Photography

Inaugural Instagram Photography Awards attracts an astounding 180,000 entries

Inaugural Instagram Photography Awards attracts an astounding 180,000 entries
A runner up from the Photobox Instagram Photography Awards in the Landscape category, capturing Storm Ophelia hitting Wales by @mccarthy.karl
A runner up from the Photobox Instagram Photography Awards in the Landscape category, capturing Storm Ophelia hitting Wales by @mccarthy.karl
View 61 Images
Overall winner of the Photobox Instagram Photography Award 2018 @darrenwilliamhall with this shot of his miniature poodle, Ted.
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Overall winner of the Photobox Instagram Photography Award 2018 @darrenwilliamhall with this shot of his miniature poodle, Ted.
A runner up from the Photobox Instagram Photography Awards in the Art category, capturing a minimalist conceptual portrait by @ericbenierburckel
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A runner up from the Photobox Instagram Photography Awards in the Art category, capturing a minimalist conceptual portrait by @ericbenierburckel
A runner up from the Photobox Instagram Photography Awards in the Landscape category, capturing Storm Ophelia hitting Wales by @mccarthy.karl
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A runner up from the Photobox Instagram Photography Awards in the Landscape category, capturing Storm Ophelia hitting Wales by @mccarthy.karl
Winner of the Photobox Instagram Photography Awards in the Fashion category, capturing a woman on the street by @deadbeat.disco
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Winner of the Photobox Instagram Photography Awards in the Fashion category, capturing a woman on the street by @deadbeat.disco
Winner of the Photobox Instagram Photography Awards in the Sport category, capturing the wake of a boat in Jersey by @bam_perspectives
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Winner of the Photobox Instagram Photography Awards in the Sport category, capturing the wake of a boat in Jersey by @bam_perspectives
Winner of the Photobox Instagram Photography Awards in the Travel category, capturing a punter at the Zinneke Parade by @gilles.guilbert.photographies
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Winner of the Photobox Instagram Photography Awards in the Travel category, capturing a punter at the Zinneke Parade by @gilles.guilbert.photographies
Winner of the Photobox Instagram Photography Awards in the #Love category, capturing two boys in love by @matthias_magen
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Winner of the Photobox Instagram Photography Awards in the #Love category, capturing two boys in love by @matthias_magen
Shortlisted in the Travel category is this shot from @aaronjenkin
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Shortlisted in the Travel category is this shot from @aaronjenkin
Shortlisted in the Travel category is this shot from @zygomphotography
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Shortlisted in the Travel category is this shot from @zygomphotography
A runner up from the Photobox Instagram Photography Awards in the Animals category, capturing a Boxer puppy swimming in Anglesey by @Samdesigner
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A runner up from the Photobox Instagram Photography Awards in the Animals category, capturing a Boxer puppy swimming in Anglesey by @Samdesigner
Winner of the Photobox Instagram Photography Awards in the Festival category, capturing a colour festival in Roda de Bara by @saian_vergne
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Winner of the Photobox Instagram Photography Awards in the Festival category, capturing a colour festival in Roda de Bara by @saian_vergne
Winner of the Photobox Instagram Photography Awards in the Landscape category, capturing the fog forest in Madeira Bara by @Razvan_casian
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Winner of the Photobox Instagram Photography Awards in the Landscape category, capturing the fog forest in Madeira Bara by @Razvan_casian
Winner of the Photobox Instagram Photography Awards in the Family category, by @eclectic_street
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Winner of the Photobox Instagram Photography Awards in the Family category, by @eclectic_street
A runner up from the Photobox Instagram Photography Awards in the Travel category, capturing men on stilts in Issoire by @thr1.8
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A runner up from the Photobox Instagram Photography Awards in the Travel category, capturing men on stilts in Issoire by @thr1.8
A runner up from the Photobox Instagram Photography Awards in the Art category, capturing tsunami digital art by @baddom24digitalart
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A runner up from the Photobox Instagram Photography Awards in the Art category, capturing tsunami digital art by @baddom24digitalart
A runner up from the Photobox Instagram Photography Awards in the Sport category, capturing a boxing match in Manchester by @sullyphotograph
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A runner up from the Photobox Instagram Photography Awards in the Sport category, capturing a boxing match in Manchester by @sullyphotograph
Shortlisted in the Travel category is this shot from @erik2mark
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Shortlisted in the Travel category is this shot from @erik2mark
Shortlisted in the Travel category is this shot from @conormccann
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Shortlisted in the Travel category is this shot from @conormccann
Shortlisted in the Travel category is this shot from @blu3willow
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Shortlisted in the Travel category is this shot from @blu3willow
Shortlisted in the Animals & Pets category is this shot from @parcourons_le_monde
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Shortlisted in the Animals & Pets category is this shot from @parcourons_le_monde
Shortlisted in the Animals & Pets category is this shot from @adschooly
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Shortlisted in the Animals & Pets category is this shot from @adschooly
Shortlisted in the Animals & Pets category is this shot from @life_in_raw
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Shortlisted in the Animals & Pets category is this shot from @life_in_raw
Shortlisted in the Animals & Pets category is this shot from @josh_lenaghan
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Shortlisted in the Animals & Pets category is this shot from @josh_lenaghan
Shortlisted in the Animals & Pets category is this shot from @maverickdappledachshund
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Shortlisted in the Animals & Pets category is this shot from @maverickdappledachshund
Shortlisted in the Art/Culture & Style category is this shot from @stevereevesdirector
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Shortlisted in the Art/Culture & Style category is this shot from @stevereevesdirector
