30 Incredible Photos That Won The International Photography Awards 2020

“Often it’s the deepest pain which empowers you to grow into your highest self.”—Karen Salmansohn, like the Phoenix bird, she is born again by arising from the ashes. Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars.

I love to represent the dog as a superhero in my action shots. This dog and its owner were practicing disc dog in the water. It's very difficult to do such amazing performances in these conditions since the water breaks every movement. It was sunrise and I love the colors. The position of the girl is really focused on her dog and the launch of the disc was perfect. It's a shot you can't repeat more than one or two times since after that the dog needs to rest. The dog remains the main subject and his position in the air is perfect and extended with the maximum tension of muscles.

The magical aurora exploded over and over again in the most beautiful fishing village in Norway at clear and cloudless midnight. Watching this astonishing scenery in this quiet small town, my heart followed with visual impacts accompanied by aurora expositions, full of shock and moved. All the previous hard work was left behind at this moment.

Two of my dogs (Border Collies) that teach me every day how to be happy with easy things like running. To take this photo I made them run together starting at a different point so that the faster one could reach the slower one exactly on the log. It's one shot that required a lot of preparation to understand their behavior running side by side. It's amazing to see how they compete with each other and at the same time play like best friends ever.

The urban poor in Accra risk injury and drowning to swim in the Korle Lagoon to recover recyclable plastics that flow into the heavily polluted water from the city's waterways during rainfall events. They sell the plastic for pennies, which they depend on for sustenance. Scavengers and waste pickers are major stakeholders in the informal plastic recovery industry worldwide. Yet their role is not recognized and appreciated. They make significant economic and environmental contributions by helping to reduce waste, cost of cleanups, and supply secondary materials to industries.

What an incredible experience! Descending into this Ice Cave below Vantnajokull Glacier in Iceland was like entering a fairy tale. As the sun set for the day it lit up the ice walls, bringing the cave to life! Since capturing this photo the cave has now completely melted. How incredibly blessed I was to visit and capture it!

This photograph is my tribute to Geoffrey Lowa. He was a friend that I never met in person. He was planning to be my host, driver, and my photo model for a hybrid solar eclipse in Kenya on 3 November 2013. On 8 October 2013, he sent me his last message via Facebook: "Turkana should be blessed... it`s the cradle of mankind... and now we have a hybrid solar eclipse...". Sadly he was killed just one week before I arrived. His friend Peter Nakua who has tried to save his life is standing on a hill for 11 seconds of totality. The life of a human being is fragile and on an astronomical scale to shot.

On January 2019 Canberra had one of the most spectacular lightning storms ever. It passed the city from West to East over the black mountains and continued towards Brindabella mountains.

There are only an estimated 24 super tusk elephants left on Earth. These giants appear pulled from the pages of a bygone era, nearly out of place in today’s day and age. That they still roam the Earth after all this time is nothing short of miraculous since the market for their ivory has pushed them to the brink of extinction. With tusks weighing 100 pounds each or grazing the ground, these elephants are one of the most incredible sights on Earth. Within the animal kingdom, they are also important keepers of knowledge necessary for the development of future generations of tuskers.

I’ve had this vision for many years before it came into life. Then finally, while we were traveling across Thailand, I managed to convince my wife and my muse to perform this jump from the edge of a swimming pool. She said spontaneously: “OK, I’ll do it, but just once!“. I didn’t have my professional camera with me but was determined to go with the flow. Therefore I borrowed… an iPhone from a friend and realized my vision, captured in just one take, without any repetitions.

Taken in Hokkaido, Japan. The divine light was shining on the trees in the snowy field.

Macro photography allows you to see amazing portraits of these insects, damselflies, wasps, spiders, horse flies.

The UN left and the police stations crumbled into ruin. The gangs declared war and the people..they die in the midst of their relentless shoot-outs. The sound of gunfire had become a cruel melody in their ears. Last three years, a small voice in my heart grew louder and wilder: 'Can we talk about hope here?' That is when I heard the gentle whisper, a quiet but sweet melody. It was a melody that resonated through the impenetrable darkness—sound of children calling out for another day, that there will be a better tomorrow. For me, it was indeed a melody of hope.

Miles from the main roads in rural Uganda, soccer balls bounce unevenly. Playing fields are arid, lush, weedy, sandy—any flattish space will do. Some feet are bare, others shod in fraying sneakers, boots, or rubber sandals. Yet children kick and chase handmade, lopsided balls with skill and abandon, competing for pride and joy—for the sheer pleasure of playing. The balls are spun into being with whatever’s at hand: rag or sock, tire or bark, plastic bag, or banana leaves. Made entirely of recuperated materials, they give another life to something that would otherwise just be thrown away.

