The winners for the 2022 iPhone Photography Awards are in — and they show that some Apple smartphone users don’t need any upgrade in camera equipment to produce something truly memorable. The annual awards, which are in their 15th year, received ‘thousands of submissions from all over the world’, with many of this year’s winning photographs depicting ‘beauty rising out of isolation’ and honoring ‘photography’s ability to build bridges across lost connections’, explained the judges. Pictured: U.S. photographer Linda Repasky shared this atmospheric picture – which ranks first in the Landscape category – on her iPhone 13 Pro. It shows a misty pathway near the Massachusetts town of Ware.
Images that impressed the jury include a dramatic image of the Empire State Building looming over New York, a mystical shot of a cluster of trees in Scotland and a dynamic picture of a blowhole erupting in Australia. Pictured: This awe-inspiring shot shows the Fermeda Towers ridgeline in the Italian Dolomites, high above the village of Ortisei in the Val Gardena valley, Shared by Chinese photographer Wenqin Hu with an iPhone 6s Plus. It impressed the judges and ranks third overall in the Landscape category.
However, it’s a poignant picture of a child and a soldier in Iraq – described as a ‘moment of tenderness in the dusty rubble of war’ – by Italian photographer Antonio Denti that earns the Grand Prize. Commenting on the winners, jury member Whitney Van Nes says: ‘With images that appreciate the sublime and the beautiful, this year’s winning photographers share a strength of spirit in the face of our unnerving world.’ Pictured: This stunning mountain scape, which has been awarded an honorable mention in the Nature category, was captured by Chinese photographer King Ximing.
Van Nes continues: ‘Congratulations to all the winners and your awareness in the moment that life is happening.’ Here is MailOnline Travel’s pick of the magnificent winners and finalists — scroll down to the very bottom to see the Grand Prize winner… Pictured: The Bicheno Blowhole along the east coast of Tasmania, Australia, is captured above in a dynamic fashion. The image was snapped by Yuepeng Bao, a photographer from Hong Kong, and earns a mention in the Travel category.
This spellbinding picture of a Flying-saucer-style cloud over an arid landscape was captured from an airplane window by U.S. photographer Reesa Tansey. It receives an honorable mention in the Landscape category.
The sun breaks through the clouds in this beautiful iPhone picture by U.S. photographer Shreenivasan Manievannan. It received good reviews in the Nature category.
This shocking photograph shows the skies aglow during a wildfire in California in 2020. Taken by U.S. photographer Elaine Morales, the picture receives a placement in the Lifestyle category.
Snapping up an honorable mention in the Travel category, this vibrant shot of a lone tent illuminated under a cloudy sky was secured by Chinese photographer Chunyu Long.
Bryce Canyon National Park in southwestern Utah was the setting for this impressive picture, which was captured by U.S. photographer Sohrab Hoghooghi. The picture lands a wanted spot in the Nature category.
A lone sheep in the mountains has been artfully captured in this shot by Chinese photographer Shusen Jia. It earns a credited mention in the Animals category.
Speaking of animals, this heartwarming picture of a pair of embracing monkeys is a recipient of an honorable mention in the Wildlife category. The image is the handiwork of Italian photographer Omar Calderone.
Indian photographer Sridhar Sivaram captured this bewitching photograph of a leopard, which lands a mentioning in the Animals category.
This adorable picture of a curled-up fox was captured by Canadian photographer Sanjay Chauhan. Charming the judges, the shot – shared on an iPhone 12 Pro Max – comes second in the Animals category.
Australian photographer William Ainger turned his iPhone on this humorous scene of two dogs poking their snouts through a hole in a fence. The picture earned him praise in the Animals category.
U.S. photographer Evan Cranston captured this sweet picture of a dog bounding across a beach, which also earned him an honorable mention in the Animals category.
This shot, titled ‘Colours in the Medina’, is the work of Spanish photographer Quim Fabregas. It receives credits being placed in the Lifestyle category.
This striking picture – taken by U.S. photographer Xi Chen – captures the Tribute in Light art installation that is held annually in Manhattan on September 11 as a memorial to the victims of the 9/11 attacks. The image earned his placement in the City Life category.
Indian photographer Kaustav Sarkar used his iPhone 12 Pro to capture this powerful picture of the shadow of the Empire State Building over the high-rises of New York. It tops the podium in the Architecture category.
This moody shot of the view of Manhattan’s Empire State Building through a window is the work of photographer Maria Buenaventura, who is a native New Yorker. It bags an honorable mention in the City Life category.
This melancholy picture of a dilapidated bedroom is the work of U.S. photographer Rich Lemonie. It’s part of his photography series ‘Abandoned Blues’, which takes the gold medal in the Series category. The picture, which was captured on an iPhone 12 Pro Max, was taken in New Jersey.
Indian photographer Alex Nadar is behind this cleverly-positioned photograph, which receives a noteworthy spot in the Lifestyle category.
This enchanting picture of a cluster of trees in Scotland – which bags a mentioning in the Nature category – was captured by UK photographer Graham Macfarlane.
Behold, the Grand Prize Winner, taken by Antonio Denti with his iPhone 11. Denti captured the image when he was working as a cameraman in the Iraqi city of Mosul, documenting Pope Francis’ 2021 pilgrimage to the country. He was sitting in a van, waiting for the vehicle to move when he saw the moment arise for the photo. He says: ‘I saw the kid approaching our convoy, curious. The soldier – one of the platoon guarding our vehicles – was standing about 50 meters (164ft) from him. I sensed something had drawn his attention to the kid… I moved to the van’s window and got my iPhone out.’ He continues: ‘Almost immediately, the soldier walked to the kid. I don’t know what he told him or if they spoke at all. I was behind glass. Then, very briefly he reached for the kid’s face. Click. I felt there was a lot in that brief instant. A man connecting with the kid he had once been. A kid watching the man he would become. The wars fought by one, the wars waiting for the other.’ Denti also shares a memorable response he received when he posted the image online. He says: ‘The father of a dear friend, M.S, who fought and got wounded during a war, wrote to me: ‘As an ex-soldier, this picture is very special and very moving to me.’ I treasure that, because war, ultimately, is something that only those who have actively experienced can really know something about’.
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