We Challenged Photographers To Show Us What Love Is And Here Are The 30 Finalists

@caokynhan (Vietnam)
Location: Phu Yen province, Vietnam
"I took this picture when I saw my father showering my mother. It was their very emotional moment. My mother had a stroke and hemiplegia so she couldn't take care of herself. My father is the one who takes care of my mother every day. If I win, I will give the $1,000 prize to my parents."

@adeelchishti (Pakistan)
Location: Kasur City Punjab, Pakistan
"Sisterhood at its fullest: the pure essence of love between 3 sisters. The elder ones take great responsibility and pride in educating the youngsters."

@pranab_basak (India)
Location: Majhdia, West Bengal, India
"During the summer storm season in the rural area of Bengal, parakeet nests often get destroyed. This parakeet baby bird got rescued by this rural kid who takes care of it with so much love and kindness."

@a.rosenthal (Germany)
Location: Cologne Zoo, Germany
"It was a very moving scene for me. The mother kept drawing the infant close to herself, taking care of it with all her love. The little one was very playful and just like us, humans, it tried to free itself from the clasp of its mother again and again to explore the world alone. I am convinced of this monkey mother's deep love for her child. Just as I love my child, she loves hers. For me, there is no greater feeling, no more beautiful and pure way to love than that of the parents to their children."

@Mondscheinfotografie (Germany)
Location: Düsseldorf, Germany
"My two Australian shepherds happily struck the pose for me! These two are best friends who always go paw-in-paw."

by @eightman (Ghana)
Location: Aburi Garden, Ghana
"I sat down for hours just trying to write down how it feels to spend those happy moments and days with someone you love, it turns out to be much difficult than I easily do when I capture them in pictures. But the question is, "How often do you find a person that admires you for who you are, puts up with you every single time and still say they love you at the end of the day, strives to make you smile to whom your happiness matters, never makes you feel like an option but a decision"? I really don't know how often you find someone like that, all I know is when you have that someone, make every effort to keep them. I had to stand up on a chair and shoot the photo from above without knowing if I captured it well or not. All I knew is I had the vision, and expected it to look that way. And it did."

@kallayan (Bangladesh)
Location: Khulna, Bangladesh

@myatzawhein (Myanmar)
Location: Kyaukse Township, Myanmar
"When I visited the primary school, I saw these two school girls laughing and having a sweet friendship moment. Feeling the love from a friend is very important at this age."

@georock888 (Indonesia)
Location: Samosir Island, North Sumatera, Indonesia
"I visited the area which is quite famous for its Ulos handwoven textile fabrics. The craftswoman's grandson hugged her from behind, and she welcomed him with a happy smile. This is what true love looks to me."

@jayeshvijuda (India)
Location: Chhotaudaipur, India
"It started raining as I was heading home, at that moment I spotted a mother and her child trying to stay dry under a plastic blanket. They warmed my heart!"

@asmodalemdedy (Indonesia)
Location: Klaten, Central Java, Indonesia
"I was lucky enough to photograph my cousin's wedding. The way they were looking at each other was very moving, I'm glad I captured this moment on camera."

@alexclifford (UK)
Location: Jersey, UK

@nyinchan212 (Myanmar)
Location: Inle Lake, Myanmar
"I was visiting the monastery nearby when we stumbled upon the cutest stray kitten. My cat-lover girlfriend couldn't resist but adopting it and bringing it back home with us!"

@fdilekuyar (Turkey)
Location: KahramanMaraş, Turkey
"When you love someone, you get rid of all the chaos that surrounds you and focus only on that special feeling. Time stops and everything else loses its importance. It was so hard to take this photo because goats don't really abide by photographers when it comes to striking a pose."

@jordisark (Spain)
Location: Barcelona, Spain

@AsimIjaz (Pakistan)
Location: Gujrat, Pakistan
"The little angel was seeing her aunty for the first time in months. I just came out of my car and heard her shouting for her aunty, then she just ran towards her for hugs and kisses. It was a magical moment of pure love. Aunties have a very special place in the kids' hearts."

@dikyedarling (Indonesia)
Location: Jakarta, Indonesia
"It is true what they say: love is all around us!"

by @damiane (Georgia)
Location: Tbilisi, Georgia

@barcerumbaku (Indonesia)
Location: Sentani, Papua, Indonesia

@bzhyoann (France)
Location: Saulce-sur-Rhône, France

@jevgenij (Russia)
Location: Riga, Latvia
"Mother love is the strongest link that brings humans together. Here are my wife and newborn son enjoying the love they have for each other."

@huydangpham (Vietnam)
Location: Kon Tum Province, Vietnam
"This was just shortly after bathtime, I was very moved by the way they were staring at each other. If I get to win the $1,000, I will use it to fund a photo book project about ethnic groups in Vietnam so that future generations shall never forget about traditions."

@pejuang_keluarga (Indonesia)
Location: Kendari, Indonesia
"This single mom sells bananas at the local market to provide for her kids. It must be quite hard to take care of children while working at the same time, but she does it with a lot of love and patience."

@anskar (Germany)
Location: Namibia
"Two Brown fur seals "kissing" in a crowd of even more seals. There are up to hundreds of thousand seals in this area which of course comes with a certain smell and noise!"