In the eyes of the Oriental people, the father is a solemn figure. It's only on the wedding day of the daughter, you can see his tender love for his kids.

A father's hand giving support, a mother's hand guiding her baby, a sister's hand welcoming her newborn brother, and a baby's hand reaching for life.

Lake Baikal is the largest source of fresh water on the planet, accounting for 23% of all Earth's freshwater. It freezes in the winter creating a winter wonderland but also provides an important road system that connects communities. The small trees and branches are 'planted' in the ice by locals acting as Beacons that grant travelers safe passage across the lake. They are an important part of connecting communities from one side of the lake to the other.

The Blue Insularis is an endangered, venomous pit viper subspecies indigenous in Indonesia. This is a shot taken of two intertwined Blue Insularis, with one of them making a meal out of a frog.

For centuries, Eagle Hunters have used golden eagles to hunt prey during the bleak winter months, an extraordinary example of a relationship between humans and semi-wild animals. There are an estimated 250 eagle hunters in Bayan-Ölgii, which is located in the Altai Mountains of western Mongolian. They maintained ancient practice of hunting with golden eagles on horseback, and they primarily hunt red foxes and corsac foxes. Present Kazakh eagle hunters are old and grow weaker due to the unforgiving winters, and thus the traditional berkutchi is becoming a dying breed.

On June 9th 2019, an estimated one million people took to the streets of Hong Kong to march in protest to the government’s proposed Extradition Bill, allowing citizens to be extradited to mainland China for prosecution. Since that day, Hong Kong has been plunged into a political crisis, with waves of demonstrations and violent clashes between Police and protestors with an alarming rise in the number of police brutality and misconduct allegations, as protests morphed into a wider call for democratic rights and freedom in the semi-autonomous city.

Irish Traveller children and their families are historically nomadic and have long been marginalized. They have lived in Ireland for hundreds of years, number about 40,000 in the whole of Ireland, and are separately ethnically from Romani and Gypsies. A law was passed about 15 years ago that forbids them from continually moving. They attend school with the Settled Irish, but generally, drop out by the age of 12-14. They are predominantly Roman Catholic with most marrying around the age of 18. Travelers often have large families and live in roadside camps or halting sites.

In this project, I would like to compose musical scores with images while attempting to capture the time and movement of soccer playground audiences. The stand is a five-line staff and the people are musical notes. While people in the stand are resting, chatting, eating, or watching a soccer game, they are inadvertently composed into a city musical.

Placing individuals & objects where they don’t seem to belong, Astrid explores the relationship between humans & nature. She travels to distant landscapes to explore her connection to nature & the influence it has on her sense of identity. A character arises that wants to connect to her surroundings, but can feel out of place. She can be humble & anonymous, yet have an iconic appearance. It shows a struggle with a modern background & her place in the natural world. Her images can be seen as emotional translations where an urge to control is challenged by the desire for synergy.

Currently, only about forty Dukha families, engaged in reindeer husbandry, survive. Rising temperatures, due to climate change, and the conservation laws of the Mongolian government to preserve the Taiga from the ecological impact that the Dukha pose on their territory, threaten their traditional way of life. The worldwide struggle between the use of environmental resources and their sustainability is dramatically palpable in this remote place where the Dukha people lose the battle and fear for their survival.

Bubble coral shrimp in the bubbles. Also called Crustaceans, Carid Shrimps, Commensal Shrimps, Bubble Anemone Shrimp, Philippine Shrimp, Anemone Shrimp.

Shinjuku is a major commercial and administrative centre with lots of people. Shot looking down from the movie theatre area of Shinjuku. It was a very busy scene and I made it feel even busier by multiple exposing the image five times. Changing the camera angle between each frame as I went. What makes this image special to me was that in the first frame the sign on the left towards the bottom of the frame was lit, then it changed to dark tones. This gave a place where the eye could rest. I also like the abstract shape that can be found in the high tones that travel down the street.

These images are the first in the series Ampie Vedute, an ongoing project studying the expansive views and architecture of Canale Della Giudecca in Venice, Italy. The body of water offers sweeping views of the diverse architectural styles that span centuries, which in their design have sympathetically retained the aesthetics of this unique city. Inspired by the ethos upon which Venice was built and the muted colors introduced during the Renaissance period, Ampie Vedute explores a minimalistic view of a classic setting, unveiling the intricacies and tones found in the architecture.

