“Morocco, Sentimental Atlas” by Nicola Fioravanti. Overall Professional Winner and Winner, Professional, Travel
“This project is a heartfelt tribute to the country I hold dear. In Morocco, colors are not merely seen, but experienced. It is also a deeply personal journey, one that seeks to understand the land where the woman I love was born.”
The 1839 Awards once again celebrates the art of color photography by announcing the winners of the 2025 Color Photography Contest. In an era when AI is making everyone skeptical about the veracity of imagery, these photographs prove that no machine can replicate the work of a good photographer. From Morocco and Mongolia to the American West and Palestine, the winning photographs are a fascinating look at life in color across the globe.
Italian photographer Nicola Fioravanti and American photographer Diana Cheren Nygren were named the overall winners in the professional and non-professional divisions, respectively. Fioravanti was rewarded for his affectionate look at Morocco, his partner's birthplace. In photographing scenes from the country, he also attempts to “trace the shades that illuminated her childhood.”
Nygren's conceptual series, which includes painted frames with scenes of habitation set behind acrylic, uses photography to ruminate on global issues. By combining barren landscapes with these scenes, she forces viewers to think about our future in the face of climate change.
This marked variety of photography and how the medium can be used for different artistic purposes is a hallmark of the 1839 Awards. A glance at the category winners in both divisions is a masterclass in different photographic styles, each with its own stunning aesthetic. Selected by judges from Whitney Museum of American Art, Phaidon Press, Vanity Fair, Artsy, University of Zurich, Dwell, and Christie’s, they revealed that good photography is alive and thriving in the face of great technological changes.
Scroll down to see winners from the professional and non-professional divisions, and then head to the 1839 Awards website to see the full gallery of finalists.
The 1839 Awards has announced the winners of its 2025 Color Photography Contest.
“Mother Earth” by Diana Cheren Nygren. Overall Winner, Non-Professional and Winner, Non-Professional, Conceptual
“I have mounted scenes of habitation behind acrylic, set within future landscapes shaped by climate change. Painted frames allude to Earth's next chapter. Scenes of human habitation set against a future post-human landscape ask whether humanity can adapt to what is in store for the planet.”
“TSAM · The Dance of Gods” by Jatenipat Ketpradit. Overall Professional Runner-up, and Winner, Professional, People
“A sacred Tibetan Buddhist ritual, Tsam embodies the divine battle between good and evil. Through intricate masks, lavish costumes, and precise choreography, monks channel wrathful deities to purify and protect. This series unveils the mystique of Mongolia’s rarest masked dance tradition.”
“Flowers for Caravaggio” by Trina O’Hara, Third Place, Non-Professional, and Winner, Non-Professional, Still Life
“For seven years I immersed myself in Caravaggio's world. I copied (in paint) his entire body of work. I made it my mission to see all of Caravaggio's paintings in the flesh. His vision shaped mine. Now, when sunlight hits a vase of flowers, I don't just see it, I see life through Caravaggio's eyes.”
“Unbroken Spirit: Worship Amid Destruction” by Abdelrahman Alkahlout. Third Place Overall, Professional and Winner, Professional Photojournalism
“A powerful scene of Palestinian civilians praying on the rubble of a mosque destroyed by Israeli airstrikes. Under a smoke-filled sky, they continue their worship in a place once a sanctuary of peace, now reduced to ruins—symbolizing resilience amid relentless destruction.”
“Journey of Life 20” by Xuejun Long. Runner-up, Non-Professional and Winner, Non-Professional, Nature
“The photo shows a group of flamingos flying over Lake Magadi in Kenya. Once a freshwater lake, it has now become a highly concentrated salt pan that is severely alkaline and toxic to most forms of animal and plant life – except for flamingos, which prefer to forage on the surface.”
From Morocco and Mongolia to the American West and Palestine, the winning photographs are a fascinating look at life in color across the globe.
“Pelikan UNO” by Alessandro R. Moser. Winner, Professinal, Animals
“Glacial blue” by Stuart Chape. Winner, Professional, Landscape
“This series was photographed from a light aircraft and captures the blue waters of braided blue glacial rivers flowing into lakes from the high mountains of the Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park in New Zealand. The blue colouration of the water is due to fine silt particles in the water.”
“Zig Zag” by Dorota Qaid. Winner, Non-Professional, Architecture
“Family Portrait” by David Vaughn. Winner, Non-Professional, Animals
“Southern India looking for the tiger to photography and this mother and 3 cubs drinking from a small pond and I had to wait until they all looked my way and then it happened.”
