The Siena International Photo Awards is a prestigious photography contest that receives entries from over 100 countries around the world. Results for the 2016 competition have just been announced and below you can find a collection of our favorite award winners and honorary mentions.
The pictures span countless countries including India, China, Bangladesh, Turkey, Cuba, Myanmar and Bahrain. Leyla Emektar won first place for the travel category for her beautiful image of a strawberry-picker walking between colorful greenhouses in Turkey, while first place for the Open Color category went to Danny Yen Sin Wong for his shot of a Vietnamese woman making a traditional fishing net. The winning photographs are currently on display at the Siena Art Photo Travel Festival, a month-long exhibition called "Beyond the Lens" held in the city of Siena, Italy. The exhibition runs from October 29 to November 30.
More info: Siena International Photo Awards | Siena Art Photo Travel
#23 Makkah, Mecca, Saudi Arabia (2nd Place In Open Color Category)
A multitude of observant Muslims hold the traditional circumambulation ritual around the Kaaba, an ancient building located in the center of Mecca, which is the holiest place for the Islam community.
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82points
#24 Kashmir (Honorable Mention In People And Portrait Category)
This is a nomadic mountain inhabitant of the Sonamarg region in Kashmir whose harsh facial features and sharp look made him blend in with the rugged mountaintops in the background. In the end, it looked like he was part of his own landscape.
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81points
#25 Red Mist In Alba (Second Place In Wine Category)
An autumnal glimpse of vineyards near Alba in the Langhe hills of Piedmont.
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77points
#26 Typhoon (Honorable Mention In Open Color Category)
The waves look like a volcanic eruption, like a giant tree eradicated and covering all the fragile buildings on the bank. The contrast between the waves and the building is representative of force and weakness, brightness and darkness, movement and stillness and conveys the idea of human weakness in the face of nature.
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71points
#27 Prayers On The Road, Bangladesh (Honorable Mention In Travel Category)
Devotees praying on the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway, Bangladesh, on first day of Bishwa Ijtema, the second largest Islamic congregation after theHajj, organised on the banks of the Turag river.
69points
#28 Gondoliere (Third Place In Open Monochrome Category)
This photo is taken on Malvasia Vecchia Bridge, in Venice, in one of the most photographed places in the world, where you can still find unique moments at a glance. The author has photographed this gondolier, towards the end of a hard day's work, while he was returning home with his dog.
63points
#29 Rural Portuguese People - Beginning Of The Day (Remarkable Award, People And Portrait Category)
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63points
#30 Walking High In The Dolomites (Honorable Mention In Travel Category)
The international high line festival at Monte Piana (2,324m) in the Italian Dolomites, above the small town of Misurina. The mountain is popular with slackliners who take advantage of its numerous buttresses, suspending thin lines between the spectacular cliffs and then walking over the gaps.
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55points
#32 Red Zone, China (Honorable Mention In Open Color Category)
This photo was taken in Lijiang - China, during Impression Lijiang, a magnificent outdoor singing and dancing performance demonstrating the traditions and lifestyle of the local ethnic group.
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53points
#33 Harvest Season (Honorable Mention In Open Color Category)
October, the chilly harvest season, when the red chillies are mature, farmers pick them and leave them to dry in the hot sun. Once dry the chillies can easily be stored, transported and sold. This picture was taken from a unique aerial perspective, when the farmers were busy with the harvest.
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52points
#34 Let Happiness Fly (Honorable Mention In Sport Category)
The world of children is always happy, the happiness in their hearts has no limits as they live a pure life. However we live a busy and restless city life, which is exactly the opposite. When I took this picture in November 2012, I had suddenly understood this feeling. The power of images is infinite and I hope that this image will touch many people.
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50points
#38 Childhood (Honorable Mention In People And Portrait Category)
Slum children play football in a muddy field in the Gazipur district in Dhaka. Although Bangladesh's football team is positioned 162 in the FIFA rankings, the country has millions of football fans, most of them supporting their national team.
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47points
#39 Crazy For Mud (Honorable Mention In People And Portrait Category)
Mud park, located in Xiushan island of Zhoushan City, is the first mud theme park in China. My work represents two visitors completely covered with mud, with a group of “muddy people” in the background. I used the contrast between light and shadow to show childish enjoyment.
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45points
#40 Cock Fighting, Indonesia (2nd Place In Open Monochrome Category)
This photo was taken in Jakarta and shows two men who proudly watch their roosters fighting. Cockfighting is one of the most common traditions among several Indonesian cultures.
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43points