Once home to an array of wildlife and plants, the San Francisco Bay Area salt ponds are now a world of blazing colors and patterns when viewed from above. Their dark past connected to the manufacture of napalm is part of the complicated story of a thriving land in transition—a healing landscape that unites many worlds as one.

The Maldivian landscapes are incredible, and for the first time, we could manage to have a skydiving event in one of the most beautiful islands. For these photographs, Kooddoo Island is our background. The Maldivian blue and greenish water is well known, which makes unique photographs. The parachute and the skydivers are an integral part of these photographs. Also, it explains the reason why we were there. The island, water, resort, bungalows, and nature create the perfect scenario for one of the most iconic aerial/skydiving photoshoots in the Maldives until today.

This is the highest peak, 7756m, and named Gongar Mountain, in Sichuan. I caught this image on Lenga lake which has an altitude of 4700m. After rest, I scrambled out of the tent into this foggy area under the trance of Altitude Sickness to wait for a clear sky. When the peak resurfaced from the sea of clouds, the moon rose from behind the peak, the sky became red slowly.

Since 2008 I'm traveling around the world, looking for inspiration, for new views. It's very hard to create something unique in the infinite world of photography, there are many talents that emerge every day; that's why I chose to customize my landscape vision with Extreme Panoramic Photography, I capture the world all around me, with fields of view like 180, 270 and 360 degrees.

By arranging flowers by themselves in the relationship of relative yin and yang, such as natural objects and man-made objects, buds and blooms, and the front and back sides of leaves, they create an “empty" space (a space in which beauty is born). There is the phrase "a lotus in the mud", which gives us the power to live purely in this time when the harmony of nature is being achieved.

This photo was taken in Spain. The City of Arts and is a cultural and architectural complex in the city of Valencia. Designed by Calatrava. It is an amazing place for all architecture.

The Man Who Sold the Word is a short, punchy, and forearm burning overhanging sport climb with hair-raising exposure below. As the day rounded to a close, smoke from nearby back-burning drifts past in the background, catching the fading light.

Sonar Para village children are playing Football in twilight time at one of the world's longest sea beach Cox`s Bazar, Bangladesh.

Ping Pong or Table Tennis is my favorite Sport. When I was young I used to be a Ping Pong player in my home town club. So when the idea came up, I straight away starting the project! This Picture Series is about the daily activities of Ping Pong Players in a Club. I purposely made a different & unique Cyber looks concept, representing my Signature Style!

Just after the Civil War, one in four cowboys were African American, yet this population was drastically underrepresented in popular accounts. And it is still. The cowboy identity retains a strong presence in many contemporary black communities. "Delta Hill Riders" highlights a subculture of riders showing love for their horses and fellow cowboys, while passing down generational traditions in rural Mississippi. Ultimately, the project presses against old archetypes — who could and could not be a cowboy, and what it means to be black in Mississippi — while uplifting the subjects' voices.

Some of the very creative architecture forms, taken in Kuwait city and Dubai, the lines have been distorted and the second building has been mirrored to a more dramatic look.

Barcelona.

Shot on location in the winter months of Lake Baikal, Eastern Russia This campaign was shot in collaboration with two brands: Delma Watches and Poseidon Diving Systems, and featured the passionate divers from the dive club DC_Sval, who haven't missed a Saturday dive no matter how freezing the conditions become. My goal was to showcase the resilience and performance of the equipment and divers in the most challenging of situations, highlighting adventure divers who find enjoyment in testing their limits and finding enjoyment in the harshest of environments. Bringing to life a different world

A series I have been working on a shot with a DJI Mavic 2 Pro drone that portrays common sports playing surfaces in a new light. Incorporating a graphic influence and prioritizing linear yet unique compositions.

One of these very troubling shootings, with a kind of a big mess around. The parents prayed for just one pic and then there was this 1/160 of a second, after hours of organizing, running around, and still motivating and enjoying... The parents were crying for joy after all.

Timothy Morton's thinks of climate change as a "hyper object" - an incomprehensibly large object stretched in space-time. Recognizable only in parts, but never all at once. Microplastics are barely noticeable particles, but at the same time omnipresent in the ocean. I imagined them as synthetic plankton of all conceivable colors, invisibly wandering from one place to another. I have spent a great deal of time by the sea, so it was easier for me to see that the white ridges of waves create boundless white-gray paper in space and time. I only needed to fill it with light to reveal the invisible.

Looking Out from Within, 2020 Covid-19 came. Life changed. Probably irrevocably. I felt numb. Couldn’t stand around helpless. I decided to document the new daily existence of millions. I advertised my idea on social media and through my local paper in West London. The response was enormous. Imprisoned in their home, they gaze forlornly out of their window onto a different desolate world outside.

