35 incredible photos from the 2015 Sony World Photography Awards

The shortlist for the 2015 Sony World Photography Awards, held annually by the World Photography Organisation (WPO), was announced this week. WPO and Sony have paired up for this competition for the past eight years, and this year saw a record number of applicants, with entries coming from 171 different countries.

In total, 173,444 photos were submitted and viewed by a panel of prestigious judges.

Click through the gallery above to see a sampling of some of this year's best photography, as determined by WPO's judges. If you'd like to see more, head over to WPO's website to see the full list.

The competition's overall winners will be announced on April 23rd.

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