Smartphones aren’t just for scrolling. They’re powerful tools for creating amazing photography. Every year, the Mobile Photography Awards celebrates the best images captured on phones, and the 15th edition just revealed its winners.
This year, entries poured in from over 80 countries, showing just how global and creative mobile photography has become. The Grand Prize went to Kuanglong Zhang from China, whose striking portfolio impressed the judges and earned him the title of Photographer of the Year – plus a $3,000 cash prize.
Scroll down to see the winning shots and get inspired by what’s possible with just a smartphone.
More info: mobilephotoawards.com | Facebook | Instagram | x.com
#1 Honorable Mention, Landscapes & Wildlife: Can I Help? By Selanie Waddilove
© Photo: mpa
#2 1st Place Winner, Architecture, Design, Still Life: Folded Passage By MA Shuolong
© Photo: mpa
#3 1st Place Winner, Photo Essay: City Corners | Hong Kong By William Shum
© Photo: mpa
#4 15th Annual Mpa Grand Prize: Fire Dragon By Kuanglong Zhang
A rare, electric energy courses through Mr. Zhang’s images, bringing each photograph vividly to life. The kind of energy that only comes when a technical master also possesses an instinct for the “decisive moment.” Whether it is the nearly surrealist use of a car hood to flip an urban landscape on its head or the sheer, explosive chaos of the fire-dragon festival, the work feels urgent & alive.
This is a showcase of a creator who navigates the rigid lines of architecture with precision yet displays the quick-silver instincts of a street documentarian, without ever losing his unique, artistic voice. This isn’t just technical proficiency; it is a keen, hungry eye that recognizes the fleeting harmony between movement and structure.
© Photo: mpa
#5 Honorable Mention, Landscapes & Wildlife: Jinshan Canyon By Zhongqi Guo
© Photo: mpa
#6 Honorable Mention, Portraits & Self-Portraits: Silent Understanding By Wang Hsiu Ling
© Photo: mpa
#7 Honorable Mention, Macro & Details: Hanging Out By Linda Repasky
© Photo: mpa
#8 Honorable Mention, Portraits & Self-Portraits: Dreadlocks By Luis Rodriguez
© Photo: mpa
#9 Honorable Mention, Street Photography: The Shadow Of The Buttock By Yue Yu
© Photo: mpa
#10 Honorable Mention, Architecture, Design: The Imperial Garden In The Forbidden City By Kuanglong Zhang
© Photo: mpa
#11 1st Place Winner, Portraits & Self-Portraits: Flower Power By Beata Smutek
© Photo: mpa
#12 1st Place Winner, Macro & Details: The White-Masked Sentinel By Steven Grogin
© Photo: mpa
#13 Honorable Mention, Architecture, Design: Tulip Spiral Staircase By Ingrida Kuznecova
© Photo: mpa
#14 Honorable Mention, Landscapes & Wildlife: The Guardian Of Skye By Aleksandra Nowak
© Photo: mpa
#15 Honorable Mention, People: Pastry Chef In Action By Kuanglong Zhang
© Photo: mpa
#16 1st Place Winner, Street Photography: A Gazing Cat By Yajun Hu
© Photo: mpa
#17 1st Place Winner, Silhouettes: Golden Rite By Uesan Aliace
© Photo: mpa
#18 1st Place Winner, The Darkness|noir: Hat By Jose Luis Morales Martin
© Photo: mpa
#19 Honorable Mention, Architecture, Design: Void By William Shum
© Photo: mpa
#20 Honorable Mention, Water | Snow | Ice: Mirror Of The Marsh By Steven Grogin
© Photo: mpa
#21 Honorable Mention, The Darkness|noir: Moment Of Snowfall In Minatomirai By Uesan Aliace
© Photo: mpa
#22 Honorable Mention, Architecture | Design : The Dance Of Black And White In Architecture By Kuanglong Zhang
© Photo: mpa
#23 1st Place Winner, Travel/Adventure & Transportation: Gornergrat Train & The Matterhorn By Joseph Cyr
© Photo: mpa
#24 1st Place Winner, Black & White: In The Air By Jose Luis Morales Martin
© Photo: mpa
#25 1st Place Winner, Landscapes & Wildlife: The Rugged Peaks Of Kananaskis Country By Ewa Cieslikiewicz
© Photo: mpa
#26 Honorable Mention, Silhouettes: Suspended By Adam Wolski
© Photo: mpa
#27 Honorable Mention, Portraits & Self-Portraits: Summer Fun 2024 #12 By Trace Meek
© Photo: mpa
#28 Honorable Mention, Landscapes & Wildlife: The Wildlife Of Antarctica By Di Lu
© Photo: mpa
#29 Honorable Mention, Street Photography: Light & Shadow By Kuanglong Zhang
© Photo: mpa
#30 Honorable Mention, Landscapes & Wildlife: Wonders In The Desert By Kuanglong Zhang
© Photo: mpa
#31 1st Place Winner, Water | Snow | Ice: Evening Ride By Beata Zawrzel
© Photo: mpa
#32 Honorable Mention, Landscapes & Wildlife: Looking Into Another Dimension By Jennifer Newitt
© Photo: mpa
#33 Honorable Mention, Architecture, Design: Shinagawa By Joemaru Tomihisa
© Photo: mpa
#34 Honorable Mention, Street Photography: A Solitary Shadow On The Arc By Gary Lee
© Photo: mpa
#35 1st Place Winner, Visual Fx & Digital Art: Industrial Muse By Shelley Benjamin
© Photo: mpa
#36 1st Place Winner, People: How Long Can We Stay Down Here? By Louise Rayner
© Photo: mpa
#37 Honorable Mention, Silhouettes: In Between By Alexandra Thannhaeuser
© Photo: mpa
#38 Honorable Mentions, Travel/Adventure & Transportation: Divergence By David Grossman
© Photo: mpa
