From an elephant’s bath time to miners on a smouldering volcano and a driver passing a raging housefire: The mesmerizing smartphone images captured by winners of the 2023 Mobile Photography Awards

• The 2023 Mobile Photography Awards received a record number of entries from 80 countries in the world
• Judges said photos were among the best they had ever seen, but Australian Glenn Homann scooped top prize
• Now in its 12th year, the competition is exclusively made up of photos taken on smartphones and tablets 

It’s one thing for a photographer to showcase their talent using the best cameras on the market. But, the latest Mobile Photography Awards have once again proven just how versatile photographers can be in capturing awe-inspiring images using just their smartphones.

Judges of the prestigious annual competition, which is in its 12th year, said that the most recent captivating images submitted, ranging from black and whites, landscapes, street photography and more, were among the best that they had ever seen.

Simply staggering vivid photographs featured an elephant’s bath time, a driver passing a raging housefire and a breathtaking waterfall. The MPA received photographs from over 80 countries this year, highlighting the global reach of mobile photography in the modern day.

The Toronto-based awards, which were founded in 2011, are held every year to celebrate the art and craft of mobile photography. This year, Australian Glenn Homann championed over a record number of entrants with his portfolio described as ‘stunning’ and ‘breathtaking’ by MPA judges. He takes home a $3,000 cash prize.

The talent did not stop there though. The awards were divided into 12 categories, with Shulong Ma triumphing in the black and white category for a photograph of an elephant being washed, which was taken with an iPhone 7. 

Meanwhile Fabio Sartori snapped a close up of a bug on his Samsung which won the Macro category, and a stunning photograph of miners of the Ijen Volcano in East Java, Indonesia, took first place in the Travel/Transportation section. Scroll on to see all the winners.

Australian photographer Glenn Homann, who showcased his mastery of different genres, was crowned as the 12th annual MPA Photographer of the Year. He named the piece above ‘John’

Homann’s photographs were described as both ‘stunning’ and ‘breathtaking’ by MPA judges – who also admitted this year’s entries were among the best ever seen. The above piece is called ‘Stop, Reflect’

Homann’s ‘Toward the Light’: Awards founder Daniel Berman said: ‘Glenn’s work truly captures the essence of what mobile photography is all about – the ability to create stunning images anytime, anywhere, using only a smartphone.’

Homann said he was ‘blown away’ by being recognized for his astonishing artwork. He hopes it will inspire others to explore the ‘endless possibilities of mobile photography’. ‘Cross Here’ is pictured left and ‘Eyeing Ibis’ is on the right 

‘Washing Elephant, Chitwan’: This mesmerizing photograph was captured by Shuolong Ma using an iPhone 7. It won the Black and White category

Street Photography winner ‘Indifference’ by Konstantin Chalabov features a driver passing a burning home (left), while Chen Lin’s ‘Miners of Ijen Volcano’ in Indonesia (right) won the Travel and Transportation category

‘Eyes’: Fabio Sartori snapped an impressively detailed close up of a bug on his Samsung phone which won the Macro category

Zhengjie Wu triumphed in the Landscapes category with their stunning ‘Geocentric Exploration’ photograph which shows a lone figure being struck by glorious rays of sunshine

Heather McAlister was the Digital art/Visual FX winner at the 12th annual MPA awards. Her piece was called ‘Flight Pattern’

Homann showcased his mastery of different genres, including portraits, architecture, and street photography. He named the piece on the left ‘Free’ and added: ‘Even an ‘ugly’ thing has a flickering, fleeting moment of radiant beauty.’ On the right is ‘The Other Side’

The categories spread far and wide, with Yue Qiu picking up the Silhouettes award for their impressive ‘Heart of Water’ photograph

Artificial Intelligence winner ‘Souls of the Ancient Sea Bed’ by John Nieto is on the left, while Dorota Yamadag scooped the award for the best artwork in the Architecture category with a photo of skyscrapers called ‘Steel. Glass. And All That Jazz’ (right)

Founded in 2011, the MPA celebrates the art and craft of mobile photography, recognizing talented smartphone photographers from all around the world. Pictured: Another of Homann’s stunning photographs called ‘It Went Away’

Homann also scooped the award for best portrait with his ‘Old Mate’ piece (left), while the People’s winner was ‘Nunset2’ (right) by Daniela Calo

‘The Scenery After the Rain’: A simply stunning photograph captured by Wang Hsiu Ling who won the Water/Snow/Ice category

Mobile photographer Michel Kharoubi was crowned winner of the Darkness category for his ‘Spirit of the City’ work of art

A full collage of Glenn Homann’s winning images. The judging panel, consisting of professional photographers and industry experts, had the challenging task of selecting the winners, but Homann came out on top

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