Some photographs simply look beautiful. Others make you stop scrolling, lean in, and wonder about the story behind the frame. That’s where great photography hits differently. The 12Awards Photography Competition brings together 48 outstanding winning images that do exactly that, turning fleeting moments, people, places, and ideas into memorable visual stories.
Born from a dream of creating a borderless sanctuary for photographic art, 12Awards is more than another photo contest. It’s an international platform that celebrates photographers from different backgrounds, styles, and experience levels. Professionals, amateurs, emerging talents, and established artists all get a chance to put their vision in the spotlight.
The annual competition features 12 carefully curated categories: Architecture, Landscape, Documentary, Drone, Fine Art, Minimalism, Nature/Wildlife, Open Black & White, Open Color, People/Portrait, Street, and Travel. From dramatic landscapes and intimate portraits to powerful documentary moments and beautifully observed street scenes, the winning photographs cover an impressive range of visual languages.
Among the biggest highlights is Photographer of the Year Mohammed Muhtasib from Saudi Arabia, who received a $1,000 cash prize and a trophy.
These 48 winning photographs aren’t just technically impressive. They remind us why photography matters: sometimes, one frame can say what a thousand words can’t.
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#1. Architecture – Winner: Un sueño mágico by Jordi Egea Torrent, Spain
"The fact that we live surrounded by colors makes black and white become an abstraction in itself, breaking with the usual perception of reality. This chromatic disconnection forces us to see architecture in a different way, putting more emphasis on shapes, volumes and contrasts, giving strength and drama, and light is what shapes everything."
#2. Architecture – Silver: Brilliant Star City by Di Chang, Taiwan
"The "Brilliant Star City" series began in 2025 and is deeply memorable. As a child, I was always captivated by the dazzling industrial buildings, lights, and smog while riding along the highway. I didn’t understand it then, but some people saw the smog-filled industrial areas as a sign of air pollution and environmental concern."
#3. Architecture – Bronze: Auditorio De Tenerife by Bernd Gantert, Germany
"AUDITORIO DE TENERIFE The Auditorio designed by architect Santiago Calatrava had long been on my wish list. In October 2025, I finally made the trip. I captured long-exposure shots from three different locations."
#4. Architecture – Jury Choice: Malaga by Dámaso Ávila, Spain
"In the city of Málaga (in southern Spain), a Congress and Trade Fair Center designed by the architect Ángel Asenjo was inaugurated in 2003. Its completely innovative curved lines, with very modern facades, give it a futuristic appearance."
#5. Landscape – Winner: The Solitude of Storms by Jeremy Janus, United States
"I have battled anxiety and depression for most of my life, but the one place that I have always found solitude is in nature. The solitude and peace that I have found in chasing storms has been life changing. Even through the chaos, danger, and uncertainty of chasing storms, it provides a calm and peace within unlike almost anything else I have experienced."
#6. Landscape – Silver: Alien World by Craig Bill, United States
#7. Landscape – Bronze: Arctic Echo by Jan Jaskula, Poland
"A monochromatic winter on the black sand beaches of Stokksnes. Harsh climate, icy winds, and breathtaking mountain majesty. Iceland in its purest form."
#8. Landscape – Jury Choice: Beauty of Mountains by Alexey Morkvashentsev, Switzerland
"This Photo was taken at the fantastic and not easy reachable place – Mirador Las Torres after long hike in Torres del Paine National Park, Chile."
#9. Documentary – Winner: Acid attack Survivors by Mohammed Muhtasib, Saudi Arabia
"Abdul Kader was just 17 years old when he was attacked with acid while sleeping. The attack was result of a land dispute. When he realized something happening in his face hu understands immediately that someone threw acid on his face. So, he woke up and ran and jump into nearest pond. Then his father had taken him to a hospital and it took almost 1 year to start a new life with acid scars. His one eye had been fully damaged just because of acid attack."
#10. Documentary – Silver: Spin control by Natalia Gorshkova, Russia
"This story about people who fallen into a difficult life situation. People who don’t give up and find opportunity for a full life. Surgeries, rehabilitation, depression and despair led them to the search for another ways and other meaning for life in new circumstances. The top of the self-sacrificing desire to conquer the tragic situation for them becomes a playing in basketball. For people who braving itself and who coming to the sports ground to fight and win it’s a kind of challenge to fate."
