20 Award-Winning Photos From 1839 Awards’ Photographer of the Year

Jeremy Gray

A collage of three images: tall cacti under a purple sky with a moon, women in blue dresses with red and black abstract background, and two emperor penguins with a chick standing on snow.

1839 Awards announced the winners of its International Photographer of the Year Contest. The winning photographers in the Professional and Non-Professional categories demonstrate excellent artistic and technical achievement in photography, as do the additional winning photographers across many diverse categories.

1839 Awards International Photographer of the Year — Jaime Travezán

Photojournalist turned portrait and fashion photographer Jaime Travezán is this year’s International Photographer of the Year. His award-winning series, “Dream,” was shot as promotional material for the fashion designer Ade Bakare and features rich, vibrant colors, creative compositions, and innovative photo editing techniques.

A stylized, surreal image of a person duplicated three times, wearing sunglasses, a blue shirt, and green pants, holding a folder, set against a dramatic black and red abstract background.
“Dream” by Jaime Travezán, International Photographer of the Year, 1839 Awards
Six women in vibrant blue dresses stand in a row against a surreal desert landscape with black-and-white sand dunes, bold red highlights, and dramatic lighting. The scene has a striking, dreamlike quality.
“Dream” by Jaime Travezán, International Photographer of the Year, 1839 Awards

The photographer explains that he shot this campaign right after returning from a trip to Namibia, and Travezán says he was still “under the spell of the red desert in Sossusvlei. He “wanted to bring some of that landscape into the work.”

Three women in lime green capes with blue floral accents and bright red pants stand together against a surreal, vivid red and gray background, creating a bold and artistic fashion scene.
“Dream” by Jaime Travezán, International Photographer of the Year, 1839 Awards

“We photographed the strikingly beautiful Ololade in a London studio against a plain white backdrop,” the photographer explains. He and his team later combined these portraits with black-and-white landscape photos from Namibia, which were creatively processed to appear vibrant and colorful.

“For ‘Dream,’ the Namibian desert demanded the use of red. Because the series is about an oneiric state, I pushed that red to its limits,” Travezán explains.

1839 Awards International Discovery of the Year — Li Tung

Taiwanese photographer Li Tung, who has been creating visual artwork for eight years, won the Non-Professional category in the International Photographer of the Year Contest. His image, which also won the “Abstract” category in the Non-Professional competition, shows three nude bodies from behind.

Three nude individuals sit closely together facing a wall, their backs visible, with their arms wrapped around each other in an embrace, creating a sense of unity and intimacy. The background is plain and minimal.
“Embodied Syntax” by Li Tung, Discovery of the Year, 1839 Awards

“This work is an extension of my long-term art series Form (體). I have always been deeply fascinated by the fragmented nature of human self-perception,” Tung explains of the winning shot, “Embodied Syntax.”

Selected Category Winners

A polar bear lying on the snow with a baby bear lying on it.

“After the meal” by Paul Hermansen — Professional, Bronze, Aerial, 1839 Awards Photographer of the Year
A modern abstract outdoor sculpture features bold geometric shapes in yellow, blue, red, and white, with a curved black ramp extending from a white structure against a clear sky.

“Details” by Svetlana Fadeeva — Profesional, Gold, Architecture, 1839 Awards Photographer of the Year
A silhouette of a praying mantis on a branch is seen in front of a blurred, circular light source, with the shadow of a mushroom clearly visible within the light. The overall scene has a moody, blue-toned ambiance.
“Mushroom madness” by Panagiotis Dalagiorgos — Professional, Gold, Macro, 1839 Awards Photographer of the Year
A surfer in a red wetsuit rides a massive, curling wave as white spray arcs above and ocean water churns dramatically around them.

“Curvy” by Natalya Pyrogova — Professional, Gold, Event, 1839 Awards Photographer of the Year
A black horse with a shiny coat stands against a dark background, its mane intricately styled into long, neat braids that drape over its neck and forehead.
“Beyond the Echo of Their Gallop” by Hiroshi Kutomi — Professional, Gold, Domestic Animals, 1839 Awards Photographer of the Year
A small, weathered wooden cabin stands alone in a vast snowy landscape, with distant hills under a cloudy sky in black and white.

“Lone Barn” by Brian Clopp — Professional, Silver, Minimalism, 1839 Awards Photographer of the Year
A tall saguaro cactus stands in the desert at dusk under a clear sky, with a full moon visible. The sky transitions from blue at the top to a soft purple and pink near the horizon. Other cacti and mountains are in the background.
“An Arizona Moonrise” by Michael Mihaljevich — Professional, Gold, Landscape, 1839 Awards Photographer of the Year
A cheetah lies on the ground beside a calm waterhole, its reflection visible in the water. Trees and a mountain are in the background under a clear sky.

“Blue Hour Guardian” by Alexander Tasho — Professional, Gold, Nature, 1839 Awards Photographer of the Year
A child in colorful clothing sits on a wooden porch by the water, holding up a fishing net, with a dog resting beside them. Wooden houses on stilts and people in boats appear in the background under a partly cloudy sky.
“Venice of Africa” by Mauro De Bettio — Professional, Gold, Storytelling, 1839 Awards Photographer of the Year
Hundreds of fish swim together in a dense, swirling school, viewed from below in black and white, creating a dramatic and dynamic underwater scene.
“Our Ocean” by Brooke Pyke — Professional, Gold, Underwater, 1839 Awards Photographer of the Year
Two adult emperor penguins stand facing each other on snow, with a fluffy gray penguin chick between them looking up. The trio is set against a soft blue sky background.
“Emperor family” by Risto Raunio — Professional, Gold, Wildlife, 1839 Awards Photographer of the Year
A distant castle with a tall spire rises above thick white fog, surrounded by a soft, minimalist, almost monochrome background, creating a dreamy and mysterious atmosphere.

“Le Mont – Saint – Michel. Foggy Morning” by Rolandas Urbonavicius — Non-Professional, Gold, Landscape, 1839 Awards Photographer of the Year
A black and white underwater photo showing two dolphins swimming closely together, with one dolphin’s tail in the foreground and the dolphins’ sleek bodies visible beneath the surface of the water.
“Heads or Tails” by Jodi Frediani — Non-Professional, Gold, Minimalism, 1839 Awards Photographer of the Year
A small, yellow-eyed fish peeks out from inside a tube-like shell or coral, surrounded by kelp and marine debris, with its face clearly visible and mouth slightly open.
“Open-mouthed” by Fabi Fregonesi — Non-Professional, Gold, Macro, 1839 Awards Photographer of the Year
A person curled up underwater, surrounded by rising bubbles after entering from above, set against a dark background.
“Rebirth” by Michael Potts — Non-Professional, Gold, Nude, 1839 Awards Photographer of the Year
A fisherman wearing a conical hat sits on a wooden boat at dusk, holding a lantern, with a cormorant bird perched on the boat; dramatic karst mountains rise in the misty background.
“Cormorant fishing” by Jo Martindale — Non-Professional, Gold, Travel, 1839 Awards Photographer of the Year

The rest of the category winners for both the Professional and Non-Professional sections of the 1839 Awards Photographer of the Year are available on 1839 Awards website. NSFW Warning: Please be advised that the gallery contains nudity.

Image credits: 1839 Awards. Individual photographers are credited in the captions.

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