48 Top Images From The All About Photo Awards 2025: “The Mind’s Eye”

What happens when thousands of photographers from more than 40 countries submit their most powerful single image? You get the All About Photo Awards 2025 – "The Mind's Eye"—a jaw-dropping collection of photos that capture the beauty, chaos, heartbreak, and wonder of our world.

From intimate human moments to sweeping landscapes and surreal visual concepts, this year’s winners prove that one image can tell an entire story. And with $5,000 in cash prizes up for grabs, the competition was fierce.

Whether you’re a photography geek or just someone who appreciates a powerful image, you’ll want to see what the fuss is about.

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#1

1st Place Winner And Photographer Of The Year 2025: "Husnah" By Marijn Fidder (The Netherlands)

"Husnah Kukundakwe (15) during an early swim training at the Elite Swim and Gym pool in Kampala, Uganda.

Husnah was born with a congenital limb impairment that left her with no right lower arm.

Husnah is a Ugandan swimmer who is currently the country's only classified Paralympic swimmer. Her first appearance at the World Championships in London was mentioned among the International Paralympic Committee’s (IPC’s) Top 10 Moments of 2019."

Husnah: “Swimming was for me an escape from being really shy. I was always hiding my disability, because people look at me weirdly when they see my arm. So I’d always wear a sweater the whole day, even when it was hot, so people couldn’t see my hand. But when I started swimming, I learned to be more confident about myself.”

Now celebrating its 10th edition, the All About Photo Awards continues its mission of showcasing the world’s best visual storytellers — both emerging and established — and giving them a global platform. The 2025 winners are a testament to photography’s power to document, provoke, and move us.

Some images are quiet and poetic. Others hit like a punch to the gut. All of them are unforgettable.

#2

"Plastic Hiking" By Mohammad Foisal (Bangladesh)

"A worker doing challenging work by carrying a huge bag full of plastic trash up a big stack that is made entirely of wasted plastic bottles."

#3

"Fire Incident" By Syed Mahabubul Kader (Bangladesh)

"This photograph shows people surrounding the remains of a car previously engulfed in flames in Dhaka, Bangladesh."

These photographers come from all corners of the globe — from the United States, Italy, and France, to Bangladesh, Australia, Turkey, and beyond. Their work explores identity, resilience, conflict, nature, aging, labor, joy, and everything in between.

Selected by a jury of industry leaders, these images will also be featured in a dedicated issue of AAP Magazine, offering deeper insight into the stories behind the lens.

#4

"Hands Of Time, Net Of Light" By Chester Ng (United States)

"Myanmar, 2025."

#5

"Luo He, 2024" By Tianhu Yuan (China)

"Luo He is a Lolita handcraftswoman. In the process of commercialization of the Lolita subculture community, a variety of creative industry occupations have arisen, and one of them is the handcraftswomen. They emphasize their subcultural identity by making handmade accessories to enrich their Lolita-style outfit. The hat and the mirror are both of her own design. From the series Lolita Dreams, which is about the Lolita fashion subculture community in China."

Marijn Fidder (The Netherlands) has been named Photographer of the Year 2025 for "Inclusive Nation", a humanistic series portraying 15-year-old Husnah Kukundakwe, Uganda’s only classified Paralympic swimmer, highlighting themes of disability rights and social progress.

Second place goes to Abdelrahman Alkahlout (Palestine) for "Stolen Innocence", a powerful image from a Gaza hospital morgue after an airstrike. Erhan Coral (Turkey) takes third with "Hot Springs of Budaklı", a poetic scene of men and water buffaloes in Eastern Turkey’s thermal waters. Fourth is João Coelho (Portugal/Angola) for "Exhaustion", documenting harsh labor in Angola’s ship graveyards, and fifth is Francesco Gioia (Italy) for "Hand and Cigarette", a textured portrait capturing the raw elegance of aging.

#6

"Untitled" By Pedro Jarque Krebs (Peru)

#7

3rd Place Winner: "Steamy Serenity In Güroymak" By Erhan Coral (Turkey)

"In the heart of Eastern Turkey’s winter landscape, men and water buffaloes share the warmth of the Budaklı hot springs in Bitlis. Rising mist veils the frozen surroundings, blending human and animal silhouettes in a primal ritual of survival and coexistence. While the snow-covered plains and distant mountains whisper solitude, the steamy embrace of the thermal waters becomes a sanctuary, where tradition, resilience, and nature converge in harmony."

