50 Award-Winning Photos From The reFocus 2025 Color Photography Contest

Professional - Gold - Nature

Beneath the earth lies a glowing realm, where bioluminescent glow worms create a galaxy-like spectacle. This image captures the awe of exploration, blending the soft glow with the cave’s textures, highlighting nature’s fragile, otherworldly beauty in a moment of quiet wonder.

Non-Professional - Gold - Nature

A thunderstorm formed a supercell, including a small and short tornado, in Texas. The light blue area is where the hail comes out.

Professional - Gold - Underwater

Underwater in French Polynesia, a surfer rides through the barrel of a wave. Nearby, another person floats, watching the moment unfold.

Professional - Gold - Street

Past and present, light and cold shadow, man and woman... One morning, I came to the train station and took this photo shortly before the departure of the retro train.

Professional - Gold - Landscapes

A quiet moment captured in the geothermal area of Kerlingarfjöll, Iceland.

Professional - Gold - Film/Analog

Seeing Route 66 change from boom to bust, season to year, surviving the loss of the surroundings and the bypass of old routes, The Blue Swallow survives as a living part of history for the nostalgic traveler that seeks the roadside relics that convey America's passing culture.

Non-Professional - Gold - Conceptual

Steps echo. Lights flicker. Two shadows cross paths in silence. Not lost—just in limbo. Between the glow and the void, something pulses.

Professional - Gold - Wildlife

This is my only capture of this adult Australian fur seal. The pups were curious and playful, and this fella would float in the distance, ignoring us. A younger seal was chasing and nibbling him, and that interaction sent him charging in my direction. Unveiling this remarkable, dynamic encounter.

Professional - Gold - Travel

Gliding through a cathedral of ice, this moment in the Arctic feels suspended in time. But beneath the stillness lies urgency—these ancient giants, reflected in fleeting waters, remind us just how swiftly beauty can disappear.

Non-Professional - Gold - Fine Art & Travel

A celebration of Vietnam’s living traditions—captured from above to reveal the quiet poetry of daily labor. From tea fields to salt flats, each frame honors the hands, heritage, and harmony shaping the soul of a culture through craft.

Professional - Gold - Minimalism

These photographs are part of a series taken in the northern part of the Venice lagoon, where I live. All images are taken with long exposures, sometimes with the tripod directly stuck in the underwater mud. I look forward to the foggy days to isolate the subjects as much as possible.

Non-Professional - Gold - Architecture

The "red staircase" of the Stadtcasino Basel, Switzerland, is a striking architectural feature resulting from the building's extensive renovation by Herzog & de Meuron. This two-storey staircase serves as a functional element, embodying the fusion of neo-baroque and contemporary elements.

Professional - Gold - People

Bangladeshi women contribute to the household economy by working in chile pepper factories during the summer.

Professional - Gold - Abstract

I create visual worlds blending abstraction and nature through fluid forms born from the interaction of water, pigments, and light. In a studio setting, I photograph these dreamlike landscapes, questioning the boundary between the natural and the artificial, the real and the imagined.

Professional - Gold - Domestic Animals

When I saw this church, I knew I had to take photos there. The church has a light channel in front of its entrance. And I was lucky; the model fit perfectly with the stones of the church, and during the shoot, the sun came out and shone directly into her face.

Non-Professional - Gold - Photojournalism

Altadena, CA.

Non-Professional - Gold - Wildlife

Here, I am presenting a portrait of an orangutan with deep, soulful eyes, reflecting both intelligence and sorrow. Their gaze speaks of a quiet plea for survival, haunted by the encroachment of deforestation and habitat loss, a silent struggle for existence and survival in a rapidly changing world.

Non-Professional - Gold - Fine Art & Travel

A celebration of Vietnam’s living traditions—captured from above to reveal the quiet poetry of daily labor. From tea fields to salt flats, each frame honors the hands, heritage, and harmony shaping the soul of a culture through craft.

Non-Professional - Gold - Fine Art & Travel

A celebration of Vietnam’s living traditions—captured from above to reveal the quiet poetry of daily labor. From tea fields to salt flats, each frame honors the hands, heritage, and harmony shaping the soul of a culture through craft.

3rd Place, non-professional category

The mahout and his elephant at Ban Ta Klang village of Surin province, Thailand. The villagers raise elephants like friends. They sleep under the same roof as the owner until the elephants become similar to being a part of the family. This has caused a strong bond between humans and the elephants.

Professional - Gold - Photojournalism

Pakistan is expelling 1,5 million undocumented Afghans, refugees in the country. These women fled Afghanistan when the Taliban took over, but now they are being forced back to their country, registering at the border with Taliban authorities.

Non-Professional - Gold - Underwater

Basket stars are without a doubt my favourite subject matter to photograph while diving in Cape Town. Their delicate tendrils and intricate patterns, coupled with their tendency to perch on red fans and sponges, make for some truly striking images.

Non-Professional - Gold - Still Life

“Chiaroscuro” is a meditation on the nature of cycles. The cycle of the sun through the windows of my home studio and the objects I choose explore the qualities of light and the ephemeral nature of living things in their passage from freshness to fading, remnants and regeneration.

Non-Professional - Gold - Still Life

“Chiaroscuro” is a meditation on the nature of cycles. The cycle of the sun through the windows of my home studio and the objects I choose explore the qualities of light and the ephemeral nature of living things in their passage from freshness to fading, remnants and regeneration.

Non-Professional - Gold - Still Life

“Chiaroscuro” is a meditation on the nature of cycles. The cycle of the sun through the windows of my home studio and the objects I choose explore the qualities of light and the ephemeral nature of living things in their passage from freshness to fading, remnants and regeneration.

