“I was on Durga Puja Festival vacation, travelling on a local train. A boy was singing devotional song and begging for alms. He was guised as a Hindu god, Lord Shiva. This is a common view in Indian trains but this boy was charming, bright and did have a melodious voice. My camera was ready hanging on my neck so I took a picture”. (Photo and caption by Arup Ghosh/2014 Sony World Photography Awards)

“Being a photographer is not easy, people may not know the many challenges that photographers had to face to attain the perfect image. Sometimes the story behind the image is much more interesting than what is seen in the picture”. (Photo and caption by Hairul Azisi Harun/2014 Sony World Photography Awards)

“I was in Fethiye Turkey last summer for work. A woman wanted me to take her photo when she was in the air. I captured her in the air jumping into the lake after coming out of the mud bath with the smile on her face. She seemed to prove how insignificant her age was, she was the hero of the day ”. (Photo and caption by Alpay Erdem/2014 Sony World Photography Awards)

“«Rain in Ancient Town» was shot in southern China- phoenix Town, which shows the scene of people traveling in the rain during the rainy season”. (Photo and caption by Chen Li/2014 Sony World Photography Awards)

“It was a very cold day, so the inspiration for the title was easy. I came out of my car for a quick shot in the snow. The country lanes were slippery. I walked through the cold snow to get to the pony and took this picture”. (Photo and caption by Gert van den Bosch/2014 Sony World Photography Awards)

“In a Office-Building in Cologne”. (Photo and caption by Holger Schmidtke/2014 Sony World Photography Awards)

“This photo was taken at Kawranbazar slum in Dhaka, where people live along with two rail tracks on both of the sides and when there is no train, this rail tracks become their common space”. (Photo and caption by Turjoy Chowdhury/2014 Sony World Photography Awards)

“The milky way arch form south to north in the lighthouse in Capo Spartivento, south Sardinia”. (Photo and caption by Ivan Pedretti/2014 Sony World Photography Awards)

“Behind the scenes of rodeo in Branxton, Australia”. (Photo and caption by Valerie Prudon/2014 Sony World Photography Awards)

“A daydream about a getaway or rescue, a story with an open ending”. (Photo and caption by Kylli Sparre/2014 Sony World Photography Awards)

“Bucharest, Turda Blvd., 41 tram station. As the weather got worse in the evening, I hesitated to use my camera but suddenly I've spotted something interesting, the first snow of the year”. (Photo and caption by Vlad Eftenie/2014 Sony World Photography Awards)

“Every year Shiites in the city of Bijar, Iran, hold Imam Hussein mourning ceremonies. Today, this ceremony has become a tourist attraction and people from all over the world come to see the event. This type ceremony can vary greatly in various Shiite cities, but in Bijar it is held on the streets”. (Photo and caption by Bohran Mardani/2014 Sony World Photography Awards)

“The photograph was taken during the train journey to China ”. (Photo and caption by Paulina Metzscher/2014 Sony World Photography Awards)