In previous years, the winning entries of the annual Minimalist Photography Awards have stunned us with their embrace of surrealism and striking simplicity. In 2025, however, many of the compositions that took podium positions across categories tell layered, expressive tales of the human condition, and our connection to the world around us.
Now in its seventh edition, the competition attracted more than 2,600 entries captured by photographers from over 50 countries. The judges evaluated some 7,000 photographs spanning 12 categories before conferring the title of Minimalist Photographer of the Year 2025 to Alexandros Othonos for his series “Threads of Memory’s.” Othonos' collection of images beautifully blends vintage family photographs with brightly colored thread, adding an entirely new dimension to each composition.
The young conceptual photographer, who hails from Greece, noted, "This project is also a retrospective on past times, with my own creative intervention in each photograph. Back then, things were different, and in my opinion, although I didn’t experience most of that era, there was a unique charm to it. As I searched through these photographs, I felt a deep sense of nostalgia and emotion for my family. I believe that anyone who flips through an old family album will feel the same way, experiencing the weight of time and the emotions it carries."
There's more where that came from among the roster of first place entries, including Giuseppe Gradella's portrait titled "Past Present", and Renzo Cicillini's "Evening Peace" series in the open category, which "captures this quiet transition between light and dusk, a meditative interval where nature and humanity meet without words."
The winners from other categories, including Architecture, Landscape, and Photomanipulation, are no less stunning. Feast your eyes on the bunch in our gallery.
You can also enjoy more photos from each winning series, along with runners up entries, on the Minimalist Photography Awards website. And if you can't get enough visual minimalism, go back in time to see some of our favorite photos in this style from 2024 and 2022.
Source: Minimalist Photography Awards
