After sharing our recent “best of” roundup from the 2025 International Photography Awards, we wanted to zoom in on a part of the competition that looks at the other end of photography as a craft: the best shots from non-professional photographers.
There’s something extra exciting about this division. It feels as if the photographers are a little less chained to what’s practical, commercial, or client-friendly. You get bolder risks, stranger angles, more playful ideas, and experiments that might not make sense on a job… but look absolutely unforgettable in a gallery. And when those risks work, they really work.
Below is our staff-curated selection of the best non-professional winning photos from the 2025 IPA. Take a slow scroll, trust your gut, and tell us which shots feel like they broke the rules in the best way possible.
#1 “The Guardian” By Sameh Shahien
2nd Place / Nature/Wildlife.
Description: “Beneath the scorching sky, a mother raptor shields her young with unwavering strength — a living fortress. In this rare moment, the bond between parent and offspring is laid bare in pure form: instinct, protection, and unspoken love captured with natural light. Photographed on the coast of Sharm El-Sheikh, South Sinai, Egypt, this image is both a tribute to wild maternal care and a reminder of nature’s silent guardians who watch over the next generation.”
27points
IPA’s mission is to celebrate the world’s finest photographers while also spotlighting new and emerging talent, and the non-professional pool is where that “discovery” energy is at its strongest. These are images made out of obsession, curiosity, and pure artistic momentum, regardless of whether it’s a perfectly weird moment on the street, a portrait with real bite, or a scene that turns ordinary light into something cinematic.
#2 “A Mother's Love” By Karthik Subramaniam
3rd Place / Nature/Wildlife.
Description: “A tender moment between a polar bear mom and her cub in Churchill, Canada while they wait for Hudson bay to freeze. On my recent visit to Churchill, I saw many bears around town, many of them mothers with their cubs. It's always a great experience watching polar bear mothers and their cubs bond. On this day, I watched this mother and cub walk around the snowy beach and I was glad to capture this tender moment.”
23points
#3 “The Withered Tree And The Deity” By 子杰 夏
2nd Place / Nature/Landscape.
Description: “The first golden rays of dawn pierce through the stillness of the night. The ancient snow-capped peaks gradually rouse from slumber in the golden glow, resembling celestial Kamiyama awakened by the sun. I await the arrival of this beam of light at the foot of the mountain, directing my camera lens at a dead tree that has long lost its vitality. Nevertheless, it still stands firmly between heaven and earth in a silent and tenacious manner, like a witness, gazing at the eternal snow-capped mountains in the distance. This is a dialogue with nature and an introspective contemplation.”
20points
#4 “Snowy Landscape With Moonlight” By Yuusei Nagahata
1st Place / Nature/Seasons.
Description: “Early in the morning, as the sun was rising, the moon was shining directly above Ezo Fuji, and the cold weather had covered the trees in frost, creating a beautiful sight.”
19points
#5 “Camels - Ship Of The Desert” By Chi Gan
2nd Place / Nature/Aerial / Drone.
Description: “Can you believe this pink lake appeared in the desert? I discovered this pink lake in the desert and was fortunate to catch a camel. A desert ship floating on the pink lake.”
18points
#6 “Balloon Eclipse” By Mateusz Witowski
3rd Place / Nature/Sunrise / Sunset.
Description: “Balloon on the background of the sunset, Krakow, Poland.”
16points
#7 “The Enchanting Hills Of Val D’orcia” By Simon Heather
1st Place / Nature/Sunrise / Sunset.
Description: “The stunning hills of Val D'Orcia stretch endlessly, their gentle shadows and folds resembling a giant blanket draped over the landscape. The views extend for miles, transitioning from vibrant green to a dazzling golden hue, and eventually to rich gold and orange tones as summer arrives. Meanwhile, in the bottom left of the frame, a couple basks in the warm glow of the sunset.”
15points
#8 “Lightning Across The Sky” By Dingyuan Li
3rd Place / Nature/Astrophotography.
Description: “Lightning splits the night sky like electric fire, lighting up the city and showing the powerful force of nature blended with the stunning city night. The title“Lightning Across the Sky” captures this spectacular moment in a simple, vivid way.”
15points
#9 “The Overflowing Earth” By Sebastian Piorek
Editorial / Press Photographer Of the Year.
