1ST PRIZE: ELIÉZER SENA

This portrait captivated me with its extraordinary delicacy. It is an image of tenderness, trust, and care – feelings that cannot be faked, as they truly radiate from this frame. The photograph does not need many words, because it speaks for itself with calmness, closeness, and love. It is beautifully executed: simple in form, yet deeply moving. A quiet, intimate moment full of warm emotions has been captured here, and they reach the viewer directly.

The photograph also has exceptional value in the way it presents the man. It shows him from a perspective rarely seen in visual culture – not as a tough, independent “macho” figure, but as someone tender, attentive, and caring. This gentleness does not take away his strength; on the contrary, it gives it a new, profound dimension. It is especially moving because, in iconography, it is most often the mother who appears in such intimate scenes with a child. Here, that role is reversed, which makes the image even more unique and important. The author’s description opens an additional layer of interpretation. The photograph was created as an act of opposition to injustice, to the poorer treatment of people with a different skin color, to harassment and racism. It is a protest that does not express itself through images of violence or dramatic scenes, but through a completely different language – the language of love, closeness, and dignity.

In this sense, the photograph becomes an act of resistance through affirmation. Showing beauty, tenderness, and humanity is also a fight for equality and justice, because it reminds us of what is worth nurturing and what values should guide us as a society. This approach recalls the later work of Sebastião Salgado, who – after years of documenting pain and suffering – began showing the beauty of the world to awaken responsibility and sensitivity in people.

Similarly here: love, not accusation, becomes a form of resistance. It is a deeply humanistic, beautiful, and profoundly necessary photograph. – MARCIN RYCZEK

When one looks at this image, they don’t see skin of one color or another. They don’t even see individuals or relationships. All the viewer sees is love and tenderness, a close embrace, hope, and safety. It’s the purpose of photography to help us focus on what’s real instead of on what’s socially and culturally manufactured. We need to see life as it is, without misconceptions and biases. And life is love. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – This series was born during the political unrest of 2020. Every time I looked at my phone, I saw Black lives dying at the hands of police.

As an Afro-Latino immigrant from Brazil, I grew up adjacent to, but not fully within, the Black American experience. When I moved to one of the poorest neighborhoods in the state at age nine, I quickly realized that America was not as white as I’d seen in the movies. The only white people I saw were my teachers — and I often found myself in trouble with them, though I didn’t always understand why. Looking back, I realize it wasn’t about what I was doing, but how I was perceived. It wasn’t until adulthood that I understood: we were all perceived in a certain untruthful light. Too loud. Too messy. Too dangerous.

During the protests, I felt the pull to do something. Also, numbness. Black death became more common on my feed than roadkill on a Midwestern highway. Protest after protest, and yet the fear only grew: for me, a fear of the police. For many, a fear of Black lives. To resist that narrative, I turned to tenderness. I wanted to photograph the quiet, sacred moments I’ve witnessed within Black communities, the gentleness that never makes the headlines. Sometimes images are enough. But I also asked each person to write a message they wished others would carry with them.

Rahim and Ruel: “I fear being wrong. I fear being wrong because I’m dark and I was always told, that’s where the monsters are. But the light reveals, cameras now help us see clear, actions of racist are uncovered. Acting like they shooting for justice when there’s mainly blacks red after flashing white in the streets but only the privileged blue left without a defeat. How do I tell my son that the color of his skin has been weaponized? That’s it’s a threat to some and a thug is what we symbolize?

Although we are Christians that belong to a church family with a color woven with our character aligned with our allegiance to Gods kingdom, we still somehow are viewed less than the whites. Ghetto is what most whites will view him in this so called sweet land of liberty. I wish he would grow up to be professionally, spiritually and personally successful viewed equally with white people, singing and living in this sweet land of liberty. But this systemic oppression has me fearful of being wrong.

2ND PRIZE: ARGUS PAUL ESTABROOK

This photograph stands out for its remarkable multilayered quality – both visual and emotional. At first glance, it appears to be an ordinary scene from the subway, yet the way it is captured transforms it into a reflective image of contemporary life in a big city. It is a photograph about the phenomenon of loneliness in a crowd: people physically close to one another, yet separated, immersed in their thoughts, daily worries, and private worlds.

