Competition Winners

This collection celebrates the work of all winning photographers capturing life in its most vivid forms. These unique and international artists constitute the best of the photographic scene and we are very proud to share their work.

Winning Photographer Angelika Kollin

Winning Photographer Angelika Kollin
“Hold me ‘till I go”
Part of a story about the battle through the last stages of cancer.⁠
© Angelika Kollin
Second Prize Justin Keene

Second Prize Justin Keene
Quaid - Cape Town, South Africa
Queezy is a young musician part of Cape Town’s emergent queer culture. The project challenges traditional documentary methods of representation and gender in South Africa. © Justin Keene
Third Prize Simon Martin

Third Prize Simon Martin
“Award Ceremony” - Cadet collects seat bases up after award ceremony, UK
Being a teenager is a daunting experience, we may see it as trivial now, but it can play a huge part in the person we become. With the British education system continually having its funds cut and the price of University increasing I wanted to look at other sources of education and influence for 13 - 18 year olds.

The Royal Marine Cadets is an after school program that uses the ethos of the Royal Marines to train young adults to complete various tasks. As much as the activities are mainly military based, the skills they learn are not solely intended to produce young soldiers but, instead, confident young adults. Leaving the cadets with the ability to achieve personal goals in the different walks of life they choose to follow. From series “Cadets” © Simon Martin
Finalist Erminando Aliaj

Finalist Erminando Aliaj
“Behind the Mask: Sara Coletti, Nurse - Lombardy, Italy
The project is a series of portraits of health workers in the Poliambulanza Hospital in Brescia, Lombardy, during a break or at the end of their working shifts.

The need to portrait doctors, nurses and health workers during the emergency, spouts from my desire to acknowledge them as people, revealing their faces, which normally hide behind the protection aids, nearly transforming them into abstract figures, icons of an Institution rather than humans. They’ve been called “angels” or “heroes”, in the attempt to describe the vital importance of their commitment, but maybe those superhuman terms hide the inability to face such an intensely dramatic human experience. Behind the mask, a face, a gaze, a facial expression, tell us, more than words could do, about the lives spent underneath this battle. The common engagement in giving service during the emergency, strengthens the human side of the relationships among the heath workers as well as the patients, overcoming differences in their roles, backgrounds and life paths.

Behind the mask, there are no hierarchies nor divisions, but a spontaneous solidarity between individuals. The portraits could become a useful piece of witness, maybe even after the emergency, when all of this will be over, to help reworking our individual and social storytelling which will inevitably leave us with scars, wounds and mourning, but also a need for social and personal change and a greater level of awareness. © Erminando Aliaj
Finalist Laura Pannack

Finalist Laura Pannack
“Baruch” - From the series ‘Burrata’
At the age of 16, Baruch chose to leave his Orthodox Jewish community and to study at university. The dramatic and challenging decision forced him to question his identity and future. © Laura Pannack
Finalist Lidewij Mulder

Finalist Lidewij Mulder
“Stories About My Grandfather”
"A portrait of my grandmother in her bedroom. She kept telling stories about my grandfather, who passed away five years ago. My grandparents have been together for over 60 years and were the perfect example of a team. When my grandfather got cancer, my grandmother did everything she could to take care of him. She can’t sit still, she can’t stay in one place, but she turned all of that around, so she could take care of him." © Lidewij Mulder
Finalist Angelika Kollin

Finalist Angelika Kollin
“Martha is our future - Cape Town, South Africa
Emmanuel, a Malawian immigrant and day laborer resides in one of the numerous townships of Cape Town. Emmanuel is portrayed holding his 2 years old daughter Martha. Emmanuel's only dream is of a better future. © Angelika Kollin
Finalist Michelle Marshall

Finalist Michelle Marshall
“Extra-Ordinary Rituals” - UK
Shot with Slovenian Fashion Artefact Designer, Jana Zornik
© Michelle Marshall
Finalist Claudia Caporn

Finalist Claudia Caporn
Mother at mulesing time - Australia 2019
Women in agriculture are very rarely recognized or appreciated. Throughout the world, western discourse and stereotypes paint farmers as strong, white males. Before 1994, women in Australia weren’t legally allowed to list their occupation as ‘farmer.’ Instead they were merely seen as unproductive ‘silent partners’, ‘domestics’, or even just ‘farmer’s wives’. But even after the legal status of women in agriculture was changed, women on farms remain invisible, being severely misrepresented, undervalued, underestimated, and dismissed.

