Budapest International Photo Awards is an organization that’s been rewarding select photographers from all around the world. The authoritative judges and experts painstakingly evaluate each photo, and award Bronze, Silver and Gold to the best entries. Each year they shuffle through tens and hundreds of thousands of photos just to give you the cream of the crop of the last year.
So, what did this year bring us? Keep scrolling and find out what 47 entries the panel deemed worthy of your attention. Enjoy!
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#1 The Ocean Color Canvas. Silver, Nature
“This is the submerged forest in Lake Shusenko. Lake Shusenko is so beautiful.”
Photograph: Hirotaka Shindo
Image source: budapestfotoawards
#2 Migrant Girls Mourn. 1st Place, Editorial
“Two migrant girls mourn during clashes between refugees and riot police on the Greek Island of Lesbos on February 3, 2020 in Mytilene, Greece. Refugees protested against the terrible conditions in which they lived inside the Moria refugee camp. Moria was the largest refugee camp in Europe, providing temporary shelter to around 20,000 asylum seekers before the fires and its final abandonment in September 2020.”
Photograph: Ivan Romano
Image source: budapestfotoawards
#3 Change The Conversation. 2nd Place, People, Professional
“I grew up being called a midget by friends and family, who believed it was endearing to call me so. But as a result, I have battled with the concept of beauty, self-love and appreciation of myself beyond my physical appearance for all of my life. When my eight-year-old daughter came back home to ask if she is beautiful, it hit me the most. Changing the Conversation is a personal series that speaks of beauty as not a bondage but a concept that frees you. Beauty is not this or that; pretty or ugly. Beauty exists beyond binaries.”
Photograph: Sujata Setia
Image source: budapestfotoawards
#4 Born Of Fire. 1st Place, Nature, Professional
“During my expedition to the volcanic area of Fagradalsfjall in southwestern Iceland, it was the first photo just after the first contact with lava and the ubiquitous poisonous gas. Volcanoes are a rare opportunity to observe the complete transformation of the landscape. Places that were only recently valleys and meadows became hills, craters and lava fields. Being there was a great experience.”
Photograph: Filip Hrebenda
Image source: budapestfotoawards
#5 Drying Dried Persimmons. 2nd Place, Advertising
“Every autumn is the harvest season of persimmons. Rural women are busy harvesting and making the remainders into dry cakes. The series of photos show the women’s spirit of enduring hardships and hard works.”
Photograph: Yu Ling Ho
Image source: budapestfotoawards
#6 Universe During Pandemic. 2nd Place, Science, Professional
“I have spent a year capturing all these mysterious and beautiful images of the universe, including galaxies and nebulas. Every image was shot for at least 25 hours, which means multiple nights per final image. Most of the images were taken at a dark site located in west Texas. Every night I watched the stars while my equipment is working, it makes me think of how tiny we are as human beings, and how little colour and luminosity we can perceive with our eyes.”
Photograph: Zixiong Jin
Image source: budapestfotoawards
#7 Tears For George Floyd. Gold In Editorial, Political
“At a Black Lives Matter protest in Cairns, Australia, US citizen Hermela Bealfan cries as she lies on the ground for eight minutes and 46 seconds – the time it took police officer Derek Chauvin to kill George Floyd by kneeling on his neck in Minneapolis. Cairns residents came out in their hundreds not only to protest against Floyd’s murder but also the Australian indigenous death toll ‘in custody’ – at the time 432 since 1991.”
Photograph: Brian Cassey
Image source: budapestfotoawards
#8 Our Past. Photographer Of The Year, Book, Professional
“The history of the Soviet Union is a clear example of how propaganda shapes the worldview, values and way of life of a person. We, who were born in the Soviet Union, sincerely believed in the values that we were inspired in early childhood. And only during perestroika [the reformation movement] we discovered the Other World.”
