After recently showcasing the Wildlife category from The Artist Gallery’s 2026 Photography Contest, we’re returning to the competition for a very different selection of winning images. This time, the focus is on minimalism, a category that invited photographers from around the world to create strong visual impact through clarity and simplicity. The results show just how varied that approach can be.
Florian Kriechbaumer took first place with “DNA,” an aerial view of a twisting bridge over the Dubai Canal, while Alireza Bagheri’s staged and contemplative “Conditional Separation” earned second place. Charles Janson came third with “Sleeping Fox,” capturing a red fox almost disappearing into the snowy landscape of Yellowstone National Park. Beyond the top three, the honorable mentions take minimalism in plenty of other directions, from architecture and geometric patterns to solitary animals, figures, landscapes, and small details isolated against large expanses of empty space. Together, the photographs show that stripping a composition back doesn’t necessarily make it less expressive; sometimes, giving a subject room to breathe is exactly what makes it stand out.
Scroll down to see the rest of the selection of photographs, and upvote your favorites.
#1 “Minimalist #6” By Thierry Camus
Honorable Mention in the Minimalist Category
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12points
#2 “Unmoored” By Robert Denuyl
Honorable Mention in the Minimalist Category
Artist Statement: “This is a moment of profound stillness—a solitary floating raft suspended in waters so calm they become indistinguishable from the mist above. The image dissolves boundaries between elements, creating a liminal space where water, fog, and sky merge into gradations of amber and grey.”
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12points
#3 “Wired Solitude” By Sivan Swisa
Honorable Mention in the Minimalist Category
Artist Statement: “A lone crow perched on electric wires, framed by intersecting diagonal lines and open space. In the heart of the city, it becomes a subtle symbol of solitude, carrying a sense of stillness, balance, and quiet presence.”
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12points
#4 “Conditional Separation” By Alireza Bagheri
2nd Place in the Minimalist Category
Artist Statement: “Photographed at Salt Lake, a staged minimalist scene with two actors. Empty chairs contrast with one departing figure carrying a chair into the glowing horizon. Simplicity of forms and vast space evoke solitude, transition, and contemplation.”
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12points
#5 “Repose” By Kuolun Hsu
Honorable Mention in the Minimalist Category
Artist Statement: “Amid a dense order of lines, a single bird rests, introducing a moment of calm. The structure suggests regulation and pressure, while repose becomes a temporary release and a quiet assertion of presence.”
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11points
#6 “Sleeping Fox” By Charles Janson
3rd Place in the Minimalist Category
Artist Statement: “On a cold mid-winter's day in Yellowstone National Park, a Red Fox takes a nap while stretched out on top of the snow. The snow was so deep that it completely buried the grasses and shrubs beneath it.”
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11points
#7 “DNA” By Florian Kriechbaumer
1st Place in the Minimalist Category
Artist Statement: “We are connected. A top down view of a bridge crossing the Dubai canal in the UAE, showing it's twisting helix shape, evoking the image of a DNA string.”
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11points
#8 “The Pastel Vortex” By Martin Wacker
Honorable Mention in the Minimalist Category
Artist Statement: “An abstract look-up study of a spiral staircase, emphasizing the clean geometry and striking color contrast between vibrant yellow, concrete gray, and a central blue gradient.”
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9points
#9 “Minimalist #4” By Thierry Camus
Honorable Mention in the Minimalist Category
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8points
#10 “White Noise” By Venkat Iyer
Honorable Mention in the Minimalist Category
Artist Statement: “A lone giraffe walks across the expanse of a dry lake bed, dwarfed by an immense white sky and a distant horizon. The minimalist composition and high-key style reduce the landscape to light, texture, and form, drawing attention to the animal’s graceful silhouette and stride.”
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8points
#11 “No Entrance” By Chris Fraikin
Honorable Mention in the Minimalist Category
Artist Statement: “Commercial building shielded by fencing.”
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7points
#12 “Keep Going Straight” By Paul Dunphy
Honorable Mention in the Minimalist Category
Artist Statement: “Cyclist heading towards the Minas Basin of Nova Scotia.”
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7points
#13 “The Zipper” By Greg Bolger
Honorable Mention in the Minimalist Category
Artist Statement: “An old farm fence looks like a zipper between the snowy field in the foreground and the grey sky above. One could imagine opening that zipper and exposing an alternate universe behind everything.”
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7points
#14 “Walls” By Don Kline
Honorable Mention in the Minimalist Category
Artist Statement: “These exterior walls are part of the rear of the Lucerne Hotel in New York City. The building dates from the early 20th century.”
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7points
#15 “A Fine Balance” By Rick Bogacz
Honorable Mention in the Minimalist Category
Artist Statement: “Two pears balanced on the edge of a green table.”
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6points
#16 “No Title” By Hans Vernieuwe
Honorable Mention in the Minimalist Category
Artist Statement: “Façade in Oostende.”
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6points
#17 “Two Birds” By Fritz Mehner
Honorable Mention in the Minimalist Category
Artist Statement: “Two birds above an iconic roof in Berlin.”
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6points
#18 “Paddy Rice Processing Worker” By Saurabh Sirohiya
Honorable Mention in the Minimalist Category
Artist Statement: “A lone worker creates parallel rows of drying rice under the midday sun. Captured in a minimalist composition, the repeating patterns highlight the importance of paddy drying, an essential step that reduces grain moisture before storage and processing at rice mills.”
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6points
#19 “The Pink House” By Patrick Zelis
Honorable Mention in the Minimalist Category
Artist Statement: “My photographic work is an ongoing exploration of urban spaces, where shapes, textures, and colors become a quiet language of form. With my pictures i seek to offer a calm and contemplative perspective on the ordinary, transforming fragments of the city into clean, graphic compositions.”
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6points
#20 “The Nothingness” By Matthieu Chambret
Honorable Mention in the Minimalist Category
Artist Statement: “This photo was taken in Chalon-sur-Saône, France, during the winter and a big fog on the water.
The water submerged the quays and the fog gave an intense impression of emptiness. It's like all disappeared.”
The water submerged the quays and the fog gave an intense impression of emptiness. It's like all disappeared.”
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5points