Particular attention is drawn to the woman at the center of the frame. Her closed eyes, slightly bowed head, and crossed arms create an intimate, almost contemplative scene. One could read it as a moment of fatigue, a brief pause, or a desire to withdraw from the bustle – as if, for a fleeting moment, she were trying to wrap herself in her own presence, to find a fragment of inner calm amid the city’s noise. These gestures make the photograph, seemingly documentary, open to multiple interpretations. There is both serenity and a certain fragility, and this ambiguity gives the image its exceptional strength.

The reflections on the window, the blurred lights, and the fragments of mirrored shapes create a sense of suspension – as though veils of neon appear before the viewer, giving the photograph the character of intimate observation from a distance. These luminous layers – together with the figures in the background – are not accidental; they form a carefully composed, deliberate frame full of depth and visual tension.

The author’s description adds further context to the image. The artist – born in Korea and raised in the United States – returns to his home country with a sense of partial estrangement. This perspective of someone both “from here” and “not from here” subtly resonates in the photograph: in the gentle feeling of distance, in the figures seen as if through a veil, in the thoughtful, observant recording of everyday moments. As a result, the photograph becomes not only a document of a subway scene but also a visual metaphor for the search for identity and a place to belong.

It is a compositionally and technically excellent work, and at the same time an image full of poetic sensitivity. – MARCIN RYCZEK

The ability to freeze motion just enough to create an impressive focal point is commendable. Technically, the image checks all the boxes of an interesting composition. But what’s more exciting is the facial expressions of the two people in focus because they give the tone of the photograph and create the plot of the story. It takes a lot of patience and a well-trained eye to be able first to see and then to capture such a transitory moment from our everyday life. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – Express Bus Terminal Station from my series Reflections Inside the Seoul Metro.

Photographing the Seoul Metro is a time of reflection for me. Although I was born in South Korea, I was raised in a rural, predominantly white area of the United States that culturally distanced me from my mother’s country. Since moving to Seoul, I’ve made a habit of haunting the metro. I can spend days jumping from line to line, taking in as much as I can. I could say it’s because I want to go somewhere new but that isn’t the full truth; I’m exactly where I want to be.

The metro is where the “real” Seoul congregates: true lives that won’t be portrayed in tourism ads or K-pop songs. Travelers on our own journeys, we pass and disappear in a blink of an eye. Here we are all away from home.

Is that where our similarities end? We may share heritage and fleeting travels, but as a foreign gyopo, I fear I won’t be able to overcome my sense of separation.

The commuters remain to me as apparitions, echoes of light and shadow on the subway walls and windows. Is it an otherness I feel inclined to understand or facets of myself? All I know is I must raise my camera — Click. I am left amid reflections as trains of thought prepare to depart.

PIETRO ABBAGNATO

So simple yet effective, this photograph checks all the boxes of great artwork. starting with a profound message. Different but the same is something we should all meditate on, taking out individuality as part of the collective, not separated from it. The mix of clarity and silhouettes, the continuity of reflections, and the graceful poses of the birds provide food for thought and an immersive experience. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – Different. Delta del Po Park, Valle Veniera, Rosolina, Rovigo, Italy, December 2015.

ROBIN ANDRISEN

Black and white emphasize a point, boosting contrast and enriching the story. This beautiful composition has everything: a powerful subject, a harmonious development, and a minimalist framing. It resembles a poster for a fairy tale, an old story you never get tired of seeing and listening to. The photographer made all the right choices and captured a lovely moment that lingers with you. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – Two horses and a little girl. The little girl sat down on the ground and the mares, purebred Arabians, came over to see her.

BASTIAN PETER

Almost literally a black and white photograph, this image underlines the photographer’s amazing ability to capture a fleeting moment and reveal the small scenes of our everyday life. The composition is artful; the story is within reach. There is balance and harmony, peacefulness and movement, something to please our aesthetic eye, and something to make us wonder. It’s an entire lifestyle, and a recognizable one for that matter, depicted in a single frame. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – From the series Poems of the Passing. My street photography is shot almost entirely in Basel, Switzerland, where I focus on capturing unposed, fleeting moments in everyday urban life. I’m drawn to subtle gestures, visual tension, and the quiet poetry found in public space. Rather than documenting events, my street photography work reveals the atmosphere between them–the stillness, the strangeness, and the beauty hidden in the moment. In a city like Basel, where tradition and transience meet, I find inspiration in what often goes unnoticed.