Photograph: Svetlana Melik-Nubarova
Image source: budapestfotoawards
#9 People Of Tundra. 1st Place, People, Professional
“In the far north of Russia, on the Taymyr peninsula, indigenous peoples continue to live according to the traditional way of life. They wander from place to place with their herds of deer. They spend all year in the tundra from birth to ripe old age, except for the time when children leave to study in boarding schools. It was surprising for me to learn that they are not hostages of the situation, they have a choice. Many families have apartments in settlements, but they do not want to live in them – choosing to roam the endless expanses.”
Photograph: Yulia
Image source: budapestfotoawards
#10 Unyielding Floods. Gold, Editorial/Environmental, Professional
“Floods in South Sudan have triggered food insecurity across the country. About 1.3 million children suffer from acute malnutrition, exacerbated by the spread of malaria and drinking water made unsafe by the floods, which have affected a million people since July 2020. Jonglei state is at the heart of the devastation. This project documents the devastation on three levels: natural disaster, food insecurity and loss of dignified living.”
Photograph: Peter Caton
Image source: budapestfotoawards
#11 Resonance. 1st Place, Science
“What if we could see sound? We would be immersed in amazing shapes drawn by acoustic waves in space. Thanks to Cymatics, we can go beyond the limits of our senses, and visualize the patterns created by a sound frequency on a fluid’s surface. The Resonance photographic project is a tribute to the secret beauty of Nature by showing the fascinating shapes generated on water by natural objects’ sounds (both Earthly and astronomic), which draw in front of the camera’s lens the invisible symphony of reality. Photos here presented: Magma, Stalagmite, Geyser, Fire, Snowstorm, Beluga, Blu whale.
Simone Arrigoni (Rome, 1973) is a classical pianist, freediving world champion (21 world records) and an award-winning photographer (FIOF Italian Photography Ambassador in China 2017 & Underwater Photography Festival Ambassador) with more than 100 awards in the most prestigious international photo contests, publications and worldwide exhibitions (China, Crimea, France, Greece, Italy, Japan, Singapore, UK, USA).”
Photograph: Simone Arrigoni
Image source: budapestfotoawards
#12 Forest Fire. Gold, Editorial/General News
“A child inside a car near a forest fire in Oliveira de Frades, northern Portugal, 7 September 2020. This forest fire mobilised 327 firemen, 103 land vehicles and eight airplanes.”
Photograph: Nuno André
Image source: budapestfotoawards
#13 I Was My Husband. 1st Place, Book & Best New Talent, Non-Professional
“Modern Indian society seems to be not able to modify some aspects belonging to the most orthodox Hindu culture, according to which a widow no longer has any right or social utility, and loses her identity when the husband dies. Kicked out of houses, they are banned from all social moments of life. A phenomenon that crosses all social classes, doubly enclosed within the walls of the ashrams and the cultural prisons of a society that prefers to make them invisible rather than questioning themselves.”
Photograph: Valter Darbe
Image source: budapestfotoawards
#14 Hope… Leprosy. 2nd Place, Editorial
“In March 2020, I was on a volunteering trip in Congo, Kimpese. Here is a leprosy colony… Leprosy can be cured if discovered in time, but unfortunately many do not notice in time. Gabriel is already 75 years old, he has lived here 20 years. Still hoping, many were healed and gone. But unfortunately society excludes them, they think evil spirits have invaded them. Who is denied. There is hope for recovery, but there is no hope of being welcomed back into their family.
I am 32 years old, Hungarian woman. I was born and raised in Romania. I am a passion traveller, during my travels I look for people’s real face, life, past, future… I connect all my travels with volunteering… so my main goal is helping.”
Photograph: Emese Balázs-Fülöp
Image source: budapestfotoawards
#15 Creatures From Another Dimension. 1st Place, Science, Professional
“People are often afraid of insects. The insects are akin to creatures from other parallel dimensions or sci-fi movies. The insects’ physiology, superpowers, and the way of life are different from that of humans. I tried to show the true essence of beings from other dimensions using negative images of the original photos.”
