The Captivating Winners of the Siena Creative Photo Awards 2024

A bear and her two cubs sleep on a rocky outcrop at night, beneath a starry sky. The landscape is illuminated by the soft glow of the stars, creating a serene and peaceful scene. The rock is covered with patches of grass and vegetation.
‘Dreaming Above the Universe’ by Lurdes Santander — Photo of the Year | Creative Photo Awards 2024

The Siena Awards revealed the winners of its Creative Photo Awards 2024 photography competition. Photographer Lurdes Santander was honored for her grand prize-winning photo above, Dreaming Above the Universe.

The Siena Creative Photo Awards 2024 winners round out the Siena Awards’ three international photo contests, including the Siena International Photo Awards and the Drone Photo Awards winners featured earlier this week.

Santander’s winning photo is part of her series, “Animals Under the Stars.” The winning photo shows a mother bear with three cubs resting beneath the Milky Way. Santander, a Spanish photographer, works in the radiology department at a local hospital. She has been a passionate photographer since she asked for a camera for her ninth birthday and has long used photography to bring attention to nature and wildlife.

Alongside Santander’s overall winning photo, the Siena Creative Photo Awards named winners across numerous categories: Animals and Pets, Architecture, Fine Art, Nature and Landscape, Open Theme, People, and Series.

Denisa Zbranková Albaniová took top honors in the Animals and Pets category for the King of Mordor image. The photo shows a white Swiss Shepherd against dark basalt rocks, reminiscent of a white wizard from Tolkien’s famous book series against the dark land of Mordor.

A lone white wolf stands on a pile of rocks at the base of towering, dark, vertical rock formations. The high contrast between the wolf's fur and the dark background emphasizes its solitary presence in the dramatic, rugged landscape.
‘King of Mordor’ by Denisa Zbranková Albaniová — First Place, Animals and Pets | Creative Photo Awards 2024

Anna Wacker’s photo, Storm on the Elbe, won the Architecture category. The abstract photo shows Hamburg, Germany’s Elhphilharmonie concert hall rising above the Elbe River and Hafencity district. The image uses the concert hall’s iconic roof to recreate waves on the river.

An architectural structure with a modern, wave-like rooftop design against a cloudy sky. The building's facade features a glass exterior with a grid pattern, creating a reflective and textured appearance. The overall look is futuristic and innovative.
‘Storm on the Elbe’ by Anna Wacker — First Place, Architecture | Creative Photo Awards 2024

Alena Grom’s jarring portrait of a Ukrainian woman against the backdrop of her war-ravaged home won the Fine Art category. “Every day, I encounter people who are rebuilding their cities and personal lives from the ruins, looking toward the future with hope. The heroes of my photographs are women who have become victims of Russian aggression,” Grom says.

A woman stands in front of a backdrop showing a colorful flower scene amidst a desolate urban area with partially destroyed and weathered buildings. She is wearing a tan coat and black boots, and the contradiction between the backdrop and the surroundings is stark.
‘Stolen Spring’ by Alena Grom — First Place, Fine Art | Creative Photo Awards 2024

In the Nature and Landscape category, Dileep Ss won for the image, Worlds Apart, which shows a desert ecosystem against a towering city skyline. The photographer explains that the striking contrast between natural beauty and a vast city is a powerful reminder to look beyond modernity and embrace nature.

A lone oryx stands on the sandy desert with two scattered trees; in the distance, the skyline of a modern city with a tall, striking skyscraper looms under a dark sky.

‘Worlds Apart’ by Dileep Ss — First Place, Nature and Landscape | Creative Photo Awards 2024

Pepe Manzanilla’s enchanting image, Magical Realm, won the Open Theme category. The otherworldly image features a small doll against a nighttime forest ripe with fireflies.

A small, whimsical doll made of natural materials stands on a log in a dark forest. It holds a tiny light, illuminating its face, while numerous fireflies glow around it, creating a magical, enchanting atmosphere.
‘Magical Realm’ by Pepe Manzanilla — First Place, Open Theme | Creative Photo Awards 2024

Agnieszka Ostrowska’s photo, Fitting In, took top honors in the People category. She says her image represents the “isolation and discomfort” a person might feel when trying to fit into a new, hostile environment, such as starting a new job, making new friends, or moving to a different country.

A large cluster of tall, green cacti grows on rocky terrain under a cloudy sky. A person is crouched and partially concealed among the cacti's thick stems, blending into the scene.

‘Fitting In’ by Agnieszka Ostrowska — First Place, People | Creative Photo Awards 2024

Rounding out this year’s winners is Ivo Danchev, whose Kukerland series won the aptly named Series category. “Bulgaria boasts an incredible diversity of masks and costumes, preserved through the ancient tradition of Kukeri. These masks are used to conceal the wearer’s identity and transform them into supernatural creatures, allowing them to enter the spirit world, chase away evil, and bring blessings to people, livestock, and crops,” the Siena Awards explains. Danchev’s photos are featured in a book project of the same name, Kukerland. Additional images from the series are available to view on the Siena Creative Photo Awards website.

A figure wearing a long, flowing cloak with brown and white fur-like textures stands in a snowy landscape. In the background, a futuristic, abandoned building with a circular design and tall tower is visible under a partly cloudy sky.

‘The Guardian of the Past’ by Ivo Danchev — First Place, Series | Creative Photo Awards 2024

In addition to category winners, the Siena Awards also named second-place and commended finishers in each category. All the awarded photos are available on the Creative Photo Awards 2024 website.

The winners of the Siena International Photo Awards, Drone Photo Awards, and Creative Photo Awards are all featured in an ongoing exhibition in Siena, Italy. The festival runs until November 24th.


Image credits: Siena Creative Photo Awards 2024. Individual photographers are credited in the image captions.

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