Decade-old DSLR used by Photographer of the Year to capture winning shot

A swimmer in a yellow cap glides through clear blue water, one arm extended forward and bubbles trailing behind.

All About Photo has announced the winners of the 2025 All About Photo Awards – The Mind's Eye. And two winning shots were captured with a near decade-old DSLR, the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV.

This event stands as a global celebration of impactful visual storytelling, emphasizing photography's essential role in documenting and understanding the human experience.

As we celebrate the tenth anniversary of the awards, for the second time the title of Photographer of the Year has been awarded to a woman: Marijn Fidder.

She triumphed over thousands of entries from more than 40 countries with her image, Husnah, part of the series Inclusive Nation. This photograph sheds light on a broader issue of disability rights, self-acceptance, and social progress in Uganda.

Both the Photographer of the Year and the second-place winner used Canon's beloved 5D Mark IV, a true workhorse camera that was launched back in August 2016.

Once again, these competition winners prove that you don't need the most up-to-date and expensive gear to create powerful imagery with a strong narrative.

This edition highlights 50 images. To explore the Merit Award Gallery, visit All About Photo's website for Parts I and II.

1st Place Winner – Photographer of the Year 2025

Husnah Kukundakwe (15) during an early swim training at the Elite Swim and Gym pool in Kampala, Uganda. She was born with a congenital limb impairment that left her with no right lower arm (Image credit: Marijn Fidder, Courtesy All About Photo)

Marijn Fidder (The Netherlands)
Series: Inclusive Nation
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark IV
Lens: Canon EF 24-70 mm f2.8L II USM

Husnah is a Ugandan swimmer who is currently the country's only classified Paralympic swimmer. Her first appearance at the World Championships in London was mentioned among the International Paralympic Committee’s Top 10 Moments of 2019.

Life can present many obstacles for people with disabilities. These challenges lead to social isolation, poverty and reduced quality of life. However, amid these obstacles, Uganda is gradually transforming to become more inclusive.

As of 2020, Uganda has one of the most progressive laws for people with disabilities in the world. This states, among other things, that discrimination against people with disabilities is prohibited. Children with disabilities have the right to education and adults have the right to a job. This is very important because 80% of all people with disabilities in the world live in developing countries, such as Uganda.

While there is still much work to be done, the progress made thus far is a glimmer of hope for people with disabilities.

2nd Place Winner

A harrowing image taken inside a Gaza hospital morgue following an airstrike. The photo stands as a stark testament to the civilian toll of ongoing conflict in the region (Image credit: Abdelrahman Alkahlout, Courtesy All About Photo)

Abdelrahman Alkahlout (Palestine)
Title: Stolen Innocence
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark IV
Lens: Canon 16-35mm f/2.8L III

Inside the morgue of Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza, a Palestinian medic tenderly prepares the body of a young child for burial. The child lost his life during an airstrike that struck his family home amid the ongoing war that has gripped the region since 2023.

Wrapped in a white shroud, his silent face bears witness to a fragile life cut short. This heartbreaking scene captures the profound grief and enduring resilience of families living through unimaginable suffering.

3rd Place Winner

A visually poetic scene where men and water buffaloes share the warmth of thermal springs in Eastern Turkey’s frozen landscape – an image blending tradition, survival, and coexistence (Image credit: Erhan Coral, Courtesy All About Photo)

Erhan Coral (Turkey)
Title: Hot Springs of Budaklı
Camera: Leica Q (Type 116) with fixed 28mm f1.7 Summilux lens

In the heart of Eastern Turkey's winter landscape, men and water buffaloes share the warmth of the Budaklı hot springs in Bitlis. Rising mist veils the frozen surroundings, blending human and animal silhouettes in a primal ritual of survival and coexistence.

While the snow-covered plains and distant mountains whisper solitude, the steamy embrace of the thermal waters becomes a sanctuary – where tradition, resilience, and nature converge in harmony.

4th Place Winner

João's series, The Iron Quest, documents the dangerous labor of young metal scavengers working in a ship graveyard in Angola under extreme and exploitative conditions (Image credit: João Coelho, Courtesy All About Photo)

João Coelho (Portugal / Angola)
Title: Exhaustion
Series: The Iron Quest
Camera: Canon EOS R5
Lenses: Canon RF-14-35mm f/4 L IS USM

This image is part of a project documenting a group of young people working at a ship graveyard in Angola. Every day, the Titanic gang, as they call themselves, risk their lives on this beach.

After overcoming strong currents and waves to reach the half-buried wrecks, they have to dive again and again into the murky, dark waters to pull heavy pieces of iron from the bottom using only the strength of their arms.

After several hours of struggle they still have to drag the heavy pieces along the bottom to the beach, to put them on fragile motorcycles that take them to the place where they are weighed and sold.

It's a titanic effort that earns them only $150 / £110 / AU$230 per ton, a meager reward for surviving the risks they face every day. The enormous courage, determination and resilience this gang shows every day on this beach was the real source of inspiration that led me to do this work.

5th Place Winner

A close-up portrait that captures the elegance and grit of aging, blending texture, color, and character in a moment both raw and refined (Image credit: Francesco Gioia, Courtesy All About Photo)

Francesco Gioia (Italy)
Title: Hand and Cigarette
Camera: Fujifilm X-Pro3
Lens: Fujifilm XF 70-300mm f4-5.6 R LM OIS WR

A close-up portrait capturing the elegance and rawness of age, with vivid red nails delicately holding a lit cigarette against a bold colored background. The textured skin and swirling smoke evoke a sense of character, resilience, and timeless allure.

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