1ST PRIZE: JOSE BRAVO

This photograph grabbed my attention immediately. I was drawn to the mood and the intimate moment between the two people under the transparent umbrella. They are surrounded by a busy crowd, but somehow they seem to have created their own little private world. I love the rain, the light, the surrounding umbrellas, and the way the transparent umbrella naturally frames them. Most importantly, the moment feels completely spontaneous and honest. For me, it has that special quality where you see the photograph and immediately feel something. It is a simple human moment, but it has emotion, atmosphere and connection. That is why I chose it for the first prize. – GMB AKASH

What a beautiful testimony to human feelings and relationships! The umbrella acts like a magnifying bubble that simultaneously hides the couple from the rest of the world and makes them stand out. The photographer demonstrates a sixth sense for catching the decisive moment, as well as the ability to create using nothing but light. – LIFE FRAMER

2ND PRIZE: ROBERTO FLORES

This photograph caught me for a very different reason. It has a strong story and a powerful contrast between childhood and the remains of war. Seeing children playing around a tank, something normally connected with violence and destruction, makes the image both powerful and unsettling. I like the composition and the way the children, the woman in blue, the tank and the landscape all work together. The story becomes stronger the longer you look at it.

I placed it second because its impact is not as immediate as the first photograph. You need to spend more time with it to discover the story. Also, I have seen similar visual ideas in documentary photography before, so for me it feels a little more familiar. Still, this is a very strong photograph with a huge story behind it. It makes you stop, look again and think about what these children have grown up around. For me, that makes it a very deserving second-prize photograph. – GMB AKASH

Human nature finds a way to overcome the most tragic situations, many of which, ironically, it inflicted upon itself. Speaking about resilience, innocence, and joyful living, the image features a straightforward composition and beautiful lighting. The subjects and background blend smoothly; the camera angle adds depth; and the available leading lines help build the story naturally. Well done! – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – My series Between Earth and Memory explores human lives shaped by labor, conflict, ritual, family, tradition and change. Across different cultures and landscapes, the photographs focus on the dignity, resilience and ordinary gestures through which people continue to create meaning. This image: Children of Ghazni. Children play on an abandoned Soviet tank in Ghazni, Afghanistan, 2026.

JULIO MARCHAMALO

This close-up is a very artistic and bold take on the theme. It paints the big picture of humanity using small details, each a representative of an abstract concept. The result is an embroidery of symbols that mesmerizes the viewer and invites them to watch for a long time. But what’s even more striking is that the image is actually a candid shot. One person is the carrier of all these symbols, proof that humans are complicated beings, and the photographer is a good observer of human nature. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – Engalana. Old woman with painted nails, fan and traditional costume during the San Isidro festivities, Madrid, 2026.

RYAN AANDERUD

This picture has so much intimacy and love that no viewer can remain unmoved. The black and white aesthetic deprives the scene of other meanings and creates a very powerful focal point. All visual elements, from framing to lighting, collaborate in building just one feeling, one moment, one point of interest. The photograph captures the essence of our world in a single simple act of kindness. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – I love shooting street portraiture. For the last couple of years I’ve been documenting many of the people of my city, Portland. Recently I was able to travel to Morocco and Spain to shoot more street portraiture and found it very inspiring to connect.

COCO AMARDEIL

Fantasy may be an escape from reality for some and a way to enrich reality for others, but it is nevertheless a unique attribute of humanity. We can imagine creatures, events, entire worlds. We can fantasize about being someone else, living in the past or the future, or exploring places we’ve never seen. The photograph highlights a difficult concept. Artfully, the never-ending search for identity is embodied in a mythical character. Mundane reality begins to transform into fantasy through color and light. The composition is neither entirely real nor entirely a fantasy, but the line between the two is so smooth that the viewer can’t tell the difference. Just like with everything else in our lives. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – Mermaids Don’t Sing Anymore is a photographic meditation on myth, gender, and the silent tension between fantasy and reality. A photographic exploration of merfolk, gender, and identity within contemporary aquatic spaces.

Mermaiding exists somewhere between fascination and ridicule. It may appear anecdotal — just another fleeting fantasy drifting through the endless tide of ephemeral subcultures. Living underwater, gliding between myth and performance, also means risking being perceived as detached from reality, disconnected from a world considered too heavy to bear. Contemporary mermaids evolve within an aquatic bubble, light yet radical. Their existence borders on the absurd in the eyes of the outside world: an eccentricity that unsettles family and friends alike.

And yet, there is something deeply moving in this surrender to dream and imagination. These bodies venture beyond terrestrial norms, taking risks in order to play, to exist differently. A way of embracing difference with liquid grace, defying the gaze of others and fully immersing themselves in the act of becoming someone else. Through intimate portraits and public spaces, I examine how ancient myths converse with contemporary realities of gender. It questions the intimate mechanisms of human existence, our relationships with others, and our place within society. Using Polaroid, analog film, underwater photography, and digital imagery, I compose through grain, texture, framing, and sensation. More than a testimony, this work belongs to a form of artistic documentary. It is about narrative, beauty, intimacy, and the fragile courage of choosing a different way to exist.

