Photography

Smartphone style: The winners of the Annual Mobile Photography Awards

Smartphone style: The winners of the Annual Mobile Photography Awards
Smartphone Photographer of the year. From the Grand Prize Winner's portfolio, 'The Desert Nomad'. Taken with iPhone XS Max
Smartphone Photographer of the year. From the Grand Prize Winner's portfolio, 'The Desert Nomad'. Taken with iPhone XS Max
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From the Grand Prize Winner's portfolio, 'The Early Bird Meets The Zebra'. Taken with iPhone XS Max
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From the Grand Prize Winner's portfolio, 'The Early Bird Meets The Zebra'. Taken with iPhone XS Max
Smartphone Photographer of the year. From the Grand Prize Winner's portfolio, 'The Desert Nomad'. Taken with iPhone XS Max
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Smartphone Photographer of the year. From the Grand Prize Winner's portfolio, 'The Desert Nomad'. Taken with iPhone XS Max
From the Grand Prize Winner's portfolio, 'The African Tree Cemetery'. Taken with iPhone XS Max
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From the Grand Prize Winner's portfolio, 'The African Tree Cemetery'. Taken with iPhone XS Max
Winner in Travel/Adventure, 'Hiking in Norway'. Taken with iPhone XS Max
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Winner in Travel/Adventure, 'Hiking in Norway'. Taken with iPhone XS Max
Winner Architecture and Design, 'Busan, South Korea'. Taken with Huawei P9
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Winner Architecture and Design, 'Busan, South Korea'. Taken with Huawei P9
Winner Black & White, 'We Run, You Fly'. Taken with iPhone X
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Winner Black & White, 'We Run, You Fly'. Taken with iPhone X
Winner Landscapes, 'Pearls'. Taken with iPhone XS
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Winner Landscapes, 'Pearls'. Taken with iPhone XS
Winner Water, Snow, Ice, 'White Out'. Taken with iPhone 7 plus
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Winner Water, Snow, Ice, 'White Out'. Taken with iPhone 7 plus
Winner Silhouettes, 'Dance With Us'. Taken with Samsung A30
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Winner Silhouettes, 'Dance With Us'. Taken with Samsung A30
Winner Eyes of the World, 'Novice Monks, Bagan, Myanmar'. Taken with iPhone X
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Winner Eyes of the World, 'Novice Monks, Bagan, Myanmar'. Taken with iPhone X
Winner Still Life, 'Shade'. Taken with iPhone 7
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Winner Still Life, 'Shade'. Taken with iPhone 7
Winner The Darkness Noir, 'Solitude'. Taken with iPhone 6s
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Winner The Darkness Noir, 'Solitude'. Taken with iPhone 6s
Winner Nature Wildlife, 'Praying Mantis'. Taken with iPhone XS Max
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Winner Nature Wildlife, 'Praying Mantis'. Taken with iPhone XS Max
Winner Transportation, 'Peak Hour in Tokyo'. Taken with iPhone XR
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Winner Transportation, 'Peak Hour in Tokyo'. Taken with iPhone XR
Winner Visual FX, 'Corazon Puro'. Taken with iPhone X
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Winner Visual FX, 'Corazon Puro'. Taken with iPhone X
Winner Macro Details, 'Stowaway'. Taken with Huawei Mate
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Winner Macro Details, 'Stowaway'. Taken with Huawei Mate
Winner People, 'Just Jenson'. Taken with iPhone XS
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Winner People, 'Just Jenson'. Taken with iPhone XS
Winner PhotoJournalism, 'Blind in Refugee Camp Dadaab Keny'. Taken with
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Winner PhotoJournalism, 'Blind in Refugee Camp Dadaab Keny'. Taken with Huawei P9
Winner Self Portraits, 'Tiny Blue Planet'. Taken with iPhone 6s
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Winner Self Portraits, 'Tiny Blue Planet'. Taken with iPhone 6s
Winner Street Photography, 'Waiting'. Taken with iPhone XS Max
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Winner Street Photography, 'Waiting'. Taken with iPhone XS Max
Grand Prize winning Portfolio. Taken with iPhone
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Grand Prize Winning Portfolio. Taken with iPhone X
Winner Portraits, 'Above the Surface'. Taken with Samsung Galaxy Note 8
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Winner Portraits, 'Above the Surface'. Taken with Samsung Galaxy Note 8
Winner Digital Fine Art, 'Sax Sukru'. Taken with iPhone XR
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Winner Digital Fine Art, 'Sax Sukru'. Taken with iPhone XR
Winner Photo Essay, 'Protests or Prophecies - The Songs of Kurt Cobain'
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Winner Photo Essay, 'Protests or Prophecies - The Songs of Kurt Cobain'
View gallery - 24 images

In its ninth year, the Mobile Photography Awards presents an incredible snapshot of photography in the 21st century highlighting how truly sophisticated smartphone camera technology has become. Spanning 20 categories, the winning entries offer a compelling insight into a new and innovative medium.

“The 9th Annual Mobile Photography Awards is testament to another year in the rapid evolution of mobile phone cameras, both technologically and artistically,” says Daniel Berman, founder of the awards.

Grand Prize winning Portfolio. Taken with iPhone
Grand Prize Winning Portfolio. Taken with iPhone X

The Grand Prize this year went to German-based artist Daniel Heilig, who was born in 1985 and remembers his very first camera of any kind being an Apple iPhone 3GS. Heilig’s winning portfolio of images was taken with an iPhone XS Max, and he suggests mobile photography allows for a novel kind of creativity, determined more by empathy than artifice.

“The balancing act is no longer about aesthetic and posed situation but critical distance and emotional engagement, empathy and voyeurism,” says Heilig.

Winner Landscapes, 'Pearls'. Taken with iPhone XS
Winner Landscapes, 'Pearls'. Taken with iPhone XS

This sense that mobile technology catalyzes a new kind of artistic approach to photography pervades the diverse array of winning images. Unlike more traditional cameras, which can be large and imposing, smartphones are prolific and ever-present, allowing for unique images to be captured from new perspectives.

“… the iPhone is still the most widely used by our entrants but this year we’ve seen a wide variety of camera phones used for our winning photos,” adds Berman.

And iPhones indeed seem to have taken the majority of the winning images in this year’s competition. However, there are some winning shots taken with Huawei or Samsung phones, and some older smartphones are still claiming prizes in 2020, including a shot from an iPhone 6S winning the best self-portrait category.

Winner Street Photography, 'Waiting'. Taken with iPhone XS Max
Winner Street Photography, 'Waiting'. Taken with iPhone XS Max

Take a look through our gallery to see all the winners in this years contest.

Source: Mobile Photography Awards

View gallery - 24 images
1 comment
1 comment
W M Luke Lukoskie
How to get in touch with some of the artists to purchase their winners??