Shortlisted in the Art/Culture & Style category is this shot from @chef_lyon
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Shortlisted in the Art/Culture & Style category is this shot from @chef_lyon
Shortlisted in the Art/Culture & Style category is this shot from @traverserlepaysage
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Shortlisted in the Art/Culture & Style category is this shot from @traverserlepaysage
Shortlisted in the Art/Culture & Style category is this shot from @insel_vincent
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Shortlisted in the Art/Culture & Style category is this shot from @insel_vincent
Shortlisted in the Art/Culture & Style category is this shot from @todrey
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Shortlisted in the Art/Culture & Style category is this shot from @todrey
Shortlisted in the Art/Culture & Style category is this shot from @gflandre
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Shortlisted in the Art/Culture & Style category is this shot from @gflandre
Shortlisted in the Art/Culture & Style category is this shot from @julienindigo
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Shortlisted in the Art/Culture & Style category is this shot from @julienindigo
Shortlisted in the Landscape category is this shot from @les_photos_de_pyto_
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Shortlisted in the Landscape category is this shot from @les_photos_de_pyto_
Shortlisted in the Landscape category is this shot from @jeanrobertlonghi
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Shortlisted in the Landscape category is this shot from @jeanrobertlonghi
Shortlisted in the Landscape category is this shot from @rmhphotographic
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Shortlisted in the Landscape category is this shot from @rmhphotographic
Shortlisted in the Landscape category is this shot from @mischievous_penguins
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Shortlisted in the Landscape category is this shot from @mischievous_penguins
Shortlisted in the Landscape category is this shot from @blu3willow
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Shortlisted in the Landscape category is this shot from @blu3willow
Shortlisted in the Landscape category is this shot from @mariacostantinaser
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Shortlisted in the Landscape category is this shot from @mariacostantinaser
Shortlisted in the Landscape category is this shot from @gjphotographie
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Shortlisted in the Landscape category is this shot from @gjphotographie
Shortlisted in the Landscape category is this shot from @liamfrankland
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Shortlisted in the Landscape category is this shot from @liamfrankland
Shortlisted in the Landscape category is this shot from @patlyr2052
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Shortlisted in the Landscape category is this shot from @patlyr2052
Shortlisted in the Fashion category is this shot from @_2point8studios
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Shortlisted in the Fashion category is this shot from @_2point8studios
Shortlisted in the Fashion category is this shot from @justnowdesignshome
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Shortlisted in the Fashion category is this shot from @justnowdesignshome
Shortlisted in the Fashion category is this shot from @joel.bardeau.photo
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Shortlisted in the Fashion category is this shot from @joel.bardeau.photo
Shortlisted in the Love category is this shot from @jasonbrowne5
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Shortlisted in the Love category is this shot from @jasonbrowne5
Shortlisted in the Love category is this shot from @bridgendphoto
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Shortlisted in the Love category is this shot from @bridgendphoto
Shortlisted in the Love category is this shot from @guilhphoto
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Shortlisted in the Love category is this shot from @guilhphoto
Shortlisted in the Family category is this shot from @musotravels
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Shortlisted in the Family category is this shot from @musotravels
Shortlisted in the Family category is this shot from @newmumonline
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Shortlisted in the Family category is this shot from @newmumonline
Shortlisted in the Family category is this shot from @beachymeech
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Shortlisted in the Family category is this shot from @beachymeech
Shortlisted in the Sport category is this shot from @jessrg_outdoors
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Shortlisted in the Sport category is this shot from @jessrg_outdoors
Shortlisted in the Sport category is this shot from @sannecharman
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Shortlisted in the Sport category is this shot from @sannecharman
Shortlisted in the Sport category is this shot from @thierry.pons.75
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Shortlisted in the Sport category is this shot from @thierry.pons.75
Shortlisted in the Sport category is this shot from @sunrayimagesuk
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Shortlisted in the Sport category is this shot from @sunrayimagesuk
Shortlisted in the Sport category is this shot from @yann_dumax
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Shortlisted in the Sport category is this shot from @yann_dumax
Shortlisted in the Sport category is this shot from @skosh23
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Shortlisted in the Sport category is this shot from @skosh23
Shortlisted in the #NoFilter category is this shot from @cballereaulille
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Shortlisted in the #NoFilter category is this shot from @cballereaulille
Shortlisted in the #NoFilter category is this shot from @thegoodly
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Shortlisted in the #NoFilter category is this shot from @thegoodly
Shortlisted in the #NoFilter category is this shot from @hataha15
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Shortlisted in the #NoFilter category is this shot from @hataha15
Shortlisted in the #NoFilter category is this shot from @clairebrookesphotography
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Shortlisted in the #NoFilter category is this shot from @clairebrookesphotography
Shortlisted in the #NoFilter category is this shot from @junlondon15
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Shortlisted in the #NoFilter category is this shot from @junlondon15
Shortlisted in the #NoFilter category is this shot from @sawadicat
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Shortlisted in the #NoFilter category is this shot from @sawadicat
View gallery - 61 images