Photograph: Irina Petrova
Image source: budapestfotoawards
#16 Pasola – A Sumbanese Sporting Tradition. 1st Place, Events
“Heralded by the arrival of the nyale, mythically revered sea worms, the Sumbanese celebrate a spectacular spear fight on horseback at the end of each rainy season. Pasola, a war ritual played to celebrate the rice planting season. Captured in 2020 @ Sumba Barat, Indonesia.”
Photograph: Wolfgang Weinhardt
Image source: budapestfotoawards
#17 Black Dress. Gold, Advertising, Professional
“The conception for the photo project was the creation of a perfect female image, romantic and mysterious, and at the same time daring and exciting.”
Photograph: George Maye
Image source: budapestfotoawards
#18 Fire Escapism. 2nd Place, Advertising, Professional
“My ongoing series of New York fire escapes is an uplifting tribute to the rhythm of this fascinating city. To me the fire escapes and the facades behind them are very characteristic for New York. On one side they are abstract compositions, but at the same time the stairs and windows behind provide a tangible reference to the human scale.”
Photograph: Paul Brouns
Image source: budapestfotoawards
#19 The Persistence Of Family. 2nd Place, Fine Art
“By compositing together old and new family photographs, this series enables generations to reach each other across time. Driven by personal longing, the images make real those things I hold dear. But in doing that, they address universal experience, interrogating the way in which family relationships and history play a role in shaping our sense of ourselves and our place in the world. They suggest that the present, in each of us, contains both the past and the future. This series portrays the layered process of becoming, and the complex interweaving of time, place, and identity.”
Photograph: Diana Cheren Nygren
Image source: budapestfotoawards
#20 Requiem Pour Pianos. 2nd Place, Architecture, Professional
“What remains of their finery? Blown away marble, disembowelled fireplaces, torn hangings. These great houses have lost their glory. However, lurking in the shadows, astonishing wood and cast iron monsters with lacquered skin display their toothless smiles with ivory reflections. These pianos are the soul of the place, too heavy to be moved.”
Photograph: Romain Thiery
Image source: budapestfotoawards
#21 As Time Stood Still. 1st Place, Fine Art
“Diary of a photographer during the London lockdowns in 2020. Not being able to walk the streets to produce my usual work, I decided to turn the camera on to myself and explore my feelings, my insecurities, my hopes and my fears. The camera gave me a purpose during this very uncertain time and the creation of this project became a very psychotherapeutic process.
Margarita Mavromichalis has spent her life living and traveling around the world. She speaks five languages and likes to think that photography is her second language, as it is universal, one that is understood by all and conveys messages in a most powerful way. Margarita is attracted to street photography and the elements that evoke emotions and surprise in our everyday life. Furthermore, she is passionate about documenting current events that she feels strongly about, highlighting their social impact. Award-winning photographer, her work has been displayed in exhibitions worldwide.”
Photograph: Margarita Mavromichalis
Image source: budapestfotoawards
#22 You Are My Mother. 1st Place, Portfolio, Professional
“As the Covid pandemic rolled over the world, many of us found ourself going back to basics and spending more times with our families. Angelika started photographing her project in April 2020, while in complete lockdown in South Africa, because she wanted to document beautiful emotional healing she witnessed between a mother and her adult daughter. She started exploring the same ‘story’ in other mother/child connections, examining the impact it had on her own family life and on her audience.”
Photograph: Angelika Kollin
Image source: budapestfotoawards
#23 Black Eye. Growing Up Travelling. 2nd Place, Book
“Growing up Traveling is a collection of images of the truths and lives of the Irish Traveller children growing up in the caravans on the sides of the road throughout Ireland, with words from the children themselves, who long to be understood, and just treated as humans. I aim to have this book show these beautiful children how they are and who they are and to open up their world for better understanding that a child is a child and should be loved and respected for who they are.
