1ST PRIZE: DERRY AINSWORTH

This is an intriguing photo that instantly made me look twice. It’s an image that raises more questions than it answers. The precise composition and timing, combined with a sense of ambiguity and mystery, made it a clear winner in my eyes. – JESSE MARLOW

A surprising view beyond the walls, this image takes us to the heart of the city. Although we see the marks of industrialization and globalization, we also see old traditions and the imprint of local culture. The dragon’s gate, a subtle Feng Shui reference, is nothing but mesmerizing. It makes the viewer want to know more, which is always an omen of good photography. It’s an exquisite composition, making for a masterful capture of the decisive moment. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement –  Unique perspectives of the city of Hong Kong from above.

Containment, 2020. A lone container ship passes by a dense residential building in Hong Kong. Seen through the building’s ‘dragon gate’ an architectural feature based on Feng Shui principles, that is said to allow dragons to pass through the building from the mountains to the sea.

2ND PRIZE: MARCELLA MASTROROCCO

With its warm, complementary colours, this photo perfectly embodies the key elements I love in contemporary street photography: people, place, and the moment. – JESSE MARLOW

The photographer creates a three-dimensional artwork by overlapping contrasts of all sorts whilst still maintaining the harmony and balance of the composition. In a way, this is the secret of long-lasting cities: the ability to adapt, mix, and embrace the future without losing the past. Artful and creative, the frame acts like a history lesson, inviting the viewer to delve into the moment and take everything in. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – The historic centre of Rome is full of construction sites, which hide historic sites but also create beautiful, colourful backdrops for photographing passers-by.

RONALD SIMON

If you look around you while walking on any city’s streets, you’ll see that people look down. Lost in thought and worries, they forget to live in the present. It takes an observant photographer to rediscover the joy of the city, its playfulness, its shapes. This image may be a metaphor for reaching goals, growth, togetherness, hope, silver linings, and so many other reasons for which humanity has chosen to live in large communities. An unusual composition that wins our hearts. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – Look up. Sometimes it’s as simple as looking up.

GLENN HOMANN

What a joy to have such an encounter in the city! The game of colors, textures, and lines captures the viewer’s attention only to reveal the grandiose focal point. Proud and undisturbed, the model poses for the camera. A sweet, candid shot that shows us magic in the most underestimated of places. Well done! – LIFE FRAMER

JOSHUA HOE

This beautiful shot showcases the photographer’s outstanding technical and compositional skills, but also their love for the city in question. One can’t convey such warm emotions simply by focusing on ISO and shutter speed. The bond between photographer and place is obvious and moving, and the two faces in the foregound, perhaps missed on first glance, only act to strengthen the intimacy of the moment. It reminds us that falling in love with a city is for life. We intertwine with the environment, which makes the city part of us like a limb. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – Tokyo city never sleeps, and glows with the warmth and power of a million neon signs all the time. An exhausting and immersive city that one can never leave fully.

LELAND BOBBE

Stop time, just for a split second, and look around. You’ll have the surreal experience this photograph presents us with. Notice what comes forward for you. It may be a moment of clarity in a sea of confusion, the sadness of abandonment or indifference, or the urge to move faster to escape from the rain. The use of composition, motion blur, and black and white aesthetic is to be appreciated as it gives the mood of this atmospheric shot. – LIFE FRAMER

CÉLINE GALLAIS

We all know very well the glamorous parts of the city, so we need daring photographers to show us the hidden, less glittery ones. This picture-in-picture composition does a very good job at localizing the scene and showing us both the well-known and the unknown aspects of a city. Highlights and shadows take turns capturing our attention, and, in the end, it’s up to us what we choose to see. A very cinematic shot with deep meaning. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – NYC.

JOZEF MACAK

So many scenes, so many characters. The ability to frame myriads of layers and come up with a photo that tells so many stories is incredible. The viewer is given an entire world to explore and comprehend, a cluttered, but appealing one. The image conveys an undeniable joy of living, a powerful sense of community, and the resilience and support we find in our neighborhoods. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – Crossroad of stories. On an average street, lives cross like threads, reminding me that extraordinary stories often grow from the most ordinary places.

PENGKUEI BEN HUANG

This photograph reminds us once again that cities are places of contrasts. They encompass old and new, traditional and modern, artificial and natural, and all the colors and patterns we can think of. This classic city view features crisp clarity, beautiful colors, and an interesting composition, one that uses a subtle asymmetry to create harmony. Good decisions all around. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – Nantian Temple, Taichung, from the series Neighbourhood Sanctums.

In Taiwan, there are more than 30,000 registered and unregistered temples, significantly outnumbering the total convenience stores on the island. The series seeks to capture the profound realities that the island’s residents are accustomed to.