Description: “I have documented Poland’s expanding landfills, capturing images that reveal waste piling up at an alarming rate. These views expose the unsettling reality of a world consumed by trash. What once seemed like isolated dumps now spread endlessly, forming landscapes where refuse dominates. The abstract beauty of patterns contrasts with the grim truth they hold. As the project progresses, the images become increasingly claustrophobic, mirroring a future where nothing remains but waste. This series is a call to rethink consumption and sustainability before our world is buried under its own excess.”
15points
#10 “A Magical Feast In A Frosty Forest” By Hiroki Takahashi
1st Place / Nature/Wildlife.
Description: “The sub-zero dawn (-15°C) painted the forest white with breathtaking hoarfrost. There, a tiny Siberian flying squirrel, often called a "forest fairy," was diligently feeding. To witness this creature, so small and delicate, navigating the harsh cold and even gliding with food in its grasp, was deeply moving. Its fierce will to survive in such an environment was palpable, a powerful testament to life's tenacity. I was utterly captivated, holding my breath as I pressed the shutter, wanting to preserve this incredible display of resilience.”
14points
#11 “The Polar Express” By Ke Hu
2nd Place / Nature/Astrophotography.
Description: “It is really hard to get to Morant's Curve in winter, especially after a heavy snowstorm. Though photographs from this location have flooded the internet, only a few have tried this on a cloudless night, with light trails of trains as well as star trails. The just-before-sunrise blue hour color tone also makes this photo rather unique.”
14points
#12 “City Reborn At Golden Hour” By Yuanfeng Mao
1st Place / Architecture/Cityscapes.
Description: “This photo was captured at a 9/11 memorial park bathed in the golden light of a new dawn. A soaring eagle rises above a statue of a girl in peace, symbolizing innocence and remembrance. Behind them, the reborn skyline of Lower Manhattan stands not in defiance, but in resilient, proud, and triumph. The disaster did not break us. It made us stronger.”
13points
#13 “Deer Sun” By Vai Meng Chan
2nd Place / Nature/Sunrise / Sunset.
Description: Photo was taken in Romford, UK.
12points
#14 “Frozen River” By Myeongok Choi
2nd Place / Nature/Seasons.
Description: “Sunset over New Jersey, seen from a frozen Hudson River in New York's deep freeze.”
12points
#15 “Nox Sibylla” By Luca Gallucci
1st Place / Nature/Astrophotography.
Description: “I had been thinking about this panoramic view of the Milky Way from one of the most beautiful peaks in the Monti Sibillini National Park (Italy), the Sibilla, for a while. The trek to this peak is in my opinion one of the most beautiful in the park, being very panoramic and almost entirely on the ridge. Surely, having reached the top after a few hours and seeing the Milky Way with the naked eye repaid the effort made.”
12points
#16 “Dresden In The Morning” By Claudia Barth
3rd Place / Architecture/Historic.
Description: “This picture was taken in Dresden's old town early at sunrise on the way to work. It is a very well-known perspective of the Dresden Frauenkirche, but still a little different. I discovered this puddle and the reflection in it by chance. Two weeks later, the weather was perfect, so I was able to take the picture as I had imagined.”
12points
#17 “Cage Of Ten Thousand Arrows” By 魏壮涛
2nd Place / Architecture/Aerial / Drone.
12points
#18 “Solo Walker” By Jonathan Alk
2nd Place / Nature/Environmental / Editorial.
Description: “A lone polar bear crosses a vast, empty snowscape—its small silhouette dwarfed by the silence. This minimalist composition speaks to environmental solitude: the creature's isolation is not just geographic, but symbolic. "Solo Walker" is a meditation on survival, scale, and the quiet disappearance of Arctic wilderness.”
11points
#19 “Horsepower” By Diane Bliessen
3rd Place / Nature/Domestic Animals.
Description: “Powerful horse in available light in a foggy barn.”
11points
#20 “A Long Shadow” By Christopher Harrison
3rd Place / Nature/Aerial / Drone.
Description: “On the first morning of meteorological spring in Oxfordshire, England, a low lying mist surrounded this small clump of trees that is rumored to be an Iron Age burial mound. As the sun rose, warm golden light flooded the landscape, casting a strikingly long shadow through the mist and transforming the scene from my drones perspective.”
11points