Readers' travel photograph competition: February – street life

Jason Pemberton: Life in Havana, in all its colourful, energetic glory, is lived on the streets. Set in a city of crumbling architectural grandeur and dressed with vintage cars of all colours, it makes for some uniquely Cuban street scenes. Locals gather around homes selling snacks or drinks to chat and any activity draws a crowd.
Photograph: Jason Pemberton

David Hopson: These street stalls in Rangoon – selling meat, fish, veg and some basic household goods – felt so insubstantial and impermanent that it could have been a pop-up market. I like the way the colour of the people pops out against the dull grey tones of the mouldering environment. It captures a lot of the truth about Burma, and not the view the generals would like us to go home with.
Photograph: David Hopson

Sarah Kendall: Inside the walls of the ancient city of Pingyao, northern China, the main streets are busy with tourists, street vendors and locals alike. I was wandering around away from the main attractions and this alleyway perfectly framed anyone walking or cycling past. I caught a snap of this local man before he was gone.
Photograph: Sarah Kendall

Miranda Lowe: While shopping in the street market in Jaipur, north India, it's hard to miss the hustle and bustle, and beeping of the traffic on the street.
Photograph: Miranda Lowe

Nick Jackson: A skateboarder on the Southbank Centre, London, which has been at the heart of the boarding community for over 40 years but is facing possible closure.
Photograph: Nick Jackson

James Guppy: Brick Lane, in east London, is something of a melting pot and not just for the diverse range of people. Development and gentrification is happening very fast and the contrasts make for a febrile photographic patch.
Photograph: BrigadierCrispbread

Tom Prestwich: Bruges is a beautiful town, filled with stunning medieval buildings – but also absolutely teeming with tourists. On our last day we wandered a little further away from the centre and I managed to take a shot of everyday people in the town.
Photograph: Tom Prestwich

Sylwia Gac: The small town of Tenali in south India is famous for the three canals of the Krishna river but it is not often visited by tourists. My friend and I were surrounded by local people, mostly kids that wanted to chat and take a picture, and this boy started to show off playing with his kite. It reminds me of the book and movie The Kite Runner.
Photograph: Sylwia Gac

Ryan Maybury, runner-up: I took this on the seafront in Benidorm. I am not very fond of Benidorm because I find it too much like home. So, when I saw this local man enjoying himself while feeding a flock of birds I had to get a shot of it.

Natalie Mayer, judge: This is great - I just wish the depth of field had been shallower to allow for a less visually distracting image. All we really want to see is the man and birds, but we are distracted by the background. Still, a lovely street scene none the less.
Photograph: Ryan Maybury

James Layton, runner-up: I'd just just landed in Havana when I saw this scene. These kids were surfing off the back of this car in the six inches of water that was left after a storm. They were wearing flip flops and trainers and when they saw me with the camera they turned to wave, and one of them fell as the shutter went. This was the first image I took and it was as genuine as they get. For the next two months I saw nothing like this.

Natalie Mayer, judge: A lively and interesting capture with lots of movement and energy.
Photograph: James Layton

Lewis Freeth, winner: Walking around Times Square at the end of a long day street shooting in Manhattan, I was focusing on the cars and cabs in front of these electronic stars and stripes when a man, dressed as Mickey Mouse, sat down for a break in front of the glowing flag.

Natalie Mayer, judge: This is super image, very well balanced in the composition with a lovely striking simplicity in the colours and theme. The slightly morose expression of the Mickey man also add an extra element to the image giving it an interesting documentary edge - and not just a pretty picture.
Photograph: Lewis Freeth