VERONIKA KIRCHGATTERER

Depicting the city in light and silhouettes is an ambitious approach that pays off. The image is closer to a fine-art photograph than a candid street shot and captures a less visible aspect of our community life: the loneliness within, the separation, the indifference. Excellent choice of a color palette that only enhances the story, creates drama, and adds a sense of depth. It’s also challenging to work in such difficult light conditions, so well done for the technical part, too. – LIFE FRAMER

ANDREA TORREI

As you don’t often see a bride in a bus station, this photograph is especially intriguing. The story has a powerful focal point, a busy environment, and an intense plot, all ingredients of a good shot. But it’s the candidness of the image, the simplicity of the composition, and the ordinary color palette that hook the viewer because they emphasize the incredible reality of our urban world, the stories we miss every day. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – Bus stop. A bride’s wait. Istanbul, Turkey.

JASPER WESSEL

So sweet and innocent, the small focal point of this photograph stands out due to the photographer’s sensibility. The entire frame is dedicated to him: a carefully curated composition, warm colors, a playful string of laundry, highlights shining in the right places, and shadows hiding the corners. Nothing is left to chance, which is a lot to accomplish when taking a candid urban shot like this and relying on the patience of the little prince. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – The little prince of Kathmandu, Nepal.

FEDERICO MEJIA

The art of chiaroscuro in photography creates intimacy and complicity. If you turn down the noise of the city, all that remains is the souls, the people, the myriads of faces. Exquisite use of light to enhance the story and a very brave composition for a street shot, one that delves more into fine-art photography, but is extremely efficient and impactful, nonetheless. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – Three women walk in the streets of a market, Tel Aviv, Israel,

CARRIE CULP

The mesmerizing effect of this diptych proves the deep connection between humans and their environment. We took the patterns nature provided and blended them into our world, surrounding ourselves with natural elements, even in the heart of the city. The mixture of human-made and natural elements and their photographic representation is both elegant, artful, and appealing. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – River Reflections No. 1, from a series of three images. In Chicago, US, I created a diptych contrasting natural aspects of the city with the built environment.

PAOLO DELLEPIANE

A clash of cultures, colors, shapes, and textures, the image reminds us of the many unsolved issues of our urban society. Looking to the past to understand the future is a recurrent theme in photography, but this picture encloses the singular, unusual perspective of the anti-portrait, which is fresh and challenging. Also, thanks to the shooting angle, the sky becomes a dramatic, overlooking witness to human history. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – Pisa, Italy. Magical visions. Female figures turn their backs on the world they come from. Their headdresses tell of a distant world; they don’t speak, but they carry with them the hope of being able to better integrate with different cultures, to which they have always yearned.

GAVIN LIBOTTE

Here is a glimpse into our urban life: silhouettes, shadows, people coming and going, new and old architecture, and the animals that coexist with us in it. All in one frame, composing a picture that tells everything about our lifestyle and is appealing to study. One image rarely can bear so much meaning and weight, but this one does it with ease, denoting exceptional storytelling skills and an eye for composition. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – Perth, Australia, 2025.

NURIT BARKAN-ASCHER

It’s always impressive when a photographer finds a new photogenic view of the city, as cityscapes and street photography are some of the most popular genres. The line of red roofs flows like a river through the gray buildings, creating a powerful leading line and adding another layer to the story. The coloring gives it justice and enhances the contrast. It’s a whimsical, very artistic shot of a stationary subject that seems to be moving, and makes us wonder about the myriad lives being lived under those red roofs. – LIFE FRAMER

JONATHAN PELLOW

In many ways, the city is an abstract concept. This minimalist photograph incorporates just a few lines and shades of grey, but its simplicity and abstraction lure the viewer in. The lines add dynamism and contrast, the textures blend in smoothly, and the white strip catches your attention. Technically, the shot is clean and sharp, featuring all required elements in the right places. Emotionally, this image is a question mark – one simply wants to know more about it. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – Hell’s Kitchen II, NYC, 2025.

BART ROZALSKI

Throughout history, cities have been witnesses to dramatic events. They have been through wars, revolutions, protests, strikes, famines, pandemics, and natural disasters. Cities are the places where human suffering tends to accumulate. This black and white photograph is a reminder, but also a means to raise awareness to not repeat the mistakes of the past. The angle emphasizes the suffering and the network of people it affects. Suffering spreads like a virus. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – Warsaw, April 13, 2025. On the occasion of the 85th anniversary of the Katyn Massacre, the 18th Katyn Shadow March passed through the streets of Warsaw – a moving tribute to the memory of the 22,000 Polish officers bestially murdered by the Soviet NKVD in 1940 in Katyn and other killing sites. In silence and reverie, 350 historical re-enactors recalled the drama of those events, carrying a testimony of truth and memory through the heart of the capital.

WILLIE KOH

What an inspired way to convey the calm before the storm by using a strange contrast between golden and blue light and a pressure-creating hand! The diagonal of light creates a captivating leading line, the diffuse light creates an atmosphere, and the overlapping of foreground and background elements adds depth and a three-dimensional feeling. Everything blends in beautifully, depicting a memorable urban scene. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – Before the storm, Singapore.