“The marvels of daily life are exciting; no movie director can arrange the unexpected that you find in the street.” – Robert Doisneau
We’ve collated the winning images from all previous editions of our bi-annual Street Photography award and presented them alongside feedback from the respective judges, thus showcasing the enduring, compelling power of ‘the streets’.
1. “Goat Auctions in Nizwa” Oman – Maude Bardet (FR)
1st Prize Winner, Street Photography Award, September 2020. Judged by Magnum photographer, Richard Kalvar.
“A beautiful moment, with a complex structure. The photographer has succeeded in capturing a scene full of movement, with every element in place. The flow of men and animals creates a kind of dance. The dark background, aided by the shooting angle from below, makes the people stand out. And the photographer has managed to disappear, unnoticed by the participants.” – Richard Kalvar
2. “Magic Carpet” Bangkok, Thailand – Tavepong Pratoomwong (TH)
1st Prize Winner, Street Photography Award, January 2017. Judged by award-winning, French photographer, Pierre Belhassen.
“A wonderfully seized scene of life: the sensation of floating above the ground with young girls lifted by fabrics – evoking a cape – offers a magical and aerial moment. I like the idea of this lightness, combined with the carelessness of childhood which gives much elegance and dynamism to this photograph. The colors are distilled, between the greens and the yellows, and offer a beautiful harmony to the whole. An excellent image, tender and poetic.” – Pierre Belhassen
3. “Buddhist Roadside Shrine” Siem Reap, Cambodia 2020 – Florian E. J. Lang (DE)
1st Prize Winner, Street Photography Award, February 2021. Judged by one of the most iconic photographers of our time, Martin Parr.
“One of the hallmarks of a great street photo is to get every component lined up, so out of a jumble of people, objects with the background, everything has room to breathe. In this rendition of this roadside Buddhist shrine in Cambodia everything is in place, and the people have real presence within the frame. It is difficult to find fault with any of the details in this image, and I know how tricky this is to pull off.”- Martin Parr
4. “Red Jacket” – Manuel Armenis (DE)
1st Prize Winner, Street Photography Award, February 2019. Judged by American documentary filmmaker and photographer Cheryl Dunn.
“ This image looks like a Mondrian painting. The shadows and the lit walls draw the viewers in as well as the fabulous pop of red. I like a shot that incorporates signage. The girl is in a great position with a shadow on her back as well – All in all a very successful street photograph.” – Cheryl Dunn
5. “God is everywhere” Chennai, India – Sasikumar Ramachandran (IN)
1st Prize Winner, Street Photography Award, September 2019. Judged by internationally acclaimed, multi-award-winning Magnum photographer, Nikos Economopoulos.
“What makes an image stand out is a combination of content and form: what it shows, and how it shows it. What makes an image not only stand out but also leave a mark on those who view it, is a visual event, something that goes beyond the image itself, that transcends its borders and that cannot easily be described in words. It is a very particular strand that stems from a unique place that each photographer carries inside – The two images I have selected, have a portion of that.” – Nikos Economopoulos
6. “Zombie Instinct” Muang Thong Thani, Thailand 2017 – Jatuporn Pateepaparnee (TH)
1st Prize Winner, Street Photography Award, September 2017. Judged by British street photographer and Leica ambassador, Alan Schaller.
“I really enjoy this photograph. It is one of those images where we witness the ‘eureka’ moment in the photographer’s mind. Whether it was a scene the photographer anticipated or reacted quickly to, it required an instinctive use of light, framing, and timing. The luminous orange gloves stick out and draw the eye precisely where it is meant to. It has rendered an entirely ordinary and mundane scene into something special. It requires no caption, and doesn’t rely on a larger series to validate it as an interesting image.” – Alan Schaller
7. “Woman in the woods” Brussels, Belgium, 2016 – Camilla Ferrari (IT)
1st Prize Winner, Street Photography Award, February 2018. Judged by world-renowned Iranian photojournalist, REZA.
“Great composition using both the surrounding and the light to guide our eyes towards the subject’s face and engage us immediately. Like a spiral connecting our eyes with hers. Then we feel we are in a surrealist world and she is questioning us and telling us her own story, all in a simple look. Through the great contrast with the natural background and her white hair, she becomes the most important question mark of the photograph.”- REZA
8. “Story of Roses” Turkey – Haluk Safi (TR)
1st Prize Winner, Street Photography Award, March 2020. Judged by acclaimed Magnum photographers, Alex Webb and Rebecca Norris Webb
“We like photographs that take us somewhere we’ve never been before, images that are surprising, enlightening, enigmatic, or amusing. Sometimes it’s the subject itself that’s engaging, sometimes it’s the vision of the photographer—and most often it’s a bit of both. In Turkish photographer Haluk Safi’s photograph, it’s not just the fantastical nature of the puff of smoke clouding the man’s face that intrigues us visually, or the way the plume echoes the moody sky in the background. It’s also the way the smoker seems lost in a fog of his own thoughts, worlds away from the tender family scene unfolding nearby.” – Alex Webb and Rebecca Norris Webb
9. “Saint Maria ceremony day” Staniszewo, Poland – Szymon Lewinski
1st Prize Winner, Street Photography Award, September 2021. Judged by internationally acclaimed, multi-award-winning Magnum photographer, Nikos Economopoulos
“All the elements in this frame are balanced and in harmony. The photographer manages to transcend the reality of the image – a rare ability in contemporary documentary photography. It could also be reportage, but more profound and at the same time more poetic than we are used to.” – Nikos Economopoulos
10. “Philippines, 2018” – Orna Naor (IL)
1st Prize Winner, Street Photography Award, September 2018. Judged by world-renowned Iranian photojournalist, REZA
“This is a perfect street photograph in the sense that it makes you feel that you are on the street watching something powerful happening; a mother holding her baby in such way that shows she’s fully protecting her child. The picture is very well composed with complimentary greens and reds, the woman’s body is perfectly lit from top to bottom and the shadows are what completes the story. Appearing almost threatened, she seems lost in a hostile environment. Attention to the emotion at hand is what elevates the image beyond your average beautiful picture and creates a connection with the viewer.” – REZA
All images © their respective owners