The 2020 International Photography Awards has received more than 13,000 submissions from the best photographers from all around the globe and the judges have faced the incredibly challenging task of selecting the winners in each of the 13 categories.
The judges praised this year’s winners for their exceptional work across various genres and styles. Hossein Farmani, IPA’s founder and president, commented, “In these unprecedented times, this year’s entries reflect some of the biggest challenges facing our generation—not the least of which is dealing with a virus which, for the first time, is an event that has affected every person on earth in some way. We see photography at its best—whether covering the Covid pandemic, or the world’s uprising against injustice—the images captured are breathtaking. I can easily say these are the best images I have seen in the last decades.”
More info: photoawards.com
#21 Pro Democracy Demonstrations, Hong Kong: The Revolution Of Our Time (Professional Editorial/Press & General News Category, 1st Place)
On June 9th 2019, an estimated one million people took to the streets of Hong Kong to march in protest to the government’s proposed Extradition Bill, allowing citizens to be extradited to mainland China for prosecution. Since that day, Hong Kong has been plunged into a political crisis, with waves of demonstrations and violent clashes between Police and protestors with an alarming rise in the number of police brutality and misconduct allegations, as protests morphed into a wider call for democratic rights and freedom in the semi-autonomous city.
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82points
#22 Irish Traveller Children (Professional People & Lifestyle Category, 1st Place)
Irish Traveller children and their families are historically nomadic and have long been marginalized. They have lived in Ireland for hundreds of years, number about 40,000 in the whole of Ireland, and are separately ethnically from Romani and Gypsies. A law was passed about 15 years ago that forbids them from continually moving. They attend school with the Settled Irish, but generally, drop out by the age of 12-14. They are predominantly Roman Catholic with most marrying around the age of 18. Travelers often have large families and live in roadside camps or halting sites.
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72points
#23 City Of Musical Scores (Professional Fine Art & Collage Category, 1st Place)
In this project, I would like to compose musical scores with images while attempting to capture the time and movement of soccer playground audiences. The stand is a five-line staff and the people are musical notes. While people in the stand are resting, chatting, eating, or watching a soccer game, they are inadvertently composed into a city musical.
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63points
#24 Inscapes (Professional People & Self-Portrait Category, 1st Place)
Placing individuals & objects where they don’t seem to belong, Astrid explores the relationship between humans & nature. She travels to distant landscapes to explore her connection to nature & the influence it has on her sense of identity. A character arises that wants to connect to her surroundings, but can feel out of place. She can be humble & anonymous, yet have an iconic appearance. It shows a struggle with a modern background & her place in the natural world. Her images can be seen as emotional translations where an urge to control is challenged by the desire for synergy.
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60points
#25 The Dukha People, Victims Or Culprits (Professional Editorial/Press & Environmental Category, 1st Place)
Currently, only about forty Dukha families, engaged in reindeer husbandry, survive. Rising temperatures, due to climate change, and the conservation laws of the Mongolian government to preserve the Taiga from the ecological impact that the Dukha pose on their territory, threaten their traditional way of life. The worldwide struggle between the use of environmental resources and their sustainability is dramatically palpable in this remote place where the Dukha people lose the battle and fear for their survival.
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59points
#26 In The Bubble (Professional Nature & Underwater Category, 1st Place)
Bubble coral shrimp in the bubbles. Also called Crustaceans, Carid Shrimps, Commensal Shrimps, Bubble Anemone Shrimp, Philippine Shrimp, Anemone Shrimp.
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58points
#27 Shinjuku (Professional Fine Art & Abstract Category, 1st Place)
Shinjuku is a major commercial and administrative centre with lots of people. Shot looking down from the movie theatre area of Shinjuku. It was a very busy scene and I made it feel even busier by multiple exposing the image five times. Changing the camera angle between each frame as I went. What makes this image special to me was that in the first frame the sign on the left towards the bottom of the frame was lit, then it changed to dark tones. This gave a place where the eye could rest. I also like the abstract shape that can be found in the high tones that travel down the street.
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55points
#28 Ampie Vedute (Professional Architecture & Historic Category, 1st Place)
These images are the first in the series Ampie Vedute, an ongoing project studying the expansive views and architecture of Canale Della Giudecca in Venice, Italy. The body of water offers sweeping views of the diverse architectural styles that span centuries, which in their design have sympathetically retained the aesthetics of this unique city. Inspired by the ethos upon which Venice was built and the muted colors introduced during the Renaissance period, Ampie Vedute explores a minimalistic view of a classic setting, unveiling the intricacies and tones found in the architecture.
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46points
#29 Healing Landscape: A Damaged World In Transition (Professional Nature & Aerial/Drone Category, 1st Place)
Once home to an array of wildlife and plants, the San Francisco Bay Area salt ponds are now a world of blazing colors and patterns when viewed from above. Their dark past connected to the manufacture of napalm is part of the complicated story of a thriving land in transition—a healing landscape that unites many worlds as one.
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43points
#30 The Maldives: Skydiver Photographer Perspective (Sports/Extreme Sports Category, 1st Place)
The Maldivian landscapes are incredible, and for the first time, we could manage to have a skydiving event in one of the most beautiful islands. For these photographs, Kooddoo Island is our background. The Maldivian blue and greenish water is well known, which makes unique photographs. The parachute and the skydivers are an integral part of these photographs. Also, it explains the reason why we were there. The island, water, resort, bungalows, and nature create the perfect scenario for one of the most iconic aerial/skydiving photoshoots in the Maldives until today.
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40points