The winners of the 14th annual iPhone Photography Awards have officially been announced, showcasing an incredible range of images – and the top prize, a bar of gold, was scooped up by a shot taken on a five-year-old iPhone 7.
While the best iPhones for photography are impressive pieces of tech in their own right, their cameras still can't quite compete with the best professional cameras. However, the wildlife, portrait, documentary and landscape photography shown in this year's competition truly prove that it's not the kit you have – it's how you use it.
As the first and longest-running iPhone photography competition, the iPhone Photography Awards allows photographers to submit photos taken with any iPhone or iPad. You're also allowed to edit the images in an iOS app and use add-on lenses – but the photos can't be altered in any desktop image processing software, such as Photoshop CC.
The iPhone Photography Awards sifted through thousands of submissions from all over the world to whittle down to a selection of winners and honorable mentions. The Grand Prize Winner and Photographer of the Year Award was given to photojournalist Istvan Kerekes of Hungary for his photograph 'Transylvanian Shepherds', which was shot on iPhone 7.
The iPhone Photography Awards says, "In it, two rugged shepherds traverse an equally rugged industrial landscape, bearing a pair of lamps in their arms. The grit of the men and the bleakness of their environment are a moving contrast to the hope and innocence of the lambs in their care."
As one of the category winners, Istvan Kerekes won a gold bar from "the most recognizable private gold mint in the world". Meanwhile, second and third place winners for each category are each awarded a platinum bar. The work of the grand prize winner and the first, second and third place winners for each category will be published on the iPhone Photography Awards online gallery and any subsequent published materials.
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With over a decade of photographic experience, Louise arms Digital Camera World with a wealth of knowledge on photographic technique and know-how – something at which she is so adept that she's delivered workshops for the likes of ITV and Sue Ryder. Louise also brings years of experience as both a web and print journalist, having served as features editor for Practical Photography magazine and contributing photography tutorials and camera analysis to titles including Digital Camera Magazine and Digital Photographer. Louise currently shoots with the Fujifilm X-T200 and the Nikon D800, capturing self-portraits and still life images, and is DCW's ecommerce editor, meaning that she knows good camera, lens and laptop deals when she sees them.