CHRIS YAN

Change is inevitable, but sometimes, amidst our search for a better life, we forget what brought us so far. The magic of tradition, the celebration of nature, the slow art of crafts- they all contribute to our evolution and civilization. This colorful portrait raises awareness about what we leave behind. The gray concrete background is a visual cue, a bleak reminder of the price we pay for our modern existence. The photograph is well-balanced and full of meaning; every line, every color adds to the story. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – From the series Fading Shehuo. Shehuo is a traditional Chinese Spring Festival folk celebration. Originating from ancient people’s primitive worship of land and fire, it has evolved over thousands of years and become an indispensable part of China’s agricultural civilization. More than a festive ritual to ring in the new year, Shehuo preserves collective rural memories, bonds local communities, and serves as the spiritual anchor for generations of villagers.

However, this time-honored folk art is currently confronted with a severe inheritance crisis. Fueled by rapid urbanization, countless young rural laborers migrate to cities for better job opportunities, leaving most villages depopulated and aging. Spending most of their lives away from hometowns, the younger generation gradually loses connection with this age-old custom and fails to recognize its cultural value. Additionally, mastering Shehuo-related performing skills requires lengthy training with little economic return, so only a handful of people are willing to carry on this traditional craft. The festive gongs and drums that once reverberated across rural Northwest China are gradually fading into silence.

JOSE LUIS NIETO CASTILLO

Life and death go hand in hand, and humans spend much of their journey between beginning and end trying to figure them out. But we are often too afraid to speak about it. Not this photographer, though. The image puts life and death side by side with humour and courage. There is no fear, not when it comes to creating a bold composition or when choosing to address a controversial theme. Camera angle, color palette, and editing style are all unruly, vibrant, and unique. It’s refreshing to see such an energizing personal style. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – In my country, life and death go hand in hand. I seek images that complement my dreams and nightmares–much like life itself. We live daily alongside symbols and celebrations of death. My aim is to explore that universe which dwells within me by virtue of being Mexican.

MARCO MANFREDINI

An impressive image that captures the depth of human suffering, this unsettling portrait proves once more the power of photography to spread compassion and empathy, raise awareness, and highlight our shared humanity. The viewer doesn’t know the subject’s pain, but feels for them nevertheless. The composition is simple and immediate and makes the subject stand out. The empty frame speaks about loss; the bokeh effect in the background amplifies the tears. One powerful image for one powerful feeling. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – I met this woman who had lost everything in a hurricane; I was deeply moved by the composure of her grief, which was whispered yet incredibly powerful.

VINCENZO DI LEO

The shooting angle is remarkable and transforms a candid shot into a surreal picture. It plays with proportions and overlays visual elements to the point that faces, hands, flowers, bread, and buildings seem to be floating in the sky, carried by a magical power. The photograph is dynamic and vibrant, like the celebration it documents. It’s clear that the photographer engaged with the subject and allowed the scene to reveal itself without adhering to any rule. Just pure energy flowing freely from one place to another, from one person to another. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – In the midst of a religious celebration in Southern Italy, bodies, hands, flowers and bread converge in a single, fleeting gesture. I was drawn into the crowd, where individual identities dissolve into a shared human ritual.

MOHAMMAD OLADIVATAN

Although the viewer can’t see people’s faces or their perspective, the feeling is there. The photograph is about mourning, grief, and loss. The black and white aesthetic, the anti-portrait feeling of the shot, and the foggy background create drama and enhance the narrative. It seems like there is nothing left, no future to look forward to, no past to be remembered, just suffering and loneliness. A feeling of despair we’ve all experienced at some point. – LIFE FRAMER

EMMA BRAWLEY

The photographer reminds us that humans can only see their own interpretation of the world. In this case, a person becomes a character, a performer seen from a childlike perspective. The photograph emphasizes the glamour, the quirkiness, the joy. It fills the frame with the colors of its model, unfiltered, unjudged, and invites us to treat any experience with mindfulness and an open heart. The unusual angle and the straightforward composition complement the subject’s appearance and personality. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – Depths, Coney Island, New York, 2026.

Parade photography usually documents spectacle. Depths moves closer. The series isolates individuals from the noise and asks who exists underneath the performance. Shot close and from below, the subjects become monumental. The viewer is looking up with the awe and curiosity of a child encountering these characters for the first time. Handmade costumes become acts of transformation. Against the open sky, the scale and chaos of the parade fall away, leaving each figure suspended somewhere between the real and imagined. Depths sits between portrait and fantasy, looking at the people who create the mythology of the parade rather than the spectacle itself.