#11. Documentary – Bronze: Hope in the Crowd by Ayed Alrajhi, Kuwait
"Photographed in a Syrian refugee camp in Jordan during a winter aid mission, this image captures two children standing amid the crowd, watching the distribution of food and shelter supplies. Their expressions reveal a mixture of curiosity, uncertainty, and hope. In a place shaped by displacement, their gaze becomes a powerful reminder of resilience and the universal desire for safety and a better future."
#12. Documentary – Jury Choice: Song of Net and Rope by Aref Tahmasebi, Iran
"They push the boat forward until it nearly floats free, and the nets slip into the water. Hours of waiting begin… Children watch, learn, and still see it all as a kind of game. Slowly, the ropes are pulled in. As the net approaches the shore, more men from the family arrive. The trapped fish look at the coast for the first and the last time. They are separated from the net, and the tired nets are released but not for long, because they are still needed. Another group of men."
#13. Drone – Winner: Bowing In Prayer by Saurabh Sirohiya, India
"The Eid-ul-Fitr Congregation was held in Old Delhi. According to the organizers, over 5,000 devotees participated in the Eid congregation. The prayers started early in the morning with devotees coming from various parts of the region. Eid-ul-Fitr is a Muslim festival of joy celebrated globally."
#14. Drone – Silver: Salt River by Aref Tahmasebi, Iran
#15. Drone – Bronze: Streetphotography by Barbara Eitel, Germany
"An aerial view shows the abstract pattern of the street with a beautiful curved bike lane. In winter, almost no colors are visible, making the picture look nearly black and white."
#16. Drone – Jury Choice: Veins by Markus van Hauten, Deutschland
"An icelandic river seen from above."
#17. Fine Art – Winner: Animal Theater by Barbara Cesari, Italy
"A body of work exploring the presence of Animals through theatrical narratives, forging connections and revealing their inner nature like a form of poetry. Themes of individuality, coexistence, and the delicate relationship between the natural and the human-made environment run throughout the project."
#18. Fine Art – Silver: Misha Mouse by Vladimir Beroev, Russia
"The Misha Mouse project is an aesthetic exploration of power, where the food chain is inverted, and triumph over predators turns into glamorous decadence. It is a realm where disguise reaches absolute perfection: beneath a theatrical innocence beats cold calculation, and under the sweet icing hide the steel jaws of a trap."
#19. Fine Art – Bronze: Mainhattan by Bernd Gantert, Germany
"Through my use of lighting I wanted to further emphasise the ‘soaring’ quality of the bank towers. I deliberately incorporated the street lamp as an additional stylistic element through my choice of location. To prevent it from appearing as an almost black foreign object, I artificially illuminated it in Photoshop."
#20. Fine Art – Jury Choice: Breathe by Ben Battersby, Argentina
"BREATHE creates constructed nocturnal scenes for people living with rupture to feel more seen. All images are from one series. They relate as emotional states, not narrative—each occupies the same ambiguous terrain between what was and what might be. The work uses cinematic language, minimal props, and the artist’s body as available model."
#21. Minimalism – Winner: Morning Jog by Xuejun Long, China
"Polar bears are emblematic species of the Arctic region, and are at extreme risk of extinction due to melting glaciers caused by climate change. On Baffin Island, I came across a mother polar bear running through the ice and snow with her two cubs. Mom teaches her children how to hunt and survive in the wild to explore the cold world outside."
#22. Minimalism – Silver: Wish for peace by Hiroto Fukuda, Japan
"The conservation of the Japanese crane is a successful nature conservation project in Japan. The Japanese crane, once thought to be extinct, was rediscovered in the Kushiro Marsh in Hokkaido in 1924. Over approximately 100 years, its population recovered to about 1,900 by 2026. This artwork captures the beautiful image of the Japanese crane soaring across the snowfields, expressing a wish for peace and the desire to protect this beautiful planet."
#23. Minimalism – Bronze: Horsemen by Mohammed Muhtasib, Saudi Arabia
"Amid the volcanic silence of Bromo, a solitary horse becomes a symbol of resilience, tradition, and the quiet bond between humans and nature."
#24. Minimalism – Jury Choice: Silent Forms by Glenn Goldman, United States
"Saudi Arabia Pavilion, Expo 2025, Osaka, Kansai, Japan. Foster + Partners, architects."
