The winners of the Sony World Photography Awards — always a great showcase for work on travel and place — were announced last night.

The Photographer of the Year title, with a cash prize of US $25,000, went to the London-based photographer Zed Nelson for his series The Anthropocene Illusion, a project spanning six years and four continents that explores the deeply fractured relationship between humans and the natural world.

The American photographer Susan Meiselas, president of the Magnum Foundation and renowned for her coverage of human-rights issues in Latin America, was honoured with the Outstanding Contribution to Photography award.

For a full list of winners and a selection of images, see the World Photography Organisation site. The awards show, with some 300 pictures from more than 60 photographers, is at Somerset House in London until May 5.