Professional - Gold - Minimalism

These photographs are part of a series taken in the northern part of the Venice lagoon, where I live. All images are taken with long exposures, sometimes with the tripod directly stuck in the underwater mud. I look forward to the foggy days to isolate the subjects as much as possible.

Professional - Gold - Minimalism

These photographs are part of a series taken in the northern part of the Venice lagoon, where I live. All images are taken with long exposures, sometimes with the tripod directly stuck in the underwater mud. I look forward to the foggy days to isolate the subjects as much as possible.

Professional - Gold - Still Life

Rose Couture celebrates the elegance of aging. Dried roses, with petals curled into rich folds, resemble elaborate gowns. Their colors—deep magenta, blush, ochre, seafoam—reveal unexpected beauty. This series honors grace, resilience, and color in transformation.

Non-Professional - Gold - Aerial

Basketball court with a tree in the middle. Urban park, Kharkiv, Ukraine.

Non-Professional - Gold - Abstract

Non-Professional - Gold - Film/Analog

One of my first photographs taken as a double exposure on my Rolleiflex 2.8f, shot in 2017.

Non-Professional - Gold - Fashion & Beauty

A touch of vintage, a hint of mystery. Lost in time, waiting for a call that may never come. Retro glam meets cinematic mood—where every detail tells a story.

Non-Professional - Gold - Still Life

“Chiaroscuro” is a meditation on the nature of cycles. The cycle of the sun through the windows of my home studio and the objects I choose explore the qualities of light and the ephemeral nature of living things in their passage from freshness to fading, remnants and regeneration.

Non-Professional - Gold - Underwater

Basket stars are without a doubt my favourite subject matter to photograph while diving in Cape Town. Their delicate tendrils and intricate patterns, coupled with their tendency to perch on red fans and sponges, make for some truly striking images.

Non-Professional - Gold - Still Life

“Chiaroscuro” is a meditation on the nature of cycles. The cycle of the sun through the windows of my home studio and the objects I choose explore the qualities of light and the ephemeral nature of living things in their passage from freshness to fading, remnants and regeneration.

Professional - Gold - Portrait

Professional - Gold - Fashion & Beauty

The suit is tailored to give the figure a sculptural sharpness and add an air of mystery to the image. The background is flooded with a vast, almost bleached sun or diffuse light, making the model’s silhouette appear strikingly graphic and high-contrast against the gentle outlines of the mountains.

Non-Professional - Gold - Street

Waiting for a train, I noticed that the opposite platform looked like a theatre stage with all the commuters having arranged themselves perfectly for a brief moment, and I quickly took the shot. In the glass door, you can even see my reflection taking the photo.

This image was shot during a spectacular show by 'Come Together' (a collective of the finest NZ artists) of Led Zep IV. I used my ultrawide non-fisheye lens to capture the band, crowd and venue. The venue is a building that has been rebuilt following the Christchurch earthquakes of 2010 & 2011.

3rd Place, non-professional category

The mahout and his elephant at Ban Ta Klang village of Surin province, Thailand. The villagers raise elephants like friends. They sleep under the same roof as the owner until the elephants become similar to being a part of the family. This has caused a strong bond between humans and the elephants.

Non-Professional - Gold - Fine Art & Travel

A celebration of Vietnam’s living traditions—captured from above to reveal the quiet poetry of daily labor. From tea fields to salt flats, each frame honors the hands, heritage, and harmony shaping the soul of a culture through craft.

Non-Professional - Gold - Fine Art & Travel

A celebration of Vietnam’s living traditions—captured from above to reveal the quiet poetry of daily labor. From tea fields to salt flats, each frame honors the hands, heritage, and harmony shaping the soul of a culture through craft.

Professional - Gold - Portrait

This photo shows four women across three generations wearing a pink niqab. By replacing black with soft pink, the niqab sheds its oppressive image, symbolizing femininity and tenderness. The work challenges stereotypes, humanizes the garment, and sparks dialogue on cultural diversity and symbolism.

Non-Professional - Gold - Underwater

Basket stars are without a doubt my favourite subject matter to photograph while diving in Cape Town. Their delicate tendrils and intricate patterns, coupled with their tendency to perch on red fans and sponges, make for some truly striking images.

Non-Professional - Gold - Underwater

Basket stars are without a doubt my favourite subject matter to photograph while diving in Cape Town. Their delicate tendrils and intricate patterns, coupled with their tendency to perch on red fans and sponges, make for some truly striking images.

Non-Professional - Gold - Minimalism

Non-Professional - Gold - Underwater

Basket stars are without a doubt my favourite subject matter to photograph while diving in Cape Town. Their delicate tendrils and intricate patterns, coupled with their tendency to perch on red fans and sponges, make for some truly striking images.

3rd Place, non-professional category

The mahout and his elephant at Ban Ta Klang village of Surin province, Thailand. The villagers raise elephants like friends. They sleep under the same roof as the owner until the elephants become similar to being a part of the family. This has caused a strong bond between humans and the elephants.

Professional - Gold - Conceptual

A woman is not decoration. A woman is not a shadow. A woman is not a ghost through which one can see the environment. She should not hide in the walls of buildings.

3rd Place, non-professional category

The mahout and his elephant at Ban Ta Klang village of Surin province, Thailand. The villagers raise elephants like friends. They sleep under the same roof as the owner until the elephants become similar to being a part of the family. This has caused a strong bond between humans and the elephants.

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