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Aap Magazine #53: Travels — 25 Award-Winning Photo Stories From Around The World
Travel photography isn’t just about places—it’s about stories, people, rituals, and fleeting moments that reveal how deeply connected our world really is. AAP Magazine has just announced the 25 winners of AAP Magazine #53: Travels, and the results offer a powerful reminder of why photography remains one of the most compelling ways to explore the human experience.
This international competition drew thousands of submissions from photographers around the globe, each offering a personal interpretation of travel—far beyond postcards and clichés. The winning projects transport viewers into lived realities: sacred ceremonies, remote communities, everyday work, childhood memories, and fragile traditions shaped by time, belief, and environment.
The top prize was awarded to Andrea Bettancini (Italy) for The Background Noise, a striking series that captures the quiet tension between presence and place.
Second Place went to Callie Eh (Malaysia) for A Journey of Heart and Heritage, an intimate exploration of identity and belonging.
Third Place was awarded to Andrea Peruzzi (Italy) for Devotion in Mazar-I Sharif, a deeply moving look at faith and ritual in Afghanistan.
The remaining 22 Merit Award winners complete a remarkably diverse and global lineup, featuring photographers from 13 countries across four continents—with 12 women among the 25 winners, reflecting the evolving voices shaping contemporary photography today.
The Merit Award winners are:
Artem Postelnikov (Ukraine), Kristyn Taylor (Australia), Andrea Torrei (Italy), Guillaume Petermann (France), Somenath Mukhopadhyay (India), Indranil Sengupta (India), Vitaly Golovatyuk (Russia), Thibault Gerbaldi (France/United States), Fiorella Baldisserri (Italy), Brigitte Bourger (France), Lise Leino (Finland/United Kingdom), Ryan Kost (United States), Prescott Lassman (United States), Mogli Maureal (Philippines/United States), Costanza Rossi (Italy), Carole Mills Noronha (Australia), Orna Naor (Israel), TJ Vissing (United States), Emilie Favier (France), Mariqua Poquet (France), Sanghamitra Sarkar (India), and Laura Jean Zito (Ireland).
From ancestral rituals in Ethiopia and Borneo, to disappearing ways of life in Papua New Guinea and the Amazon, and deeply personal narratives of migration, labor, and childhood, these series form a layered portrait of a world in constant motion—yet deeply rooted in tradition.
The top three winners each receive a $1,000 cash prize, and all 25 winning photographers are featured in the All About Photo Winners Gallery and published in the printed edition of AAP Magazine #53: Travels.
More than a competition, this issue is a celebration of curiosity, respect, and storytelling—proof that travel photography, at its best, doesn’t just show us where people live, but how they live, remember, and belong.
More info: all-about-photo.com
RELATED:
Maidan from the series ‘The Background Noise’ © Andrea Bettancini
The Art of Beshik from the series ‘A Journey of Heart and Heritage’ © Callie Eh
The Guardian from the series ‘Devotion in Mazar-I Sharif’ © Andrea Peruzzi
Heart of the Highlands from the series ‘Iceland from above’ © Artem Postelnikov
Dassanech woman with new life from the series ‘Tarly Morning Coffee with the Dassanech’ © Kristyn Taylor
Between Departures from the series ‘The Distance of Light’ © Andrea Torrei
Bird people © Guillaume Petermann
Colour Spread from the series ‘Aroma Story’ © Somenath Mukhopadhyay
Make Up from the series ‘Bohurupi’ © Indranil Sengupta
Shanghai Tang © Vitaly Golovatyuk
Guardians of the Forest © Thibault Gerbaldi
Marriage from the series ‘River Nile’ © Fiorella Baldisserri
Crossroads V © Brigitte Bourger
The Widow © Lise Leino
Camp Kitchen © Ryan Kost
Outside the Weaving Cooperative from the series ‘The Road to Machu Picchu’ © Prescott Lassman
Don Mario from the series ‘Life in Viñales’ © Mogli Maureal
The new elders from the series ‘The Fathers of the Rite’ © Costanza Rossi
Portrait of Natata from the series ‘Level 5, Kenya’ © Carole Mills Noronha
Gypsy Village, Romania © Orna Naor
Illimani from the Sky from the series ‘Bolivia at 12,000 feet and above’ ©TJ Vissing
Legacy Light © Emilie Favier
A Boy From The Valley from the series ‘Where the mountains remember’ © Marika Poquet
Bajao boys in Mangrove forest © Sanghamitra Sarkar
Give Me Shelter from the series ‘Going Bedouin’ © Laura Jean Zito
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