COSTANZA ROSSI

Iconic silhouettes on a dramatic sky tell a story of hard work, resilience, and connection with nature. We praise humankind’s achievements but often forget that none of them would be possible without nature’s generosity. This image puts things in perspective (both technically and conceptually) and highlights just how much we take from our environment. It’s a very appealing composition, deep, layered, and well-balanced. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – Salt Workers of Vietnam. Three workers stand on a mound of salt under a dramatic sky, carrying heavy baskets balanced on bamboo poles.

JEREMY SKIRROW

Candid or not, this image denotes a remarkable eye for composition and storytelling. It breaks all the rules, which only makes it more whimsical and fun. The frame is filled with abstract shapes that make no sense, and still, the viewer is captivated by the smallest focal point positioned in the place one least expects. The key ingredient: a small arrow that happens to point you in the right direction. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – Point. São Paulo, Brasil, October 2025.

RUSS ROWLAND

The black and white aesthetic is particularly good at highlighting drama, and this image is a perfect example in this regard. In the absence of color, the light creates a double focal point, one in the background and one in the foreground, that keeps everything in balance and invites the viewer to go back and forth between the two layers. Similarly, we go back and forth between nature and the modern landscape, the churning of the storm and the stillness of the city. The photograph makes you hold your breath in expectation. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – Stormy NYC

HENGKI LEE

An exquisite game of light and shadow, static and dynamic, descriptive and metaphorical. This photograph is a joy to look at. It makes the viewer feel alive, smile, and revive childhood experiences. Although the silhouettes do much of the work, the bright background is the one that creates the atmosphere, infusing the frame with energy. It’s details like this – a subtle splash of water, an over-the-top background – that reveal the photographer’s skill and passion. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – Oasis.

LUCA SANCHEZ ALIAGA

A busy frame to keep up with the busy life we live. Although it shows us how difficult it is to focus in a world full of clutter, the image also speaks about solitude, peacefulness, and resilience. Our perception is our reality. Masterful use of technique in support of storytelling, exquisite use of lighting, and an outstanding eye for seeing beyond the surface and feeling the decisive moment. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – The daily press. A snapshot of industrious life in Kolkata, India.

JONAS DAHLSTRÖM

When you seek a timeless medium of expression, go no further than black and white photography. Here, the photographer touches on multigenerational families and the cruel passing of time by the choice of subject matter, composition, and aesthetic. As a result, the image is impactful and memorable, luring the viewer into its world and making them intuitively go from one element to another. – LIFE FRAMER

FRANCISCO GONZALEZ CAMACHO

So poetic, so profound, the image that will make you understand that the only thing we can rely on is change. Man and landscape are bound in the game of impermanence, flowing, drifting, trying to grow roots, aiming to become something memorable and meaningful. Futile effort, yet much needed because otherwise life wouldn’t be possible. The textures blend in soothingly, almost palpably; the leading line haunts, intrigues, and prompts questions. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – You can’t enter the same river twice explores the concept of impermanence, the futility of becoming and the landscape as an agent of transformation.

An unknowable rhythm unfolds, forms bend, break, emerge, dissolve, neither whole nor undone. Traces persist within the drift, shifting patterns, unfixed entities, hidden layers of impermanence lie beneath.

Nothing holds. Nothing stays. Growth and ruin intertwine, a pulse of becoming and unraveling, between absence and presence, the landscape is in flux. The surface fractures, shifts, unseen forces, all caught in the current, fleeting, surrendering to the flow–panta rhei.

SIMON ELLINGWORTH

Fine art black and white photography allows the photographer to take on complicated, abstract themes. It lets us see far and beyond, dive deep into our consciousness, and find meaning in our lives. Looking at this image, a meditative state sets in. The overlapping goes unnoticed because the main leading line guides you right from the beginning, leaving you to figure things out for yourself. The breathing slows down, and the meditation begins. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – Emotional Metadata is a series of Fine Art Photography projects which are an intimate exploration in expressing the world not as it is seen, but as it’s deeply felt.

These works are a visual response to the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche’s concept of Amor Fati, translated as the “love of one’s fate”. An attitude in which one sees everything that happens in one’s life, including suffering and loss, as good or, at the very least, necessary. Conceptually, I take existing images of ‘perceived realities’ and overlay a second reality representing the hand of fate, metaphorically time-travelling to create new, unimaginable future landscapes.

