEAN REGIONAL AWARDS 

Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania & Moldova:  Peter Svoboda (Slovakia), Winner  Tomáš Havrda (Czech Republic), Shortlist  Attila Domokos (Hungary), Shortlist  Irina Zaiteva (Moldova), Shortlist  Marian Plaino (Romania), Shortlist	Latvia, Estonia & Lithuania:  Ieva Gailė (Lithuania), Winner  Raido Nurk (Estonia), Shortlist  Niks Freimanis (Latvia), Shortlist
Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia, Montenegro, Kosovo, Bosnia & Herzegovina:  Marko Buntić (Croatia), Winner  Sanja Vrzić (Bosnia & Herzegovina), Shortlist  Suer Celina (Kosovo), Shortlist  Radojko Bošković (Montenegro), Shortlist  Slobodan Blagojeviċ (Serbia), Shortlist  Ivan Borko (Slovenia), Shortlist	Cyprus, Greece, Bulgaria & North Macedonia:  Panagiotis Rontos (Greece), Winner  Yavor Michev (Bulgaria), Shortlist  Elena Georgiou (Cyprus), Shortlist  Vlatko Rafeski (North Macedonia), Shortlist

LATIN AMERICA REGIONAL AWARDS 

Lucero Mora Ardila (Mexico), Winner  Pedro Jarque Krebs (Peru), 2nd Place  Kevin Molano (Colombia), 3rd Place  Carola Pettis (Argentina), Shortlist  Brian Delgadillo (Bolivia), Shortlist

Jean Paul De la Harpe Zubiaur (Chile), Shortlist  Lior Berman Fernández (Costa Rica), Shortlist  Carlos Espinosa (Ecuador), Shortlist  Rafael Valladares (Guatemala), Shortlist  Cecilia Nion (Uruguay), Shortlist