20 Winning Images From The International Photography Awards 2023 That Might Blow Your Mind

The International Photography Awards (IPA) 2023 have once again showcased the breathtaking talent of photographers from around the globe. This year’s winners captured the beauty, complexity, and raw emotion of the world in stunning detail.

#1 “Underwater Portal” By Benjamin Yavar

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3rd Place / Special / Travel / Wanderlust.

“A local woman goes for a dive on a single breath into sardines run. Shot on a breath hold. Moalboal, Philippines.”

#2 “A Comfortable Afternoon” By Jiaqi Chen

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1st Place / Architecture / Bridges.

“In this warm-toned photograph, a tranquil moment of a man is captured. On a sunny afternoon, the protagonist of the photo, a man dressed in a khaki trench coat, is walking alone along the stone path beside the Yangtze River, leading his bicycle by hand. Behind him stands the majestic Yangsigang Yangtze River Bridge. The colors of the bridge, bicycle, and the boy’s attire echo each other. In the distance, the fog-enshrouded high-rises of Wuhan hint at the unknown future and the man’s longing for it.”

#3 “Flower Shower” By Shivali Chopra

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1st Place / Event / Wedding.

“The bride gets a flower shower!”

#4 “Wedge Wedge” By Kevin Kielty

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1st Place / Sports / Summer sports.

A surfer drops into a colorfully foamy barrel at Southern California’s “The Wedge.”

#5 “Futah – Morocco” By Mendo Dornellas

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2nd Place / Advertising / Fashion.

“This image was shot from a campaign in Morocco for a Portuguese beach towel brand called Futah. For this campaign the idea was to find textures shapes and colors that can be only found in the Sahara Desert, creating this unique and captivating mood.”

#6 “Red Zone” By Marcin Giba

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1st Place / Architecture / Cityscapes.

“The photo shows a municipal swimming pool in my hometown of Rybnik (Poland). The photo was taken a few days before the introduction of the red zone there in connection with the coronavirus epidemic.”

#7 “Family Heirlooms” By Carole Mills Noronha

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2nd Place / People / Lifestyle.

“Family Heirlooms is a series of photographs documenting my family home over several decades, from my childhood in the 1970s to 2019. It was born out of a desire to create more memories of my family home as my dad’s health began to deteriorate as he entered his late eighties. I used old childhood photos and placed them in the same locations decades later.”

#8 “Taj Mahal At Sunrise” By Jacques Szymanski

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2nd Place / Architecture / Historic.

“Early morning in Agra, Staring at the wonderful Taj Mahal building at this time of the day, with this exceptional sunrise light, can’t leave you unmoved. I know this monument has been photographed so many times that it’s quite difficult to find an original way of capturing it. And I saw these three Indian guys, at peace in front of the building, so full of peace, fraternity and wiseness that I thought that was the perfect scene for the Taj.”

#9 “Old Father Thames” By Julia Fullerton-Batten

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Fine Art Photographer Of the Year.

“London is one of the major cities of the world today, but it would not have existed without the River Thames. The river has acted as a source of fresh water, an artery of communication and transportation, and a physical and psychological boundary. Part of the river is tidal and this forms a natural harbour. Since pre-Roman times the river has been the major communication and trade route between Britain and the rest of the world. These stories, countless whimsical, idiosyncratic and tragic happenings, all make up a history of one of the most important rivers in the world.”

#10 “Exclamation Point” By Yevhen Kostiuk

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3rd Place / Architecture / Aerial / Drone.

“Exclamation Point.”

#11 “Songkran” By Thamarong Wanarithikul

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Event Photographer Of the Year.

“Songkran (A.K.A Thai New Year) is a water festival in Thailand and across Southeast Asia. The water festival starts on the 13rd of April and lasts for 3 days. This year 2023, it was a bigger celebration nationwide as we had not been able to celebrate for the past two years due to Covid. These pictures represent Thai people celebrating Songkran on pickup trucks, splashing water on the streets in Bangkok, Thailand.”

#12 “Braves Fishermen In The Rough Sea” By Hernani Castro Jr

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3rd Place / Nature/ Sunrise / Sunset.

“Fishermen at work on a sunny day, strong wind, and rough sea in the Rio Vermelho neighborhood, at Salvador City, Bahia, Brazil!”

#13 “La Station Balnéaire” By Segalen Benoit

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2nd Place / People / Street Photography.

“Taken in 2020 after covid lockdown young people jumping from station to the channel of la tremblade harbour. I was driving when I saw the scene. Immediatly, I’ve parked my car and left running to take the picture.”

#14 “Holi Samaj” By Mariana Zilbershteyn

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2nd Place / Event / Traditions and Cultures.

“Captured whilst sitting with the men in the inner circle during Samaj at the Holi celebrations at Nandgaon temple, India 2023. These images were taken amidst a thick cloud of colours and water thrown on me and my camera. My eyes and camera lens equally blinded. These photos depict men from Barsana entering the temple in Nandgaon, locals from Nandgaon, drenching the men folk from Barsana, in colours of Holi to celebrate this occasion. Momentarily observing various exchanges between the men sitting around me.”

#15 “The Dive” By Valerie Jardin

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2nd Place / People / Street Photography.

“Saint Malo, Brittany, France I watched for a couple of minutes as several swimmers took turns to brave their fear of heights and the cold water below. A young girl approached the edge to make the jump while another girl (maybe her sister) was cheering her on right in front of me.”

#16 “Reflection” By Keiko Kawanami

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1st Place / Event / Wedding.

“At Salar de Uyuni during the rainy season.”

#17 “Sisters Of The Sea: Portraits Of Female Surfers” By Cosimo Campagna

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3rd Place / Editorial / Press / Photo Essay / Feature Story.

“The primary goal of this project is to focus on a range of women of all ages and skill levels who love the sea and have a passion for surfing. It also aims to offer them the opportunity to express themselves in a predominantly male-dominated sport. This photographic project is set in South Devon and Cornwall, and 12 women were photographed and then were asked to write down their thoughts about the sport, which offered them the opportunity to speak with a direct and unfiltered voice. The ages of the women range are between 19 and 77 and while their reasons for surfing vary, so do the emotions.”

#18 “Return” By Xiaoke Wang

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2nd Place / Event / Competitive Event.

“The first Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Dragon Boat Race was held on 21 June 2023 in (Nan’ao, Shenzhen). The picture shows the racing boats disembarking one after another after the race.”

#19 “Beyond Cure” By Yuan-Ti Liao

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3rd Place / Event / Concert.

“Beyond cure/Metal United Worldwide live in the wall live house.”

#20 “Burst” By Manja Wachsmuth

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3rd Place / Advertising /Food & Beverage.

“Returning to my home country, for the first time after the lockdowns and 4 years of separation was a brutal reminder of how utterly homesick I was. Reconnecting with family and friends, was incredibly precious but at the same time also heartbreakingly painful. What followed was a time of feeling completely disconnected and lonely. The need to rebuild intimate relationships sent me into a desperate spiral of trying to solve an unsolvable situation. This series explores quite literally the shape of things as they burst, but also metaphorically what it’s like to be an expat.”