After launching in July and offering a three-week window for submissions, the first Photobox Instagram Photography competition rapidly went viral. Quickly amassing over 180,000 entries this new competition became the world's largest social media photography competition and, in entirely unsurprising news, a cute picture of a poodle took the top award.

Collecting such a massive volume of entries is no mean feat, but the Photobox Instagram Photography Awards (PIPA) swiftly established itself as one of the easiest competitions of its kind to enter. During a three-week span earlier this year, all an Instagram user needed to do to enter an image was to post an picture with the hashtag #thepipas2018.

Overall winner of the Photobox Instagram Photography Award 2018 @darrenwilliamhall with this shot of his miniature poodle, Ted.
Overall winner of the Photobox Instagram Photography Award 2018 @darrenwilliamhall with this shot of his miniature poodle, Ted.

The organizers of the competition, in a presumably herculean effort, then divided all the entries among 10 different categories spanning the usual photography competition subjects such as Travel, Animals, Sport and Landscapes. A few more interestingly unconventional categories were also included such as #Love, #NoFilter, and Family.

Winner of the Photobox Instagram Photography Awards in the Travel category, capturing a punter at the Zinneke Parade by @gilles.guilbert.photographies
Winner of the Photobox Instagram Photography Awards in the Travel category, capturing a punter at the Zinneke Parade by @gilles.guilbert.photographies

"We were blown away by the number of entries, to receive 180,000 in less than three weeks in the inaugural year was quite something," explains Rory Scott from Photobox. "Equally, the overall quality of submissions was incredibly high across the board, presenting our judging panel with the unenviable task of selecting the winners."

Shortlisted in the Animals & Pets category is this shot from @maverickdappledachshund
Shortlisted in the Animals & Pets category is this shot from @maverickdappledachshund

The enormous amount of entries was whittled down to a reasonably large shortlist and then a panel of judges – including Editor in Chief at Cosmopolitan, Farrah Storr and ex-picture editor at The Guardian Eamonn McCabe – homed in on the winners.

As befits a social media platform such as Instagram, the winner turned out to be a dog picture. The image of Ted the poodle, in mid-air with a ball in his mouth, is an appropriately classic Insta-worthy snap. However, the collection of winners and shortlisted entries do span quite a broad and fascinating array of styles.

Shortlisted in the Landscape category is this shot from @rmhphotographic
Shortlisted in the Landscape category is this shot from @rmhphotographic

Alongside the more traditional, yet still spectacular, photographs one would expect in a strong photography competition, the PIPAs also celebrated the more informal and off-the-cuff imagery generally seen on Instagram. Spontaneous smartphone snaps on the street and intimate selfies with loved ones turn this into a thoroughly unique competition, unlike most other major photography awards.

Take a look through the winners and the shortlist in our gallery of the 2018 PIPAs.

Source: PIPA2018

View gallery - 61 images
2 comments
2 comments
guzmanchinky
These are SO amazing!
ljaques
Storm Ophelia uplifting and amazing. Fog forest tree simply awesome. Hooker fashion, really? Tsunami digital art very evocative/brilliant. Angel dachshund really cute. Landscapes really should take top honors, many hits. Fashion gets bottom tier.