Despite being a key factor in Australian agricultural production, women are given little public recognition in the industry. This photograph is part of my ongoing series portraying the many women who are workers in the Australian agriculture industry. This is my mother. She is a wife, a mother of four daughters, a school teacher, AND a farmer. Together with my father, they own and farm an 18,000-acre property, cropping wheat, barley and lupins and running over 5000 sheep. She is photographed here on an early, misty winter’s morning as we prepared for mulesing (the removal of excess wool around the buttocks to prevent deadly flystrike) our new seasons lambs. © Claudia Caporn
Finalist Justin Dingwall

Finalist Justin Dingwall
“The changing winds”
In life, we have to wear many hats. Each hat requires something different from us and impacts how we interact in our world with other people. Each has its own set of expectations and obligations. Each represents a piece of our divided self, with our many identities, which is often sliced up neatly. The hats represent the many different roles and tasks that we have to perform and take on.
© Justin Dingwall

– Theme: Portrait Photography / Competition Judge: Dan Winters

Portrait photography has one of the oldest and most interesting histories that harkens back to the early days of the medium. Through portraits of iconic figures or ordinary people, we discover a deep interest in others. This award aimed to discover the most powerful and captivating images of today’s portrait photography.

Join us over on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter where we’ll be sharing all our favorite images from the competition. Congratulations to all the talented photographers who made it to the final!

Finalists

Winners' Feedback

“The work submitted this year is of the highest caliber, each image is worthy of note. It was difficult to assign a numerical order to the images, however, such is the charge. I thoroughly enjoyed the process and found inspiration in working with these photographs.” – Dan Winters

1ST PRIZE: Angelika Kollin

“This photograph deeply affected me from the start and as I worked through the judging, I repeatedly came back to it. We often use references when describing photographs. “Painterly” is often used, but the mere light and shadow interplay as a photograph’s sole justification is not enough. This image, however, is rife with catharsis and deep emotion. W. Eugene Smiths’ “ Minamata” comes to mind. I have a knowledge of the context from the caption, and I do sense the urgency and fleeting nature of the image. There is a palpable urgency, a desire to not only resist imminent demise, but also a desire to shepherd one until the end.” – Dan Winters

2ND PRIZE: Justin Keene

“This portrait is spectacular. As a viewer, I immediately sense the reluctance of the subject to fully reveal his or herself. The photograph feels as though it was made in a safe environment, but the subject seems to be haunted by the stigma of gender orientation. I sense the subject’s desire, but also a deep apprehension to be fully revealed. The color palette is sublime and the powerful use of diagonals heightens the image’s energy. Perfection.” – Dan Winters

3RD PRIZE: Simon Martin

“Whatever a photograph may be, it is always about the relationship between the subject and the photographer. Here the viewer appears to be tolerated yet not exactly welcome, which genuinely enhances our curiosity. Adequately framed, we understand the young cadet’s ongoing duty. However, the crooked tower of hats and the body position reminds us of the young boy wearing the uniform and contrasts with the concept of rigorous military training – it is touching and well-composed.” – The Independent Photographer Editors

Open to All Photography

Be part of a vibrant community: The competition award is a unique opportunity to gain exposure and provides a platform to celebrate the very best of contemporary photography.

$ 24.000
Cash Prizes
International
Exhibitions
Global
Exposure
Open to all
Photographers
Professional
Feedback

THEME: Travel Deadline: 31 August 2020

When traveling, the only way to discover the rhythm of life of a place is to experience it.

Each place we visit has its own particular look, ambiance, and atmosphere. Understanding its people, customs and traditions is vital and there’s always something unique to capture.

This summer we want to see images that communicate the life of a place in all its splendor and trigger our memories. Whatever the subject may be: street, portrait, landscape, documentary... We want to share your journey, visually and intellectually - Let’s travel together!

1st Prize: $1000 · 2nd Prize: $600 · 3rd Prize: $400