The Refocus Awards 2025 have announced this year’s winners in color photography. Photographers from around the world submitted their best shots across 20 diverse categories, including abstract, aerial, architecture, conceptual, domestic animals, event, fashion & beauty, film/analog, fine art, landscapes, minimalism, nature, people, photojournalism, portrait, still life, street, travel, underwater, and wildlife.
“These images serve as a reminder of the importance of visual image-making through color. There are so many thoughtful and compelling perspectives here that define our creative community, and show us a bright future, past, and present in color photography,” said Lily Fierman, co-founder of the Refocus Awards.
#2 Landscapes Category | Bronze; Nature Category | Silver: "A Place Called Home" By Fenqiang Liu
"Canoeing through a quiet Louisiana swamp at sunrise, I watched soft light filter through the trees. A Great Egret glided over the water, drawing my lens to the richness of the swamp—a warm, thriving habitat many wildlife species call home."
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16points
#3 Nature Category | Gold: "Earth’s Galaxy" By Navaneeth Unnikrishnan
"Beneath the earth lies a glowing realm, where Bioluminescent Glow Worms create a galaxy-like spectacle. This image captures the awe of exploration, blending the soft glow with the cave’s textures, highlighting nature’s fragile, otherworldly beauty in a moment of quiet wonder."
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14points
#4 Street Category | Gold: "Two Time" By Nikolay Schegolev
"Past and present, light and cold shadow, man and woman... one morning I came to the train station and took this photo shortly before the departure of the retro train."
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13points
#5 Wildlife Category | Silver: "Surrounded By Love" By Jacquie Matechuk
"In the vast expanse of the Maasai, the soft light of dusk gives way to a scene of profound, almost sacred intimacy. A family of elephants stands close together — whose true majesty lies not in their size, but in the depth of their connection, a bond as old as time itself."
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12points
#6 Domestic Animals Category | Bronze: "Of The Sea" By Lieke Zweekhorst
"From the series 'A Man and His Horse', made in The Gambia. This image shows a weekly ritual in which he bathes the horse and checks her skin for parasites."
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12points
#7 People Category | Silver; Portrait Category | Silver: "Sulfur Miner At The Top Of The Crater" By Mitchell Kanashkevich
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12points
#8 People Category | Bronze: "Night Market At Inle Lake, Myanmar" By Daniel Garzon Moreno
"Every week, on Inle Lake (Myanmar), hundreds of canoes gather to form the night market with different fruits and vegetables to trade with the local population."
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12points
#9 Photojournalism Category | Gold: "Nowhere Is Safe For Them" By Veronique De Viguerie
"Pakistan is expelling 1,5 million undocumented Afghans, refugees in the country. These women fled Afghanistan when the Talibans took over, but now they are forcibly back in their country, registering at the border with Taliban authorities."
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11points
#10 Underwater Category | Gold: "Underneath The Surface" By Kirvan Baldassari
"Underwater in French Polynesia, a surfer rides through the barrel of a wave. Nearby, another person floats, watching the moment unfold."
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11points
#11 Landscapes Category | Gold: "A Quiet Moment" By Manuela Palmberger
"A quiet moment captured in the geothermal area of Kerlingarfjöll, Iceland."
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10points
#12 People Category | Gold: "Chile Pepper Workers" By Serkan Dogus
"Bangladeshi women contribute to the household economy by working in chile pepper factories during the summer."
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10points
#13 Wildlife Category | Gold: "Incoming" By Maddison Woollard
"This is my only capture of this adult Australian fur seal. The pups were curious and playful. This fella would float in the distance, ignoring us. A younger seal was chasing and nibbling him, and that interaction sent him charging in my direction. Unveiling this remarkable, dynamic encounter."
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10points
#14 Photojournalism Category | Silver: "Sustainable Childhood" By Paolo Marchetti
"According to UN estimates, approximately 320.000 children between 5 and 14 years of age are forced to work.
In Managua (Nicaragua), nearly 1.000 children live on the largest garbage dump in Central America, where they rummage in search of recyclable materials, which can later be resold on the streets."
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10points
#15 Travel Category | Bronze: "Echoes Of Heritage: The Buffalo Keeper's Path" By Sam Oetiker
"A local water buffalo farmer and his daughter cross an ancient stone bridge as the first rays of sunshine spill over the peaks. Location: Guilin, China."
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10points
#16 Underwater Category | Silver: "Sea Puppy Gaze" By Remuna Beca
"With irresistible puppy-like eyes, an Australian sea lion playfully engages with the camera with curiosity in South
Australia’s kelp forests. Listed as Endangered, these rare sea lions face threats from habitat loss, fishing bycatch, and pollution."
Australia’s kelp forests. Listed as Endangered, these rare sea lions face threats from habitat loss, fishing bycatch, and pollution."
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10points
#17 Film/Analog Category | Gold: "Blue Swallow" By William Mark Sommer
"Seeing Route 66 change from boom to bust, season to year, surviving the loss of the surroundings and the bypass of old routes, The Blue Swallow survives as a living part of history for the nostalgic traveler that seeks the roadside relics that convey of America's passing culture."
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9points
#18 St Place Winner And Gold In Event Category: "Ring Of Fire, And Ice" By Liam Man
"A 'Ring of Fire' solar eclipse reaches annularity as two intrepid ice climbers summit the mighty Glacier Leones. A drone illuminates the ice’s textures and colours, battling fierce winds that whip up plumes of snow that burn in the sun’s rays."
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9points
#19 2nd Place Winner And Gold In Fine Art Category: "The Lake" By Masoud Mirzaei
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9points
#20 Domestic Animals Category | Silver: "Sagaz" By Tori Gagne
"Pure Raza Spanish Stallion."
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9points