Irish woman who quit job as architect to follow dream and become photographer wins top award

An Irish woman who quit her job as an architect to follow her dream and become a photographer saw the move pay dividends when she won a huge accolade at this year’s Sony World Photography Awards which took place last night in London.

Siobhan Doran found out she won her award while she was in the Philippines at the official launch of her House That Sugar Built book which includes the shots that impressed the judges.

The Carlow native was honoured at a glitzy ceremony at the Hilton Hotel in Park Lane after her winning entry was chosen from almost 400,000 images entered in this year’s competition.

READ MORE: Sony World Photography Awards 2024 unveils first 10 winners from almost 400,000 images entered

“I had been working in architecture and in the last four years before I quit, I did a photography degree in my spare time. I re-mortgaged my house to help fund the degree and set up my new career – as otherwise I would not have been able to afford to make the career jump.”

One of the photos from Siobhan Doran's award-winning series
(Image: Siobhan Doran)

Siobhan’s triumph in the Architecture section of this year’s World Photography Awards for her series Sala Mayor (Living Room) followed disappointment last year when her first submission into the competition failed to impress the judges.

She has published three photography books and earns her work as a freelance architectural and interiors photographer. The snapper visits her sister in Dublin regularly and says a book project based in Ireland “would be the dream job.”

Siobhan's lavish House That Sugar Built book is An Intimate Portrait of Philippine Ancestral Homes and was co-authored by Phillippine native Gins Consing McAdam.

Her winning submission of images from the book was selected by a panel of expert judges who honour the most outstanding series of five to 10 images that display both technical mastery and a strong approach to narrative.

When a thrilled Siobhan took to the stage at the awards ceremony to collect her trophy, she rounded off her acceptance speech with a nod to her roots by saying: "Go raibh mile maith agat."

A photo from Siobhan Doran's award-winning series
(Image: Siobhan Doran)

Among the other winners this year were an outstanding perfectly timed shot of a rising moon on the Old Man of Storr hill on the Isle of Skye in Scotland, which was taken during a blizzard and illuminated by drone lights. This won the UK’s Liam Man the Open Photographer of the Year award.

The prestigious Photographer of the Year title was won by Juliette Pavy for her series Spiralkampagnen: Forced Contraception and Unintended Sterilisation of Greenlandic Women. Pavy won a $25,000 cash prize, a range of Sony digital imaging equipment, and the opportunity to present a new body of work at the Sony World Photography Awards 2025 exhibition.

This shot by Liam Man won the Open Photographer of the Year award
(Image: Liam Man)

Commenting on Pavy’s winning project, Monica Allende, Chair of the 2024 Professional Competition Jury says: ‘The Sony World Photography Awards jury lauded Juliette Pavy’s empathetic portrayal of her subjects, capturing them in a manner that is both dignified and profoundly intimate, thereby highlighting her exceptional talent."

The ceremony also honoured this year’s Outstanding Contribution to Photography recipient, the internationally acclaimed photographer Sebastião Salgado, whose distinctive black-and-white works have captured imaginations over the past five decades of his career.

All the winning images including Siobhan Doran’s and some of the best which had been shortlisted will be on display from today at the Sony World Photography Awards 2024 exhibition at Somerset House, London until May 6.

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