Whilst imbued with personal meaning, metaphor and allegory, the viewer is invited to make their own interpretation of each image & may find meaning and symbolism that the artist never intended.

FRÉDÉRIC MULLER

Abstract, cryptic, artful. A carefully curated composition in which light and shadow take the scene, inviting us to look for the inner self, the man trapped between the walls. It takes a lot of skill and patience to create so much with so few visual elements, to use the very basics to convey such a profound and complex message. It also takes a lot of courage to approach such a difficult theme. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – Geometric figures.

STEFAN GROEPPER

A very artistic image, one can easily fall in love with because of its versatility and openness. It’s the kind of image one sees every day and doesn’t get bored with, which makes it perfect for commercial and fine-art purposes. The composition is carefully curated, the black and white aesthetic being taken to a very elegant extreme. It is technically impeccable and shows a strong artistic voice and eye for art. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – From the series What Hides Reveals, exploring the delicate balance between exposure and concealment. The human body becomes both a vessel and a veil – revealing through the act of hiding. Reflections of a dialogue between vulnerability and strength, intimacy and distance. In reduction lies truth; in silence, presence.

TUNA ANGEL

To focus our attention on details, the photographer gives up color and relies on the black and white aesthetic to enhance contrast, add depth, and create a dramatic scene. Highlights and shadows come together harmoniously to make the clutter of symbols stand out. Humanity has so many religions, so many gods, but photography has the power to put them all in a single frame and force us to see the reality. – LIFE FRAMER

MUHAMMAD AMDAD HOSSAIN

Seemingly extracted from a horror movie, this image highlights the dramatic effects of black and white photography. The scene is cinematic and intriguing, keeping the viewer in suspense. One wants to know more but also to remain on the outside, away from the apparent danger, which is a lot to get from a two-dimensional image. The power to convey stir up strong emotions is a key ingredient of good photography. – LIFE FRAMER

JOZEF MACAK

An outstanding candid shot that captures not only the environmental details but also the relationships between subjects. By giving up color, the photographer focuses our attention on the deeper layers of humanity. Social status and lifestyle give room to kindness, camaraderie, and solidarity. We are in this together, regardless of our rank and even of our species. Well done! – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – Pause for Paws, from the series Steel Framed Stories. Set in the steel industrial area of Lahore in Pakistan, this series captures the resilience, camaraderie, and solitude of those who live and work within this harsh landscape.

URS RENGGLI

A mesmerizing sky in black and white, who would have thought it possible? In the absence of its well-known blue, the sky reveals its fluid nature, constant movement, and majestic vastity. The ground is equally impressive, stretching much more than we can perceive. Their grandeur is smartly emphasized by the tiny human silhouette, a reminder of our correct placement in the order of the universe. Choosing a longer exposure and therefore, a higher contrast, produced a veritable artwork. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – Lost in space – On the island of Amrum I took this evening light shot showing how tiny and lost one can be in this fantastic landscape with the endless sky and the sea.

ADAM DOCKER

This beautiful portrait brings nostalgia, love, and warmth, and invites the viewer to slow down and mindfully walk through the rooms of their lives. The depth created by allowing the existing frame into the composition increases the importance of the subject. It automatically makes you think of the most important people in your life. They can be far away, their features unclear in your memory, but you love them, nevertheless. Amazing feeling to convey with only one black and white photograph. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – I spent five days living with an Eagle Hunter and his family in rural Kyrgyzstan, sharing their meals and the quiet intimacy of their home. One morning, as I stepped out of my room for breakfast, I noticed the eldest mother sitting alone behind a curtain of hanging threads. She was perfectly framed by the archway, her posture heavy with pain, contemplation, and a lifetime of unspoken stories.

I froze. There was a stillness in the room that felt sacred. I had my camera with me, but for a moment I simply watched, mesmerised by her expression, the weight in her eyes, the way the light held her. When I finally raised the camera, I did so slowly, gently, trying not to disturb what I was witnessing.

In that quiet second, everything I felt about ageing, mortality, solace, regret, hope, and the fragile beauty of being human seemed to gather in one frame. It reminded me how universal these moments are, where we sit with our memories, our aches, our dreams, and the knowledge of time passing.

This photograph is not just a portrait of her, but a reflection of all of us. A reminder that we are alone in ourselves.