ATHANASIOS MALOUKOS

The photographer’s technical and storytelling skills are impressive. The frame is composed with attention to detail and carefully curated to avoid any distractions. Only one element shines through to convey the message, and its impact is remarkable. The hand acts as a light source, illuminating the face, and as a leading line, guiding the viewer towards the grieving face. The photograph is self-explanatory, yet artistic at the same time. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – Veiled Grief. In the quiet streets of Canosa di Puglia, Holy Week breathes life into a centuries-old grief. Shrouded in mourning black, the women of the village move as a single wave of shadows and grief, their voices rising in the haunting melody of the “Stabat Mater”. It is a shared pilgrimage of sorrow, honoring the agonizing heartbreak of the Virgin Mary over the loss of her son.

BENIZI SANTAMARIA

Colorful outfits, beautiful scenery, and a close perspective on human life. The composition is complex and artful, the space well-used, the colors accurate. The photographer’s presence is discreet, and although the angle is close, the scene is undisturbed and intimate. An undeniable connection exists among the involved parts: the characters, the photographer, and the viewer are linked by their shared humanity and experience this moment together. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – Harvest Quench.

FELIX HUG

A crowded shot in which the absence of color only highlights personalities and creates the atmosphere; this photograph is the ultimate representation of humanity. We have individuality and belong to a group, cultivate multi-generational interactions, spread human-made things everywhere, and share the same candor and spirit we’ve embodied since the beginning of civilization. This semi-organized, playful mess is our society. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – Market Scene, Siem Reap. Cambodia.

KEVIN SMITH

Humans can be so alike in many aspects and so diverse within their similarities. This candid street portrait highlights the range of personalities and expressions, the diversity one can find in a single city, on a single street. The close angle seems invasive, yet the subject is unaware of the photographer’s presence, a testimony to the photographer’s subtlety and sensibility. The photograph is natural, honest, and mindful. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – Face New York is an ongoing portrait project made on the streets of New York City. The work is built from brief encounters with strangers whose presence, expression, gesture, or sense of self briefly rises out of the city’s constant flow. Rather than telling specific stories, the photographs focus on moments of recognition and human complexity. Taken together, the images form a collective portrait of New York through the people who animate it: confident, vulnerable, eccentric, private, defiant, and alive. The project explores the tension between anonymity and individuality, revealing the extraordinary range of human character that exists within everyday public life.

ANGELIKA KOLLIN

By highlighting human archetypes, the photographer reminds us of our similarities, the things we’ve always shared and forever will. The portrait of a mother carrying her child strikes the same chords regardless of where she lives, the color of her skin, or her work. The image is empowering and encompasses the entire grace and strength of femininity. At the same time, it features an appealing mix of old and new, slowly revealing element after element and taking the viewer from one to another with ease. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – Everyday Saint Mary – from series depicting domestic workers in Cape Town, South Africa. Highlighting the dignity behind these hardworking women.

ANATOL KOTTE

What a beautiful, artful, and intense portrait! The black and white aesthetic is a great choice as it underlines the universality and atemporality of our human nature. The image features outstanding contrast, lighting, clarity, and a masterfully built minimalist composition. But what wins the viewer is the honesty, the acceptance, and the kindness this picture not only encompasses but also spreads. Beyond visual details, the photograph captures the model’s spirit and the essence of humanity. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – Humans: Frau Fritz Trinkt, Munchen, 2001, shot on 8×10 polaroid.

DAVID JOHANSSON

Highlighting not only a moment in time but an entire life, this environmental portrait is sweet, warm, and melancholic. The composition is simple, symmetrical, beautifully lit, and infused with a strong sense of familiarity. It feels like somewhere you want to be; it feels like home. The light reflecting on the subject’s smiling face creates a powerful focal point and completes the scene. It really makes you reconsider your values in life. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – At home in the kitchen of her house in the village of Ramkvilla, Sweden, 96-year-old Rut Johansson looks through an old photo album. Most of her friends have already passed away, and she is one of the few remaining members of her generation.

LODI PERTOVT

The way light complements the subject’s pose is striking and proves the photographer’s engagement and attention to detail. Achieving such an artistic chiaroscuro effect with natural light is extremely challenging and deserves commendation. Light acts as a leading line, taking the viewer from one element to another and creating the story’s timeline. The portrait becomes dynamic, flowing, and engaging. It’s not a static picture anymore; it’s a movie scene that makes you wonder what happens next. – LIFE FRAMER

SEB SZCZEPANOWSKI

When we look at other people through a window, we tend to see them as characters rather than peers. We perceive the separation more than the connection. Here is where photography plays a big role because it shows the entire world through a glass lens, but transports us to the other side of the lens, too. With its picturesque color palette and straightforward subject, this image leaves no room for hiding. We are exposed, seen, and invited to join in. The photograph gets rid of the awkwardness and surface kindness, humor, and humility. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – Behind the Glass. A woman looks out through the weathered window of a caravan, at once physically close and separated from the viewer by glass, reflections and the darkness of the interior.