In Senegal, 95 percent of the population adheres to Islam and most of them commit themselves to Sufism. The West African country is regarded as an anchor of stability, it has never experienced an attack in the age of international terror - in contrast to its neighboring countries. This has much to do with the role of the Sufi brotherhoods. This photo story captures various aspects and examples that show how the Sufi Brotherhoods, with their liberal and tolerant interpretation of the Koran, unite Senegal's heterogeneous society and rely on cohesion rather than a division to maintain their power.

All shot as part of Evening Standard Magazine's 'The Most Wanted' series, where I am asked to come up with stand-out imagery to promote individual designer pieces. Each shot is created within very tight timeframes and within tightening budgets, as such I try to stick to bold palettes and adding a conceptual interest that grabs the attention of the viewer, elevating the product from purely 'fashionable' to an aspirational chic.

It is an evening shoot in the forest. I can see nothing from the camera so everything is just from the estimate judge. I use two Profoto B1 flashes. I was lying on the ground and shot up at this exact moment.

The Upper East Side of Manhattan is considered New York City’s most affluent neighborhood. White-glove buildings, designer boutiques, Museum Mile, and ladies who lunch are some of the images associated with UES. The area covers 59th to 96th street from the East River to Central Park cut by avenues such as Park and Fifth. Most people have lived here for years and would not dream of leaving. When asked how they wanted to be photographed, the responses were astonishing: naked, dressed like a maharaja, in bed, etc. This series depicts a microcosm of life on the Upper East Side in NY City.

Joshua Rashaad McFadden documents the social unrest following the police murders of unarmed Black men in the United States. The enclosed images are samples of the photographic series, shedding light on both citizens and events taking place during heated protests in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and Atlanta, Georgia. The simultaneous threat of the global pandemic creates a genre of demonstrations unlike any other in history.

In her youth, Judith Minks worked every summer vacation as a chambermaid at Hotel de Wadden on Vlieland. Every day she saw the traces of lives that had taken place within the four walls for a short time. She wrote the stories about those lives in her head and then forgot about them. Until these memories came back after several hotel visits related to her work. She recreated a hotel room in her studio in Harlingen. Bed and bedside tables; etc. She fitted everything. And then she let her imagination play with her memories and staged the hotel scenes that she dreamed of in her childhood on Vlieland

A story of how a usual building construction has turned into a theater, the workers into the actors, and the construction field into performance. I sadly watched the construction of the house, which turned around in front of my windows. But gradually the regret turned into interest! And I began to draw a parallel between the construction and the theater. The whole theatrical performance began to take place with interesting decorations, various lighting, colors, and restless actors. This story once again showed me that our beliefs work for us. Positive things can be found everywhere!

It was launched on October 9th, 2019. As ‘Operation Peace Spring’ and with the goal to create a 50 km. deep safe zone in North-East Syria between Turkey and the Kurdish self-autonomous region of Rojava. With the abandonment of the American forces and the apathy of the West, Turkey’s incursion instead left a belt of destruction, devastation, and death. In two weeks more than 100.000 had fled homes and villages, soldiers and civilians become victims of claimed white phosphorous attacks while ISIS-prisoners escaped captivity and left the region once again unstable and in uncertainty.

This January 15th, five-thousand Honduran immigrants departed from San Pedro Sula and began their journey towards the U.S.A to escape mass poverty and violence. Over the past couple of years, the Mexican and American governments have worked in tandem to deal with these migrants in the most inhumane ways imaginable. Nowhere is this more evident than in the tribulations Honduran refugees faced this winter. When the migrants arrived at the border of Guatemala and Mexico, military forces gassed and pepper-sprayed hundreds of these children and refugees, forced them onto buses to deport them.

Food engineers in the Netherlands are experimenting with a way to feed more people using less land, by growing crops indoors. LED-lit greenhouses provide growing conditions for plants like around the clock and in every kind of weather. The Dutch have created the most advanced area in the world for controlled environment agriculture and have become world leaders in agricultural innovation. However, there are also consequences this growing method brings with it, like light pollution or growing crops out of season and ship them around the world, so people can eat strawberries year-round.

I was invited to conceptualized, art direct, and photographed a series of Singapore iconic dishes that were made by a relevant sauce or paste produced by Thai Sing Foodstuffs Industry, a culinary solutions provider specializing in sauces and pastes. Concept, Art Direct & Photographed by Bene Tan Food Styling by Jazreel Chan & Abigail Moi Prop Master: Ada Wong