The Minimalist Photography Awards 2025 have once again showcased the remarkable power of "less is more," and nowhere is this more evident than in the captivating Street Photography category. From over 7,000 global submissions, a standout collection of 25 winning and honorable mention images proves that the chaos of urban life can be distilled into powerful, serene moments.
This year’s Street Photographer of the Year, Selaru Ovidiu, with his winning image "Together," perfectly captures the awards’ ethos: high impact through radical simplicity. The winning photographs are a masterclass in visual storytelling using minimalist elements—strong lines, geometric composition, and carefully placed solitary figures.
Photographers like YongSeok Chun ("Crosswalk") and Ole Arnt Thomsen ("Blurry Man") used negative space and selective focus to turn routine city scenes into thought-provoking art. These inspiring images highlight the beauty of quiet observation, offering viewers a fresh perspective on the urban environment.
Explore the full gallery to witness how these award-winning minimalist street photos transform the mundane into the extraordinary, solidifying the global relevance of this dynamic visual language. A must-see for photography enthusiasts and artists seeking inspiration in simplicity.
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#1. 1st Place Winner: "Together" by Selaru Ovidiu
"Together in Paris"
#2. 2nd Place Winner: "Crosswalk" by YongSeok Chun
"For a short time, the camera captured various people crossing the crosswalk."
#3. 3rd Place Winner: "Blurry Man" by Ole Arnt Thomsen
"A man leans on a blurry glas wall, located in the center of Copenhagen. The blurry glas gave the hole scene a surreal and dreamy output."
Honorable Mentions
#4. "Looking Back" by Marco Wilm
"This photo was taken in the Tate Modern museum in London in April 2024. It showcases the wonderful architecture in contrast to a woman that looks back."
#5. "On the escalator" by Alex Sommer
"At the trainstation in Antwerp I photographed these two on the escalator."
#6. "Social Distancing" by Guido Klumpe
"For my ongoing series, I regularly travel to Gran Canaria, an island west of Africa that belongs to Spain. I am less interested in documenting the most neutral reality possible. I’m looking for the essence of a place – for me, that means the colours, shapes and typical little details. I am fascinated by the transition between the two- and three-dimensional, as well as the photographic and the painterly."
#7. "Red Man" by Glenn Homann
"People can be just as interesting when they are doing nothing at all."
#8. "Tokyo gōu" by Nina Papiorek
"In Japan, the simple act of smoking is guided by unspoken rules of etiquette. Lighting a cigarette on a public street is not only discouraged—it quietly clashes with the rhythm of the city. Instead, designated smoking areas appear like small, contained worlds tucked into the city of Tokyo."
#9. "Rusty Nail" by Marco Wilm
"This photo was taken in August 2024 at a viewing platform called “Rostiger Nagel” which translates to “Rusty Nail”. I waited for a long time to have someone with white clothes to walk up, as this would create the perfect contrast. I also carefully considered the perfect composition to showcase the scale and sheer size of the construction in contrast to the human element."
#10. "Fight for dreams" by Chanathip Chayanggoon na Ayudya
"A dream realized is born through trials, practice, mistakes, and relentless effort—just like this skateboarder."
#11. "The In-Between" by Glenn Homann
"I enjoy the process of aligning objects and shapes. Ones that are separated in three dimensions but are bought together in the two dimensional plane of a photograph."
#12. "Basketball from above" by Patti Travers
"Watching a Bball game from the 36th floor"
#13. "Cigarette Hand" by Andrew Tan
"Whilst walking around the French Quarter in New Orleans one Sunday morning, I saw this hand with a cigarette."
#14. "Silent dream" by Pekka Välitalo
#15. "007" by Chiao-Yun Ren
"Through a circular opening in a building corridor, the lone figure in a suit is framed, evoking the iconic opening sequence of a 007 movie."
#16. "A station without destination" by Pekka Välitalo
#17. "Pastel Graveyard" by Masak Yazaki
"Once a moving companion on green fields, now motionless in front of a scrap yard. This retired golf cart quietly dissolves into its industrial surroundings — faded, forgotten, but not without beauty."
#18. "Elegance" by Abrahan Francisco
"The elegant shape of the silhouette of light that forms on the ground fits with the elegance that the lady shows with her dress and the way she holds her purse."
#19. "Interstice" by Silvia Missura
"Interstice (from Latin interstitium: a small space that lies between things). The series Interstice captures fragments of urban space and rhythm. Through fleeting glimpses of shadow, structure, and often overlooked moments, these works invite the viewer to pause – to notice what lies in between. Because sometimes, the quiet in-between holds more than the visible whole."
#20. "Yellow" by Julachart Pleansanit
"Bangkok, Thailand"
#21. "The Girl" by Ricardo Abril Marinho
"Captured in Vila Planalto, a historic working-class neighborhood in Brasília (Brazil), this street photo documents a brief, silent encounter. As I walked past with my camera, I noticed a young girl observing the world through the window. I quickly raised my lens, and for a few seconds, our gazes met. Her look was both curious and guarded — a quiet moment of contemplation from behind the metal bars and worn shutters. The minimal composition emphasizes the solitude and mystery of that exchange, evoking questions: Was she longing to join the children playing outside? Or simply intrigued by another observer passing by?"
#22. "Cloudbulbs" by Jaeseok Lim
"It’s a photo juxtaposing soft clouds with a streetlamp. On this clear day, the appearance of scattered clouds was already rare, but capturing two of them overlapping perfectly with the lamp was a remarkable coincidence."
#23. "Mighty Orange" by Dianne Kelsey
"Taken as this area developed and put together to give a version of what I was seeing overall. The impact of the colour was too good to walk past."
#24. "Crossing the Divide" by KuoLun Hsu
"In the intersection of light and shadow, a lone cyclist traverses a geometric cityscape. This image captures a fleeting moment of solitude, framed by the stark lines of a sunlit wall and the sharp division of darkness. The rigid texture of the brick, the symmetry of the window grates, and the delicate balance between light and void emphasize the quiet resilience of everyday life. Through minimalism and monochromatic tones, I seek to highlight the unnoticed narratives that unfold in urban environments — where silence becomes movement and stillness becomes story."
#25. "Golden Gateway" by Reza Bakhshi
"Captured in January 2025 along the shores of Bushehr, a city in southern Iran, this image reflects a place close to my heart, where evening walks and sunsets have become a personal ritual. I stepped away from the familiar shoreline this time, seeking a new perspective. Framed by a forgotten trash bin and blessed by the sudden flight of seagulls, I caught a fleeting moment: a man walking into the golden light. A journey down a well-known path, seen through a different eye, shaped by a different state of mind."