An iPhone is a tool for astounding creativity in the hands of these talented photographers.
Their work has been honoured in the 2023 iPhone Photography Awards, an annual contest that sets out to showcase the most showstopping images captured on Apple devices.
This year the contest, which has been running since 2007, welcomed submissions from photographers from more than 140 countries. For a place in the running, photographs must have been captured on an iPhone or an iPad, and the use of desktop image editing programs such as Photoshop is forbidden.
Reigning supreme overall, this year’s grand prize winner is Mexican photographer Ivan Silva, who captured a magnificent shot of a young football fan on an iPhone 12 Pro. Other shots to gain recognition include a moody picture of Dartmoor National Park in southern England, a vibrant image of a Swiss mountain railway and a mesmerising shot of a trio of elephants marching across an arid landscape.
A statement from the awards’ organisers says: ‘Congratulations to all the winners for the amazing stories they managed to capture with such sensitivity, humour, and beauty.’
Below is a handful of the pictures that captivated the judges. Scroll down to the very bottom to see the photograph that takes the top prize…
This mesmerising mountainscape was captured near the town of Kangding in China’s Sichuan province by Chinese photographer Chun Luo. It gets an honourable mention in the Landscape category
This wintry shot taken in Switzerland shows the train that takes passengers from the holiday resort of Vitznau to the Rigi mountain massif. It’s the work of Chinese photographer Wenqin Hu and gets an honourable mention in the Travel category
LEFT: U.S photographer Juliane DeLeo Naclerio captured this breathtaking shot of a polar light display over a snowy expanse. Impressing the judges, it gets an honourable mention in the Landscape category. RIGHT: U.S photographer Chang Sun snared this magnificent picture, which gets an honourable mention in the Landscape category, in California’s Yosemite National Park
This magnificent picture of the Anjihai Grand Canyon in Shawan County, China, gets an honourable mention in the Landscape category
American photographer Ryan Coleman captured this epic bird’s eye view, which gets an honourable mention in the Landscape category
This atmospheric shot of a series of cable cars in the Chinese province of Zhejiang – which gets an honourable mention in the Travel category – is the work of photographer Chuangcheng Jin
UK photographer Clifton Ticehurst captured this moody scene in Dartmoor National Park in Devon. It gets an honourable mention in the Landscape category
American photographer Roxy Schiavone took this transfixing black-and-white picture of a pair of horses, which gets an honourable mention in the Animals category
This eye-catching shot of a trio of elephants in Kenya’s Kajiado County, which gets an honourable mention in the Animals category, is the work of Chinese photographer Bo Meng
Light breaks through the clouds over a mountain landscape in this beautiful shot by Chinese photographer Jianming Yu, which gets an honourable mention in the Landscape category
This beautifully-composed shot shows a farm near the Dutch village of Thesinge in the early morning. Captured by photographer Ton Ensing on an iPhone 12 Pro, it takes the top prize in the Landscape category
U.S photographer Chang Sun snared this wonderful shot, which gets an honourable mention in the Travel category
U.S photographer Kyle Rehn snared this impressive shot of Sunnylvsfjorden fjord in Norway, which gets an honourable mention in the Landscape category
Italian photographer Giovanni Casini took this enchanting woodland picture, which gets an honourable mention in the Landscape category
LEFT: Australian photographer Anthony Ginns took this dramatic shot of Trentham Falls in Australia’s Coliban River Scenic Reserve, which gets an honourable mention in the Landscape category. RIGHT: This striking mountainscape is the work of photographer Annemarie Jung from Luxembourg. It gets an honourable mention in the Landscape category
This vibrant picture – which gets an honourable mention in the Landscape category – shows the sun setting over the island of Gran Canaria in Spain’s Canary Islands. To the left of the frame, the silhouette of the Roque Nublo volcanic rock formation can be seen, British photographer Barry Mayes reveals
LEFT: This captivating aerial picture shows a traditional soy sauce factory in Vietnam’s Hung Yen Province. It was shot on the iPhone 12 Pro Max by German photographer Thea Mihu, who takes first place in the ‘Photographer of the Year Award’ category. RIGHT: Behold, the picture that has earned Ivan Silva the grand prize in the contest. The beautifully composed shot shows a boy in a Lionel Messi football shirt atop a vehicle in Mexico’s Arandas region