Judges of the 2017 Sony World Photography Awards today honor the work of Armenian photographer Yulia Grigoryants, whose photographic series “Inhabitants of the Empty” is shortlisted as top ten in the world in the awards’ Professional Daily Life category.

Over 227,000 images from 183 countries were submitted to the 2017 Sony World Photography Awards.  Grigoryants, originally from Yerevan now based in France, is the sole Armenian photographer to be recognized across the awards’ shortlist.

Grigoryants's “Inhabitants of the Empty: is a hard-hitting series documenting the life of the inhabitants of Gyumri, Armenia's second largest city, and the city with the highest poverty rate in the country.

Commenting about her success, Yulia says: “I feel very honored and excited to be shortlisted for the Sony World Photography Award. My photo series is a story from my country, a subject that touches me personally. Being shortlisted means for me, that my story touched the viewer and that's very important for me.”

The winners will be announced on Thursday 20 April and prizes include the latest Sony digital imagery equipment, a trip to the awards ceremony in London and $25,000.