One of the photos by Julian Abram Wainwright of Canada who won first prize of the 2009 series on the theme of sport.

The annual contest will receive entries from now to December 4.

Professional candidates can submit photos in different categories, including architecture, entertainment, arts, and advertisements. The winner will receive US$25,000.

Amateur photographers can send in snaps under nine categories, including construction, fashion, landscape, and portrait. This year’s compassion has an extra category – documentary. Whether documenting a person, place or current event, judges are looking for an image that captures momentous occurrences of everyday life. From the nine categories, one photographer will be chosen as Amateur Photographer of the Year and will win a grand prize of US$5,000 and Sony camera equipment.

The award ceremony will be held in April next year in Cannes. More information about the competition can be found at www.worldphotographyawards.org.

The contest was organised for the first time in 2007 by Sony Europe, with support from the World Photographic Academy, owners of galleries and photographic associations across the world.

The contest last year drew more than 60,000 entries from 139 countries.

VietNamNet/VNS