The Best Pictures Of 2021 Siena International Photo Awards Have Been Announced, And They’re Truly Powerful

"This little boy’s father Munzir lost his right leg when a bomb was dropped as he walked through a bazaar in Idlib, Syria. His son Mustafa was born without lower or upper limbs due to tetra-amelia, a congenital disorder caused by the medications his mother Zeynep had to take after being sickened by nerve gas released during the war in Syria. Mustafa will need special electronic prostheses in the future which, unfortunately, are not yet available in Turkey."

"A mountain path in the middle of a forest is illuminated by a multitude of 'sparkling' fireflies that give the landscape a fairy-tale atmosphere. Their bioluminescence is part of the mating ritual, at the end of which the eggs are laid. Unfortunately, pollution hinders the reproduction of fireflies, and it is increasingly difficult to see shows like this one."

"A dangerous, rare disease associated with COVID-19 led Francisco, 13, to be admitted to the ICU of D. Estefânia Hospital in Lisbon with a pathology that had already caused deaths. The symptoms began to manifest intensely, and from the initial red spots on the hands to kidney and respiratory failure, illness progressed rapidly. Days after being intubated, he responded positively to the therapy."

"A wild elephant attacks a jeep full of people. We should respect nature and care more about it, but we should also avoid taking unnecessary and reckless risks."

"A camera trap placed inside of a large muskox carcass was used to take this shot of a pack of 10 wolves, the members of which returned to feed for over a month. This location became the de facto rendezvous site for the pack in the months to come."

"The workers of the San Carlos de Celanova nursing home celebrate the birthday of Elena Pérez, 98, two weeks after she survived the coronavirus. Nine residents died at this nursing home and more than 40 tested positive for COVID-19."

"Belinda Qaqamba Ka-Fassie, a drag artist and activist, poses at a shisanyama - a community space where women cook and sell meat - in Khayelitsha, a township near Cape Town. Belinda, the photographer, and other black, queer, gender non-conforming and transgender people collaborated in a project to reclaim public spaces in a community where they are subject to discrimination, harassment, and violence."

"A giant panda used for breeding sits alone in a facility in Shaanxi, China. Captive breeding of endangered species can play an important role in repopulating wild habitats, but it can also be a convenient label to hide behind, much like “green,” “renewable," or “sustainable.” In this case, though there was no doubt that the staff cared deeply for their wards, the feeling nevertheless was that the pandas were economic assets. There were no plans to prepare any of the captive-born pandas for release - all animals were being habituated to humans and used as attractions for paying visitors. To me, this image represents the juxtaposition between the intentions we express and the reality on the ground: a wild animal kept in a cage in the name of conservation."

"With a very complicated setup, I was able to trigger 2 sets of flashes during a single exposure of only 1/25 second. This photo is the result of three days shooting, trying to get a single picture with an intense atmosphere, of a Brown inca hummingbird (Coeligena wilsoni)."

"In recent years, 1.5 million housing units have been built in Iran with the main goal of reversing migration to larger cities, where living standards are deteriorating due to traffic, pollution, and the high price of housing. These communities were erected in arid, almost desertic environments (as in Pardis, located 30 minutes northeast of Tehran), often with little regard for ecological conditions on the ground."

"I had to wait a while to capture an interesting pose of Ruthy, a well-known female striped hyena in Israel. The striped hyena is an endangered species as the global population is estimated to be less than 10,000 wild specimens."

"A young bride is preparing for her wedding on a street in the Roma ghetto of Stolipinovo. In Europe, Roma communities number more than 11 million people and Stolipinovo, with around 40,000 people, is the most populous ghetto."

"The series BIALA has a geometrical guideline and its features were taken from urban architecture. The pictures don’t portray entire buildings, but just a chosen part of the facades, to accentuate the symmetry and modular geometry of the structures. By placing a selection of shapes and colors in the foreground, the artist is able to deprive the buildings of their utilitarian residential function."

"Three hyena, a jackal, and two elephants endure a sandstorm on a hot humid late afternoon, while the wind picks up before the heavens open. The hyenas cool off in the cool water and get rid of parasites. The dry season is over and the rainy season is on the way, promising relief for every animal in dry Chobe National Park."

"Even though all over the world teenagers' lives are completely absorbed by social media and the Internet, in Havana children still enjoy themselves by playing in the open air in their homes' courtyards."

"Itsazo Velez and caregiver Ephraim Ngiribwa give medicine to two new rescued baby chimps as they quarantine. Rescuing and saving baby chimps is difficult. When they are taken by poachers, they are subject to tremendous trauma and abuse, and cannot access the nutrition they need to survive."

"A child sits inside a car nearby a forest fire that began in Oliveira de Frades, about 100 kilometers from Porto, and spread west to Sever do Vouga, and southwest to Águeda. Hundreds of firefighters were mobilized to fight this fire. Every year the country is plagued by fires and thousands of hectares of forest burn out of control."

"Gil is an 11-year-old who has the soul of a 90-year-old. He is filled with boundless energy and is always ready to work and play equally hard. He and his neighbors who live on a nearby ranch often spend time together, and it usually involves working with or playing with animals. You will never see these kids playing on computers or watching television."

"During a spring dive at a depth of about 6 meters, I immortalized this small hydromedusa of the Pandea conica genus, among an infinity of tiny tunicates carried by the current of the Calabrian side of the Strait of Messina."

"In Alaska there are plenty of fish available and these grizzly bears happily enjoy feasting on salmon in this area. Most of them are quite satisfied. Hence, it is possible to get a variety of shots of the bears in different happy moods."

"Antti Aalto of Finland gets a great view as he seemingly flies over the town of Oberstdorf during his first competition jump of the Four Hills Ski Jumping Tournament 2020 in Oberstdorf, Germany."

"I was out photographing the sunset when I noticed the clouds were beginning to become really atmospheric and moody. A buzzard was originally on a post but it saw me and flew off into a tree. I positioned the buzzard in the light patch of the cloud, and underexposed to keep the rest of the image darker to draw your eye into the buzzard."