@ksenia_zaiets (Portugal)
Location: Peniche, Portugal
"If the photo could emit sounds, then one could hear how the seagulls screamed beautifully on the ocean and with a crash, the waves broke on the shore. This photo shows how strong love can be between two people. Despite the fact that there is a storm, one thing remains unchanged - lovers hold each other tightly by the hand. Love always wins. "

@bigbounyalith
Location: Sydney, Australia

@cvnsky (Netherlands)
Location: Wijk bin Duurstede, Netherlands

@photolivestudio (France)
Location: Nice, France
"Two lovers enjoying the view from the blue chairs located in Nice's world-famous avenue 'Promenade des Anglais'. If I win the contest, I will get a surprise gift for my wife to celebrate our 20 years of love later this month!"

@pinapli (Spain)
Location: Bali, Indonesia
"Love is all about enjoying your surroundings with the person you care about. "

@andylam (Vietnam)
Location: Tay Ninh City, Vietnam
"On the first day of Lunar New Year 2020, I was going around my neighborhood with my beloved camera to capture some special moments when I spotted this beautiful couple. The emotion I want to transmit in this photo is the beauty of teenage love: when you fall in love for the first time and feel this special vibration in your heart. This feeling is some of the most beautiful in our entire lives, that we will never forget. We should love more every day to make our lives happier and meaningful."

@bobinardi (Indonesia)
Location: Labuan Bajo, Indonesia
"Labuan Bajo is a small village in Eastern Indonesia where most of its residents get their income from fishing. In this photo, the mother was telling traditional tales to her kids."

by @rynessa (Paraguay)
Location: Fresno, USA
"I was working in a ranch to take pictures of my client's horses. His grandchildren were very curious about photography. They were spending all their time together, but as brothers, they also fought and hugged each other. The way they expressed their love for each other was so pure and innocent. If I win, I would split the $1,000 prize with these two and use my part to pay for my school tuition."

@evablanco (Spain)
Location: Madrid, Spain
"Here's a friend of mine, Alba and her beautiful golden retriever dog. A dog is part of the family, and everyone who has a pet knows this feeling."

@oscar_penelo (Spain)
Location: La Fageda d'en Jordà, Spain

@tatyanarafaello (Russia)
Location: Irkutsk, Russia

@muhammadjabir (Indonesia)
Location: Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia
"Bali Island is one of the most beautiful places for a holiday. I saw many couples taking romantic selfies in this specific spot in front of my hotel room."

@zebunnisa (Pakistan)
Location: Kasur, Pakistan

@Kirill_golovan (Ukraine)
Location: Kharkiv, Ukraine
"A tribute to Jon Snow and Ygritte, that is what love looks like to me!"

@dominikbrebric (Croatia)
Location: Ugljan, Croatia
"This picture was taken last summer when my girlfriend and I were exploring a beautiful cove on the island of Ugljan with a friend. Through this photo I wanted to transmit the emotion of togetherness even in the depth of the sea, knowing that we are not alone as the red starfish is under us, to tell us that we are also part of this big loveable planet."

@swannlynnhtet (Myanmar)
Location: Ngwe Saung beach, Myanmar

@carl_brightman (UK)
Location: Dorset, UK
"I was positioning my drone and waiting for the light to change when the young couple walked into the shot and stood to face the sea, admiring the view. At first, I was set for a landscape shot, but sometimes the situation or scene changes for the better as does your initial idea. It beautifully shows human emotion and adds scale. I wanted to convey the joy of such a great view and place, being able to share this special moment with a loved one."

@Hedayet1000 (Bangladesh)
Location: Brahmanbaria, Bangladesh
"A Bengali mother is traveling by train with her child. They were enjoying the view from the window with absolute joy, playing and laughing together in their very own bubble."

@leemumford (UK)
Location: Barcelona, Spain
"The famous Bishops Bridge in the Gothic Quarters tends to be used for a variety of photoshoots. I planned this shot a few days prior and my view was to capture locals long shadows as they walked down the alley. After checking the weather and the position of the sun, I jumped at the opportunity when I saw a clear morning. However, my progress was hindered when I arrived to see a couple having a photoshoot under the bridge. Instead of giving up, I took the opportunity to photograph something unique. Luckily the couple didn’t mind at all. Love is all around us if you know where to look!"

@florianbrioude (France)
Location: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

@lucacornago (Italy)
Location: Lake Como, Bugiallo, Italy
"Just my wife and I enjoying a colorful, relaxing sunset. It was a very cold day and there was also a lot of wind. This photo brings back a sweet memory and makes me think of how important love is. I am sure that if you are in love with the right person, life is amazing and you can enjoy even more the world that surrounds you in better ways: I call this magic “Love Eyes”. Love changes how you see the world."

@Ainurcy (Kazakhstan)
Location: Kazakhstan
"Love is like walking a road hand-in-hand with your beloved one! This shot was taken secretly during a travel blogger tour to Eastern Kazakhstan. Simone and Romina, Italian photographers and travel bloggers were posing for another vlogger’s video. I had my camera on hand and couldn’t afford to miss such a shot. No one knew I was taking the picture. I’ve been dreaming about a good full-frame camera since I started my photography journey 5 years ago, the prize would help me to make my dream come true and accelerate my photographer career."

@maky&matt (Czech Republic)
Location: Rome, Italy
"Dance like nobody is watching! Rome can be a pretty busy place, but we managed to get its main tourist attraction just for ourselves simply by getting up early. We got to capture a romantic moment of two of us which we will always remember. Rome is the city of love for us. It´s such a romantic city where you can´t help yourself but dance with your significant other, give them rose and hold their hands."

@thecrowface (Italy)
Location: Venezia, Italy

@tripixel21 (Ghana)
Location: Accra, Ghana

@danflorit (Spain)
Location: Menorca, Spain