Sony World Photography 2015: eight 'spectacular' submissions

The World Photography Organisation has released a selection of submissions from its 2015 Sony World Photography Awards, ahead of the competition's closing date next month.

Professional and amateur photographers are competing across 25 categories for cash prizes and digital imaging equipment.

All winners and finalists will have their work exhibited at Somerset House in London from 24 April to 10 May 2015, and one professional will be named Photographer of the Year.

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The Daily Mail describes the selection of unveiled submissions as "spectacular", with images ranging from two rare "spirit bears" in Canada to a colourful hot air balloon soaring over a red desert in Dubai.

Entries to the open and youth competitions close on 5 January 2015, followed by the deadline for the professional competition on 8 January.

Click on the images below to see them in full size:

The morning ritual, by Nick Ng, Malaysia

A man washes his feet before bathing in the Hooghly River, part of the Holi Ganges River, in Kolkata, India. "The morning ritual of bathing oneself in the Ganges is a tradition of most Hindus, paying homage to their ancestors and their gods," says the photographer.

In a crowd of king penguins, by Lisa Vaz, Portugal

A colony of king penguins in South Georgia, a tiny island in the South Atlantic Ocean. "They are very beautiful, gracious and yet almost comical birds and a true delight to observe," says Vaz. "This image aims to capture and reflect how gracious and colourful wildlife can be even at the ends of the Earth."

Orangutan in the rain, by Andrew Suryono, Indonesia

The photographer says he was taking pictures of orang-utans in Bali, Indonesia, when it began to rain. "Just before I put my camera away, I saw this orang-utan take a banana leaf and put it on top of his head to protect himself from the rain," says Suryono. "I immediately used my DSLR and telephoto lens to preserve this magic moment."

Holi, by Ioulia Chvetsova, France

Hindu devotees throw coloured powder at each other to celebrate the start of spring during the Lathmar Holi Festival at Krishna Temple in Nandgaon, India. "Hindu brahmans from the village of Nandgaon are covered in coloured powder as they sit and sing on the floor during prayers," says Chvetsova.

Timeless affection, by Arief Siswandhono, Indonesia

The girl in the picture is Fina, one of the photographer's two daughters, who used to be scared of cats. The family adopted two kittens to help her overcome her fear. "Day by day, seven months passed by and today Fina and the cats are best friends, and love and care for each other," says Siswandhono.

Dog fight, by Cioplea Vlad, Romania

"This is exactly the moment when Romanian YAK Team is breaking the formation just in front of the public at Bucharest International Air Show," says Vlad. "At that moment they look just like they are haunting each other."

Desert dawn, by Gareth Lowndes, New Zealand

The photographer captured this shot around 30 minutes after sunrise in Dubai while floating over the dunes in a chase balloon. The hot air balloon was beginning its descent to land in a camel farm, according to Lowndes.

Dinner time, by Kyle Breckenridge, Canada

A cub follows its mother over a fallen tree. The "spirit bear" or "kermode bear" is a white subspecies of the North American black bear living in the central and north coast regions of British Colombia, Canada. "These bears are rarer than the panda bear in the wild," says the photographer.