1ST PRIZE: JULIA SMITH-EPPSTEINER

The artist’s use of color isn’t just an element of the photo, it becomes a meditation on color and a study of it. The blue is deeply evocative and sensual, and envelops you. The artistry is gorgeous to me.  – JIMMY MARBLE

Color psychology associates blue with many emotions, both positive and negative, but the one that first comes to mind is sadness. Feeling blue and the blues music that developed from it are common elements we can all relate to. So it doesn’t take much before linking this portrait with sadness, grief, loss of romantic love, and many other similar feelings. Post-processing is done with purpose and artistry to add a new layer of significance and enrich the narrative.
– LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – From the series Of Bodies – handmade cyanotype prints inspired by Maggie Nelson’s Bluets, a lyric essay that traces heartbreak through a meditation on the color blue.

2ND PRIZE: TOM SCORDIA

This abstract landscape brings to mind the palette and works of Dali. It feels painterly, and at the same time, in motion. It’s a beautiful achievement of composition and expression. – JIMMY MARBLE

So beautiful and alluring, this photograph highlights the photographer’s technical skills and sensitivity to color. Like a painter chooses their acrylics and draws intentional brush strokes, the photographer chooses camera settings, perspective, location, and time to create an equally intentional artwork. Colors blend in perfectly, the scene is dynamic and smooth, and the beauty of nature interlocks with the beauty of the photographic art form. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – End of June, end of the day, but the sky is calling the sun back. Cabourg, Normandy. Where the horizon line dissolves and the coast becomes nothing but color and motion.

JEREMY SKIRROW

The colors we surround ourselves with speak volumes about our culture and lifestyle, our values and beliefs. This candid street shot is full of energy, playful, and unruly. It’s buzzy as if dancing to music that only it can hear. The viewer can pick from so many flavors and imagine so many explanations that the scene becomes an epic work, just like street photography should be.
– LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – Shadow Play. Guanajuato, Mexico, November 2025.

LUCIE LANCHOU

What an interesting perspective! The unusual angle and the framing are very appealing and intriguing. Each element adds to the narrative, from the horse-shaped frame to the red background to the traditional outfit. The red empowers the subject, highlighting femininity but also resilience, courage, and independence. It’s a multilayered composition that takes a long time to decipher, the kind of photo you want to talk about, and that’s a powerful feature.
– LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – During an improvised trip to Argentina, I had the chance to meet cowgirls who proudly carry on the traditions of their village. Katharina and her daughters are fearless young women, riding at full gallop across the plains with their horses, far from social media, living a healthy and balanced life. I was deeply moved by their charisma as well as their strong character. I had the opportunity to photograph them in their own world. As a way of thanking them for making me dream and for inspiring me so much, I would love their images to be seen all over the world.

DAVID HELLARD

To capture the colors of our planet is a privilege. But before being allowed to do so, you must prove yourself worthy. The photographer isn’t just anybody who happens to visit a place. They are nature’s friend and trustworthy companion, fullheartily engaged in dialogue. There is nothing in this image that disturbs the tranquility of nature or disrupts its flow. It’s just the immense gratitude of being part of it and the willingness to let it all in.
– LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – Breadth and Scope – Landscape photo before dawn at Zabriskie Point, Death Valley.

VITALY GOLOVATYUK

In the heart of the city, a moment of colorful serendipity. The photographer made all the right choices, from the orientation of the frame to the focal point. Splashes of red come through, the fluid mass of green constitutes a giant leading line, and the bleak gray of the buildings creates the necessary contrast. Everything falls into place seamlessly, and the mundane scene comes to life, capturing the viewer’s entire attention and making them wonder if little miracles like this happen around them. It’s an image that makes you pay more attention to the world. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – Red Tram and Green Mesh. Classic Hong Kong Tram against massive facade with green mesh.

ANTOINE HULOT

In a concrete-governed landscape, a group of mystical characters creates an unforgettable scene. The splash of color and attitude is fantastic; the contrast is mesmerizing; and the light falls beautifully on their outstanding costumes. They are alive and buzzing, unlike the rest of the frame, as if they had emerged from the pages of a graphic novel, and the entire composition and settings collaborate to make them stand out. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – Taken during the 2026 Lunar New Year, this image captures the Eng Go Bhu troupe on the Dalle des Olympiades, in Paris. I was lucky enough to catch them between two worlds: the calm of preparation and the imminent spectacle of the Avenue d’Ivry parade. The dancers stand facing the iconic towers of the 13th arrondissement, colorful silhouettes against a backdrop of concrete.

JULIA KANTOR

Color is an excellent element to work with in abstract photography because it adds meaning without cluttering the frame. This image uses color contrast, visual weight, and space brilliantly, demonstrating the photographer’s keen eye and attention to detail, impressive compositional skills, and open-minded approach when it comes to choosing a subject matter. The photograph is not only aesthetic, but multisensorial, inviting the viewer to feel the warmth and listen to the silence that surrounds the scene.
– LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – Suspended Heat. A red umbrella floats beneath a yellow structure, framed by open sky. The image explores color as temperature — warm tones pressing against cool atmosphere.

