25 Winners Of Creative Photo Awards

The winning photos of the 2023 Siena Creative Photo Awards celebrating artistic photography have been released by the renowned Siena Awards festival of visual arts. and they are a remarkable recognition to visionary artists using photographic processes and images.

Under the title “I Wonder If You Can,” this year’s contest challenged photo artists to communicate with the world and share their vision and skills via original works that push the photographic medium and experiment with different techniques or creative approaches.

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“In this competition, everyone is free to use any technique. Only the final effect counts,” the organizers explain. “We break all the rules, and we want you to break them with us by creating new trends in art.”

‘Aesthetics from Africa’ (below) by Chinese photographer Frank Zhang, honoring global aesthetic diversity and beauty, won the 2023 overall prize.

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The competition attracted photographers from 133 countries, and all the winning images across nine categories will be showcased at the exhibition ‘I Wonder If You Can’ that will take place at Siena’s Palazzo Pubblico in the heart of Piazza del Campo, Italy.

Overall Winner

The world of beauty has witnessed the celebration of diverse aesthetics. For a long time, the fashion industry’s perception of beauty was seen through a Eurocentric lens. However, in recent times African American model and influencer Sonia Barbie Tucker, originally from Ghana, has been showcasing the rich and vibrant aesthetics of Africa.

Category Winners

The photo was taken in 2022 using the “Haruhisa camera,” which was designed and built by the Japanese photographer Haruhisa Terasaki. “It is a great honor for me to have the opportunity to use this camera,” Iwona Czubek said. Terasaki is known for his unique method of photographing, which he refers to as new pictorialism. This image is projected onto a dry plate and captured with a digital camera.

“I aimed to capture the elegant movement of a horse in a free rein jump, experiencing the sensation of the snow beneath its feet and its inherent desire for freedom, much like humans yearn for it,” said Lurdes Santander. “This moment was extraordinary, and I persisted through several attempts on my camera to find that elusive shot, a challenge many photographers face.”

The girl with ebony skin frees herself from the chains, and some of them remain attached to her, as she escapes. In the gesture of liberation, the shapes of her hairstyle and neck take on elongated forms.

Capturing this image took patience and perseverance. It started with the search for a single tree amidst a lavender field at sunset. Then the wait for the night sky to unveil its beauty. Combined with a second, long exposure, the light invisible to the naked eye, revealing a truly enchanted world.

“I captured this photo during a beautiful summer wedding in the red wine region of Germany,” said Steven Herrschaft. “The majestic castle on the hill was stunning, and the moment I captured was fleeting yet magical. Sometimes, as a photographer, you need to be in the right place at the right time to create art.”

The Capital Gate Tower in Abu Dhabi was captured in a unique moment from a moving bus. “As we traveled on the highway during late afternoon,” Frank Loddenkemper recalled, “the sun’s rays cast a mesmerizing glow, creating the perfect lighting for the shot.

Featuring a Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing from 1955, this photograph was captured at the private collection of Museum METROPOLE Druten in the Netherlands. It prompts us to ponder how humankind would have been and still be without the presence of the natural treasures that inspire us to dream and surpass our limits.

A surreal black-and white photo-art piece featuring several female models whimsically blending together to form a skull. Symbolizing the defiance of mortality, the composition conveys a powerful message of unity in the face of death, evoking reflection and challenging perceptions.

The subject is the conflation of woman and home. A lone woman is surrounded by her domestic objects, activities, and obsessions. The still-life narratives created in the studio for the camera comment on the mania of collecting, accumulating, and decorating a home. In the series, the woman is overwhelmed by her possessions, leading to disaster and mayhem. “Growing up in suburbia provided the basis of my work,” said Patty Carroll. “I photographically create worlds that critique and satirize claustrophobic expectations of perfection that women continue to face, despite contemporary life and careers.”

Category Finalists

“The idea was to take a photo of a pink cocktail in a playful and fun way,” said Elena Otvodenko. “For this, I used complementary colours and props to accentuate the beauty of the drink and its colour and freshness.

All the Open Theme winning photos here.

Djaxx, is a sphynx cat “with an attitude, but very willing to pose under my studio light,” said Pieter Clicteur. “I used one flash light, placed just above his head (butterfly light, as they call it) to emphasize the wrinkles on his head. He looks mean, but he isn’t.”

“The title comes from the fact that, like most Border Collies, my puppy too has a Psycho face,” said Alessia Monaco. “It is a composition of several shots, in this case seven, then joined with the support of Photoshop.”

All the Animals and Pets category’ photos here

“Tree of Life” depicts a solitary old tree on the horizon of undulating South Moravian fields, accompanied by a flock of birds. The composition, created from photographs, evokes the cycle of life and its phases, representing youthful vigor to the serene tranquility of wise old age.

According to legend, the ghost of the Gray Lady haunts the tree-lined avenue located in Ballymoney, in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It seems that a mysterious woman appears among the trees at sunset, slips silently along the road and vanishes near the last beech tree.

The winners of the Nature and Landscape category are here

All the winners of the People category here.

Humans are like puppets. With their hands and feet and their intellect, they have been plundered and commanded. They have nightmares, create nightmares and become nightmares.

Here are all the winners of the Fine Art category.

Featuring a Jaguar xk150 Cabrio 1958, photographed at the private collection of Museum Metropole Druten, the Netherlands. How would humankind be, and have been, without the natural treasures that make us dream and exceed beyond our limits?

For all the winners of the Advertising category go here.

Haldi ceremony is a traditional pre-wedding ritual in India where turmeric paste is applied on the bride and groom’s bodies. It symbolizes purification, beautification, and the auspicious beginning of their journey together. Here, the groom’s friends cover him in turmeric water.

For all the winners of the Wedding category go here.

The picture showcases a colonnade in a residential area. Light and color enhance the space, create accents and rhythm, and bring balance to the structure. Without these elements, neither space nor architecture would be perceptible. “I used the bird as an eye-catching detail to draw attention,” said Margit Lisa Roeder.

Here are all the winners of the Architecture category

Here are all the winners of the Series category.