Jamie’s passion for faces of the next generation has been a lifelong focus. She has traveled the world capturing images of children and childhood around the globe. From Laos to Cuba, from the Amazon to Mongolia and around the world and back, she has found a universality in the world of children and her passion grows stronger with each new adventure. The lifestyles, cultures and traditions of growing up around the world are closely examined in her photos and each connection she makes with her young new subjects creates lifelong friendships.”
Photograph: Jamie Johnson
Image source: budapestfotoawards
#24 2021 Dajia Zhen Lan Temple Mazu Pilgrimage. 1st Place, Events, Professional
“This annual event lasts for nine days and eight nights. Pilgrims set off from Dajia, head to Taichung, go south, arrive at Jiayi Mazu Temple and then return.”
Photograph: Chen Che Wang
Image source: budapestfotoawards
#25 The Space Between. 2nd Place, Fine Art
“For this series Holfeld has focused on the the Calpe housing estate La Muralla Roja by iconic architect Ricardo Bofill. Built in 1973, La Muralla Roja is a postmodern apartment complex in Manzanera, Calpe, Spain and is ranked as one of Ricardo’s ten most iconic works. The Space Between employs Holfeld’s distinctive visual language to assemble the architectural surfaces he encounters as painterly abstractions. Through his lens and borrowing from the clean, vivid clarity of modernist painting, Holfeld transforms his studies into striking compositions of colour and geometric form.
Born in Dublin (1984), Daniel Holfeld grew up in Ireland and graduated with a BA [Hons] degree in photography from Dublin’s Institute of Technology in 2008. Holfeld has always gravitated towards large open spaces, developing a passion and admiration of the complex language of architecture. Earlier in 2020, Holfeld debuted his new series The Space Between in the Royal Institute of Architecture of Ireland and later returned to London to show the series in the Royal Institute of British Architects. RIBA acquired editions in to their permanent and prestigious Robert Elwall collection.”
Photograph: Daniel Holfeld
Image source: budapestfotoawards
#26 Twins. 2nd Place, Architecture
This is a Japanese bridge called Meiko Triton in Nagoya-shi. I expressed by a monochrome.
Photograph: Hirotaka Shindo
Image source: budapestfotoawards
#27 Who Left The Bloody Lights On? 1st Place, Nature
“Shooting the world’s lit cities, towns and villages at night from the cockpit of my Boeing B777 and B787. Guess the next best thing if Rico was not smart enough to be an astronaut, but mama and papa still proud, so win win. Oh, and guess Rico should also mention something about climate change/energy consumption blah blah, but sure you got that as well. Enjoy. The End!
Just like the other 7.8 billion people on this planet, Rico believes he is also idiosyncratic or original or special or one-off or unique, oh as well as woke. -ironic “adjective” 1. using words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of its literal meaning; containing or exemplifying irony: (an ironic novel; an ironic remark.) 2. of, relating to, or tending to use irony or mockery; ironical. 3. coincidental; unexpected: (it was ironic that i was seated next to my ex-husband at the dinner.)”
Photograph: Rico X.
Image source: budapestfotoawards
#28 Cocoons. Concrete And Steel. 1st Place In Architecture
“A series of buildings in Europe in different shapes, form and textures.”
Photograph: Gino Ricardo
Image source: budapestfotoawards
#29 Tartan Army Descend On London For Euro 2020, Silver In Editorial/General News, Professional
“Drunken Scottish football fans in the west end of London to celebrate Euro 2020. Thousands of Scottish fans headed to Leicester Square, where they wore their country’s shirts, kilts, waved flags and set off smoke bombs ahead of watching the match against England which ended in a 0-0 draw, enough to keep Scotland in the tournament. Supporters had been urged not to travel to London unless they had a ticket or had organised somewhere to watch the game.”
Photograph: Jeff Gilbert
Image source: budapestfotoawards
#30 Hair. 1st Place, Advertising
“A small but strong dryer for hair.”
Photograph: Štefan Csontos
Image source: budapestfotoawards