MD ARIFUZZAMAN

This is the photograph everyone should have hanging on their wall for instant cheering up. It encompasses so much joy, playfulness, and innocence that it breaks down all the walls and makes your heart feel light again. The physical separation between body and silhouette may also act as a metaphorical separation between our reality and our state of mind. The photograph reminds us that we can be happy even in less-than-perfect conditions.
– LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – This is Tetulia, Bangladesh. One serene morning, as I wandered along the riverbank, I stumbled upon two boys playing behind a striking red cloth. Their silhouettes, framed by that vivid backdrop, radiated pure joy and innocence. They were lost in their own little universe–free, unburdened, and blissfully unaware of the world beyond. In that fleeting moment, joy itself seemed to take silhouette shape and bound me to capture this unique moment.

LIZ PALM

Color is often the means through which a community comes together. It’s found in traditions, architecture, clothing, food, and many more. This picturesque photograph takes us to a small village that found a way to balance the coldness of the environment by painting the houses in warm colors. The angle is very well chosen and adds a sense of depth and a fairytale-like atmosphere. Each patch of color is a focal point, and by going from one to another, the viewer spends more time with the image and feels more and more like a welcome guest.
– LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – Winter in Berlevag, Norway.

ARIANNE AMORES

What a creative way to embrace storytelling in portraiture! Nothing in this picture is like you’d imagine it to be. The model’s gaze and the camera’s direction contradict each other, the unnatural red glaze somehow seems to fit in with natural tones, and the subject is both immersed and floating. It’s a modern Mona Lisa with the same mysterious effect and a thousand stories to tell. Well done!
– LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – Red Horizon. She looks toward the light above, yet the image pulls downward into a field of red. The portrait is suspended between gaze and color.

ANNEMARIE JUNG

The art of photography is seeing what most of us miss. How often do we pass by such delicate, pastel colors on streets that wear their beauty in silence? How often do we stop to acknowledge our surroundings? The photograph can frame only a tiny corner of our universe, but it can encompass its entire soul. The composition is geometrical but candid, allowing textures and colors to shine through and whisper their stories. – LIFE FRAMER

CHRISTIAN SANWALD

The portrait is nonconformist, artful, and rich in symbolism. Primroses are a symbol of youth and renewal, while purple stands for magic and mystery. Are we witnessing a charm? Whether the choice of flowers and colors was intentional or not, the image draws from their cultural meanings and conveys a complex message that leaves room for interpretation. Alluring and intriguing, the photograph invites the viewer to enter a fantasy world and seek the meaning that resonates the most. – LIFE FRAMER

VICA ROSARIO BOGAERTS

This anti-portrait works so well due to the bright, vibrant shade of red, proving the power of color in photography. The rules are broken, but no one cares because they all want to know who the woman is, where she is going, and what the story of the red scarf is. Color contrast is exquisite, the blue of the sea and the sky complementing her outfit, making her blend in but not quite, as if she is hiding and only the viewer knows. A thrilling experience! – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – Red by the Sea. Istanbul, Türkiye.

DAVID PICKENS

The frame is full to the brim with light and color, an ambitious setting for a portrait. Lush green and bright orange, the pillars of the atmosphere come from so many directions that they become overwhelming, submerging the viewer into the ultimate summer decor. Still, the photographer manages to keep the composition well-balanced, make the subject stand out, and create the leading lines required to keep the viewer engaged. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – A Midsummers’ Flowerbed.

NICOLAS CASTERMANS

There is something so serene and universal about this light shade of blue that caresses the mountains and highlights their sharp edges. Or maybe it’s the other way around, and the mountains put a smile on the sky’s face. The image is majestic and delicate at the same time, icy cold, but with the power to touch and warm our hearts. The minimalist composition is an artful choice. Anything else in the frame would have ruined the ephemeral sensation and disturbed the viewer from this zen state. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – Winter Wonderland, Tatra Mountains, Poland.

GLENN HOMANN

An abstract shot beautifully put together by using elements available in the scene, the image highlights the photographer’s ability to spot stories within inanimate objects, decompose the scene while weighing visual weights and looking for symbols, and put everything back together in a harmonious, balanced composition. It’s an appealing chaos of textures and geometric shapes that stays with you for a long time, although you aren’t sure why. – LIFE FRAMER

ALYSSA SMITH

Surreal, artful, and profound, this fine art image plays with your mind while raising powerful emotions. The effect is part due to the whimsical disparition, part due to the choice of colors. The subject and the background are dressed in analogous colors, which makes them feel like part of a whole. At the same time, the subject ignores the surroundings to the point that they leave the place entirely. Such a simple way to deal with such a complex concept! – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – From my series UBIETY, exploring the theme of presence and being present. Color guides my work and is the filter through which I see the world around me.

DEREK DIMIR

Earthy tones fill the frame to highlight the richness of our planet, but also the exhaustive exploitation that fuels human civilization. The camera angle puts things in perspective, enhances patterns, and creates a well-balanced composition in which men and nature are on the same level. Although it features a natural subject, the photograph features powerful leading lines that lure the viewer in. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – White Gold. Salt farmers carry their harvest. Taken within Salineras de Maras (The Salt mines of Maras). Sacred Valley, Peru.

ZUKA KOTRIKADZE

The photographer exhibits a skillful manner of working with texture and geometric shapes. The composition is minimalist and abstract, but very appealing due to the overlapping of textures and colors. Like a designer, the photographer chose the best angles, surfaces, and patterns to create a powerful focal point and guide the viewer from one element to another, like in a maze. The soft tones and the peaceful silhouette convey a pleasant atmosphere. Regardless of where in the world this shot is taken, one yearns to go there. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – Color Block.