25 Award-Winning Photos That Redefine The Essence Of Womanhood From AAP Magazine

The 25 artists selected come from 16 different countries across 5 continents, each bringing their own voice and unique perspective. Their images are tender, bold, poetic, and political — honoring strength, vulnerability, and everything in between.

First Place Winner: Grace Weston (USA) — Reclaiming the Muse

Second Place Winner: Valentina Sinis (Italy) — Were Afghan Women to Unveil Their Tales

Third Place Winner: Patricia McElroy (USA) — Between Then and Now

Plus, an incredible lineup of Merit Award winners from all over the world: Andrea Bettancini, Markku Lahdesmaki, Piotr Skubisz, Nathalie Rubens, Bahrudin Bandic, A'ja Dotson, Michele Zousmer, Sandra Hernandez, Caesar Lima, Takayuki Tobita, Susanne Middelberg, Chris Yan, Robert Moran, Martina Holmberg, Susan Friedman, Ingetje Tadros, Anja Bruehling, Alena Solomonova, Jennifer Baron, Anqi Hu, Marika Poquet, and Vicky Martin.

The top three winners also receive cash prizes ($1,000 total), and all selected photographers are featured in the beautiful printed issue of ‘AAP Magazine #46: Women’ and showcased online in All About Photo’s Winners Gallery.

These images don’t just capture women — they celebrate them in all their complexity, strength, beauty, and humanity.

Bored Panda got in touch with Grace Weston, the author of ‘Reclaiming The Muse,’ a series that won first prize in the 46th edition of the AAP Magazine contest. The studio photographer and miniaturist spoke to us about the inspiration behind her project: “Andres Kertesz’ ‘Satiric Dancer’ was my first favorite photograph as a teen. I thought it was such a wild scene with such a fun-loving muse. I first restaged the scene as Kertesz presented it, but in miniature and in color. Then I wondered about the muse herself, what her life was like, what became of her. In my research I found she had been a cabaret performer, successful in her own right. I staged the scene again in contemporary terms, as a mother, her wild days behind her, juggling two toddlers and endless housework, resulting in my image Mother’s Day. That eventually led me to consider other muses in historic artworks and stories, presenting them from a more fleshed out point of view, rather than as passive objects of male projections of beauty or scorn.”

Grace’s reinterpretation of Atlas as a housewife is both powerful and deeply relatable. We were curious about the message she hoped viewers would take away from the image — here’s what she shared with us: “In ‘House of Atlas,’ the housewife is in the role of supporting the whole world, while focusing on the small details. In the meantime, the television reports death and destruction, and the cat remains unaffected. On one hand, the scene reflects our drive, however futile, to make order from chaos, while the world continues to unravel, and wars persist. I also make the point that women are the ones most tasked to clean up the messes of the world, whether global or minute.”

When asked about the biggest challenges she faced while working on the project, the artist shared: “One of the biggest difficulties in staging miniatures is getting fabrics to have the illusion of weight, and to stay in place. I often use a starchy spray to ‘mold’ the folds, but not all fabrics respond to that treatment. I am after a certain level of realism in what is obviously a miniature staged scene, so things like this are important to me.”

Lastly, the author of ‘Reclaiming The Muse’ shared that she's embarking on another exciting creative project: “I am just about to start a new series addressing times of social and political upheaval, prompted by what we are seeing now. That's all I want to reveal at this time.”