Winners of the iPhone Photography Awards Announced

​The winners of the annual iPhone Photography Awards (IPPAWARDS) have been announced. The IPPAWARDS are the first and longest running iPhone photography competition, established in 2007, and for their tenth anniversary they received thousands of entries from over 140 countries. 

We’re all familiar with the stunning #ShotOnaniPhone billboard ads, so the capability of the smartphone shouldn’t come as a shock. And yet, it does. Looking through the top 25 images chosen this year, it baffles the mind that they weren’t shot with a professional camera, but a smartphone. 

The images not only capture stunning moments in time, but also show beautiful photographic technique, unique angles and expert editing. The Grand Prize Winner Photographer of the Year Award was given to Sebastian Tomada of New York City, for his moving entry, Children of Qayyarah, shot on an iPhone 6s. Two children stand in the foreground, dangerously close to black billows of smoke rising from from oil wells  set alight by ISIS. Not only does the image capture a terrifying moment in time, it also represents the state of the world today. As a work of art, it’s technically impressive, with the lines of the walls and smoke bringing the viewer’s gaze in and out of the shot. Runners up were Brenda O Se from Ireland, Yeow-Kwang Yeo from Singapore and Kuanglong Zhang from Shenzhen.

See all the winning photographs here.