#25. Nature/Wildlife – Winner: Journey of Life by Xuejun Long, China
"Life is a long and unpredictable journey, and the colors of nature are the colors of life. Aerial photography of Lake Magadi, Kenya coinciding with the rapid transition from the rainy season to the dry season. I was fortunate to have caught this opportunity, and groups of flamingos came to cheer up, bestowing a dreamy beauty from heaven."
#26. Nature/Wildlife – Silver: Reflections in the Night by Marcello Galleano, Italia
"In the darkness of the Kenyan forest, the reflections of the moonlight reveal unexpected reflections…in the night the movements of incredible animals begin."
#27. Nature/Wildlife – Bronze: Puffinuzzle by Derrick Z Jackson, United States
"Puffins in Maine represent the world’s first successful restoration of seabirds to islands they were hunted off in the late 1800s. The effort began in the 1970s with chicks brought from 800 miles away in Newfoundland. Researchers used decoys to make it appear that the island was home, sweet home."
#28. Nature/Wildlife – Jury Choice: Prince of Blue by Rintaro Ukon, Japan
"Prince of Blue captures a young humpback whale emerging from the depths of the Pacific and circling around me in a graceful dance. Shot while free diving in Tonga on August 10, 2023, without scuba tanks or artificial lighting, the image reflects a silent, sacred encounter built on trust and respect."
#29. Open B&W – Winner: Mundari cattle camp by Svetlin Yosifov, Bulgaria
"In the Mundari cattle camps, kids are doing most of the daily work. Kids collect the fresh cow dung and put it into piles which are then set on fire. Those fire are useful as they repel the (extremely) numerous and voracious flies and mosquitoes of the South Sudanese countryside."
#30. Open B&W – Silver: Morning Jog by Xuejun Long, China
"Polar bears are emblematic species of the Arctic region, and are at extreme risk of extinction due to melting glaciers caused by climate change. On Baffin Island, I came across a mother polar bear running through the ice and snow with her two cubs. Mom teaches her children how to hunt and survive in the wild to explore the cold world outside."
#31. Open B&W – Bronze: Angry Horse by Mohammed Muhtasib, Saudi Arabia
"During a traditional horse competition in Bromo, Indonesia, an enraged horse erupts in defiance, kicking up clouds of volcanic dust as it confronts its handler. The animal’s fierce posture and tense movement capture the raw intensity of the contest, where strength, control, and spirit collide against the stark volcanic landscape."
#32. Open B&W – Jury Choice: Stick Walkers by Phillip Kwan, Canada
#33. Open Color – Winner: Living Rooms by Quintavius Oliver, United States
“Living(Rooms)” is an intimate study of home, belonging, and the quiet poetry of everyday life. Raised without clear examples of family or safety, I began photographing people in their homes while searching for what those things could look and feel like. Through light, gesture, and small human details, this work invites viewers to see themselves in others and to find a shared sense of home.
#34. Open Color – Silver: Tabourida by Mohammed Muhtasib, Saudi Arabia
"Tbourida is a traditional Moroccan equestrian art rooted in 16th-century military traditions. Groups of riders perform synchronized parades, starting with a ceremonial salute and ending with a powerful gallop and collective rifle fire. Dressed in historical attire, they embody Arab-Amazigh heritage passed through generations."
#35. Open Color – Bronze: Journey of Life by Xuejun Long, China
"Life is a long and unpredictable journey, and the colors of nature are the colors of life. Aerial photography of Lake Magadi, Kenya coinciding with the rapid transition from the rainy season to the dry season. I was fortunate to have caught this opportunity, and groups of flamingos came to cheer up, bestowing a dreamy beauty from heaven."
#36. Open Color – Jury Choice: Adoration by René Kuipers, Netherlands
"Photoshop compositing. I photographed 2 sisters in my studio in different poses. I merged them with photoshop with the background to one image."
#37. People/Portrait – Winner: The Defiance by Shahin Khalaji, United Arab Emirates
#38. People/Portrait – Silver: Caro boy by Svetlin Yosifov, Bulgaria
"The Karo tribe, living in the area southeast of the River Omo in Ethiopia, are a group of just over 1,000 tribespeople. They survive on agriculture and natural annual flooding of the Omo river."
#39. People/Portrait – Bronze: Eagle Eye by Ken Ang, Singapore
"This portrait features a young Kazakh eagle hunter from the Altai Mountains in western Mongolia, highlighting the centuries-old tradition of training golden eagles for hunting. The individual is dressed in traditional attire, including a distinctive fox fur hat and a teal garment with intricate white scrollwork embroidery, which is characteristic of the region’s nomadic heritage."