“Just Let Me Know Somepoint That You’re Fine.” by Tommi Viitala. Winner, Professional, Other
“Street photography from Helsinki, Finland 2024. Fujifilm X100f.”
“Fire Gods of The Malabar Coast” by Dylan Tom. Winner, Non-Professional, Event
“Theyyam is a Ritual art form practiced in Kerala,India. It enacts the life and legend of local heroes who became martyr for the cause of the people and later revered as Demigods. Fire is a main protogonist which depicts the life and life after death of the legend.”
“Les robes des chevaux” by Axelle Dudouet. Winner, Non-Professional, Other
The contest selects winners in both a professional and a non-professional division.
“Relative Spaces” by Jeremy C Glover. Winner, Professional, Minimalism
“Observing the physical and emotional spaces held between friends, families and strangers while walking through The Great Court of The British Museum. Our understanding of these relationships are playfully subverted by the use of forced perspective.”
“Dreamscape of Etosha” by Alexandre Brisson. Winner, Professional, Conceptual
“Standing alone yet resolute, this tree becomes a guardian of Etosha’s expansive desert plains. Captured with 550nm infrared, the scene takes on a dreamlike quality, where the tree’s crown glows in soft pink against a delicate blue sky.”
“Dust and Despair: A Coastal Cry for Water” by Jeremy Skirrow. Winner, Non-Professional, Photojournalism
“In rural Peru, around 40% lack reliable water access. Communities like Huanchaco rely on costly, unreliable truck deliveries due to poor infrastructure. Despite APEC 2024, rural areas face water and waste challenges, deepening inequality and harming agriculture, businesses, and daily life.”
“Desert Dreaming: Brutalist Visions of Country” by Claire Letitia Reynolds. Winner, Professional, Storytelling
“In the vast Arrente Country of Munga-Thirri, I reimagine the brutal beauty of the land—where ruin and resilience collide. Inspired by Dreaming, I weave hand-dyed papers into surreal landscapes, layering memory, intervention, and survival—portals to another time, where spirit and stories remain.”
“Pink Donut” by William Mark Sommer. Winner, Professional, Film/Analog
“Home can be found in many places from the house you live in to the local donut shop. I remember as a child being amazed by all the donuts in the case, all the color and sizes, and how my father loved the pink ones. Through this nostalgic memory, I was brought home.”
“Tree of Life” by Archith S Kamath. Winner, Non-Professional, Landscapes
“A lone tree standing tall and alive in a paddy field which has freshly sown rice.”
“Break on the dock” by Frederic Jouaret. Winner, Non-Professional, Storytelling
“A young man takes a break in the sun by the emerald water of river Saône.”
“Dancing In The Moonlight” by Carla Rhodes. Winner, Professional, Nature
“Gliding like a ghost in the moonlight, a flying squirrel dances across the starry sky, while the moon casts abstract shadows on my house. After months of late nights and obsessive observation, I made the image I envisioned—a single frame revealing the hidden magic just beyond our windows.”
A glance at the category winners in both divisions is a masterpiece in different photographic styles, each with its own stunning aesthetic.
“A Father’s Cry” by Abdelrahman Alkahlout. Winner, Professional, Event
“At Nasser Medical Complex, a father rushes in shock, carrying his lifeless daughter, torn apart by an Israeli airstrike. His silent scream reflects unbearable pain. Around him, cameras capture yet another tragedy in Gaza, where hospitals receive shattered bodies, and grief never ends. How many more?”
“Flighted” by Aden Gutierrez. Winner, Non-Professional, Film/Analog
“A double-exposed image on film.”
“Inspired by J. Vermeer” by Anna Riabova. Winner, Professional, Still Life
“In the net” by Arkadiusz Wójcik. Winner, Non-Professional, People
“In the early morning we planned to shoot in a small fish market. Meanwhile, we met a group of people sewing and repairing fishing nets. They do this once every few months so we were extremely lucky.”
“The story of preserving heritage.” by Md. Arifuzzaman. Winner, Non-Professional, Travel
“This is the last remaining Malar, a traditional boat of Bengal with a design that dates back over 3,000 years. Due to rapid urbanization, this heritage is disappearing. Preserving large wooden hull in Bangladesh is incredibly challenging. Sadly, this is kind of large hull nearly extinct today.”
“Foggy Days in Autumn” by Guenther Reissner. Winner, Non-Professional, Minimalism
“In Autumn some valleys in Austria are covered in fog, due to the cold air staying a ground level and the sun isn't strong enough anymore to burn up the fog, called inversion, creating these beautiful moments.”