Members of the Jury:

• Janet Delaney – Photographer

• Sarah Gilbert – Features Photo Editor, The Guardian

• Karl Taylor – Photographer and Filmmaker, Hasselblad Ambassador

• Tatsuo Suzuki – Street Photographer

• Ann Jastrab – Executive Director, Center for Photographic Art

• Sandrine Hermand-Grisel – Founder, All About Photo

#8

4th Place Winner: "Exhaustion" By João Coelho (Portugal/Angola)

"This group of young people risk their lives every day in this ship graveyard. They have to dive to pull iron plates from the sunken carcasses of ships using only their hands and the strength of their arms. Exhausted, they must find the strength to fight the waves and currents to bring the heavy pieces to the beach where they are weighed and sold."

#9

"Georgia Protests: The Early Days - United In Love" By Patrick Enssle (Germany)

"A portrait of a couple in front of burning street barricades. The couple stands close together, holding hands, with their faces illuminated by the fiery glow of the flames."

The All About Photo Awards – "The Mind’s Eye" is an annual international photography competition that celebrates powerful visual storytelling. Open to photographers of all levels and styles, the contest highlights images that are artistically strong and socially, culturally, or environmentally meaningful.

The name "The Mind’s Eye" is inspired by a quote from Henri Cartier-Bresson: “To take photographs means to recognize—simultaneously and within a fraction of a second—both the fact itself and the rigorous organization of visually perceived forms that give it meaning. It is putting one's head, one's eye, and one's heart on the same axis.”

It captures the spirit of the competition and its focus on thoughtful, meaningful photography.

#10

"Untitled" By Buck Holzemer (United States)

#11

"Karsten & Anastasia" By Ludovica Limido (Italy)

"'The doll next door' explores the deep emotional bonds between individuals and their synthetic companions. Beyond intimacy, love dolls become confidants, companions, and even surrogate family members. By documenting the private lives of doll owners and their online communities, the project examines humanity’s need for connection, acceptance, and understanding. It offers a glimpse into a future where technology blurs the line between fantasy and reality, redefining intimacy and identity."

#12

"Camel Fair" By Arne Strømme (Norway)

#13

"Sisters" By Neşe Arı (Turkey)

"A large number of refugees fleeing the Syrian war have sought refuge in Turkey. The country provides them with shelter, healthcare, and education services."

#14

"Turkana Views" By Carole Mills Noronha (Australia)

"The colours of Northern Kenya stand out against the harsh and dry semi-arid landscape. A brief encounter with a young boy reflected in a motorbike's mirror."

#15

"Anchored In Hope" By Andrea Torrei (Italy)

"The erosion of the beach in Senegal is a stark reminder of the devastating effects of climate change on young people. As the sea levels rise, the once-thriving tourist industry is struggling to survive, and many are left wondering if they will be able to stay in their homeland or migrate to find a better future."

#16

"Of Birds And Men" By Gavin Libotte (Australia)

"I noticed that hardly any street photographers shot from the level of the street. When I started doing this and adding the element of flash, I was astonished at the new perspective it reveals."

#17

"Take A Photo" By Chris Yan (China)

"This is an incredible scene, like an incredible drama, but it actually happened in life. This is both a bathhouse and a cafe. A girl was taking a selfie, but apparently another shower guest intruded into her shot."

#18

5th Place Winner: "Hand And Cigarette" By Francesco Gioia (Italy)

"Through a close-up of a woman smoking a cigarette, her red nail polish, and the swirling smoke, we witness the artful interplay of colours that evoke classic cinema's timeless elegance. This photograph holds a moment of intrigue, A whisper to reflect on the balance of indulgence and mystique. A delicate dance between pleasure and secrets."

#19

"Piglets" By Damian Lemański (Poland)

"Piglets and pig pens in the settlement of Pata-Rât with a landfill in the background and garbage spread by the wind throughout the area.

Pata-Rât is a Roma settlement on the outskirts of Cluj-Napoca, Romania, whose community lives in close proximity to a garbage dump. Roma are by far the most long-standing discriminated against minority in the EU, and in addition, the Pata-Rât community faces environmental racism."

#20

"The Museum" By Charles Schiller (United States)

"This image, The Museum, is a reflection—both literal and metaphorical—of how we perceive nature when it's removed from its context. I was drawn to the quiet stillness of the taxidermy displays, but what truly caught my eye was the layered interplay of glass, light, and reflection. In that moment, the animals, the museum, and the young boy observing them all became part of the same silent tableau. The boundaries between viewer and exhibit blurred. This photograph is my attempt to capture that intersection: of life and preservation, wonder and melancholy, observation and memory."