#40. People/Portrait – Jury Choice: Mia by Isa Ebrahim, Bahrain
"Maznoy Mia, a 75-year-old farmer, lives with his wife Rehana in the Joypurhat (slum) area, one of the largest slums in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. He has two sons and one daughter. One daughter is married. 10 years ago, due to diabetes, his toe suddenly developed pain, which later developed into gangrene."
#41. Street – Winner: Toji train station in Dhaka by Mohammed Muhtasib, Saudi Arabia
"These powerful images from Tongi Station in Dhaka show the deep devotion of thousands heading to Bishwa Ijtema. Despite crowded conditions, worshippers fill every space, driven by faith and unity reflecting the strength of spiritual commitment in one of Islam’s largest gatherings."
#42. Street – Silver: The bizarre window by Md. Arifuzzaman, Bangladesh
"Every year, at the end of the World Ijtema in Dhaka, Bangladesh, millions of Muslim devotees return home by train. This mass departure creates an overwhelming rush and chaos at the railway stations. The sheer volume of people trying to board the trains is both intense and fascinating to witness. In the frenzy, bizarre scenes often unfold—countless individuals run toward moving trains, clinging to doors, roofs, and even windows."
#43. Street – Bronze: Iron Market by Isa Ebrahim, Bahrain
"A scene from the iron market in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where artisans shape metal in narrow alleys that reflect the vitality of manual labor at the heart of the city."
#44. Street – Jury Choice: Iam a Traverler by Steve Dinberg, United States
#45. Travel – Winner: Back to the Past by Jurica Galic, Croatia
"The photograph was taken in a nomadic camp of the Mundari people from Sudan. Members of this tribe are known for raising Ankole cattle with large horns. In the evening, they burn dried cow dung to protect themselves from mosquitoes. That smoke, combined with the setting sun, creates a magical photographic backdrop."
#46. Travel – Silver: Early Morning Walk by Ken Ang, Singapore
"This atmospheric photograph captures a quintessentially rural scene in Xiapu, China, where local farmers and a water buffalo navigate a misty, ancient banyan tree forest. Dressed in traditional attire and carrying tools like a yoke and buckets, this farmer leading his buffalo to market evoke a timeless, agrarian lifestyle."
#47. Travel – Bronze: Battle in the Air by Ken Ang, Singapore
"This dramatic image captures two performers mid-air during a traditional Kuda Lumping dance, an Indonesian folk art originating from Java. The men are shown leaping dynamically toward each other over a simple bamboo raft on a calm body of water, each "riding" a flat, ornately decorated hobby horse made of woven bamboo and brandishing a long, curved whip."
#48. Travel – Jury Choice: Jodhpur family by Isa Ebrahim, Bahrain
"Members of a Bishnoi family are seen in a daily life scene on the outskirts of Jodhpur, in India’s Rajasthan state, where local traditions and environment are reflected in the details of the setting."
Frequently Asked Questions:
What is the 12Awards Photography Competition?
12Awards is an independent international photography competition that celebrates photographic arts worldwide. It brings together professional photographers, amateurs, emerging talents, and enthusiasts while promoting visual storytelling across 12 carefully curated categories.
How many categories are included in 12Awards?
The 12Awards Annual Competition features 12 categories: Architecture, Landscape, Documentary, Drone, Fine Art, Minimalism, Nature/Wildlife, Open B&W, Open Color, People/Portrait, Street, and Travel. Each category highlights a different approach to photographic storytelling.
Who won Photographer of the Year at 12Awards?
Mohammed Muhtasib from Saudi Arabia was named Photographer of the Year. Along with the prestigious title, he received a $1,000 cash award and trophy, recognizing his outstanding achievement and contribution to contemporary photographic storytelling.
What types of photographers can enter 12Awards?
The competition welcomes both professional and amateur photographers. Its goal is to create an inclusive international platform where established photographers, emerging artists, and passionate enthusiasts can showcase their creative vision and connect through photography.
What makes the 12Awards winning photographs special?
The winning photographs demonstrate how powerful visual storytelling can be. Across different genres, they capture emotion, atmosphere, human experiences, places, and fleeting moments, showing how a single carefully crafted image can communicate an unforgettable story.
