15 Most Stunning Photos From The 2024 IPA, Taken By Winners And Finalists From Around The World

The 2024 International Photography Awards (IPA) brings together some of the world’s most talented photographers. Participants in the contest showcase stunning images that capture powerful moments across various genres.

The website states that the photo awards' mission is “To salute the achievements of the world’s finest photographers, to discover new and emerging talent, and to promote the appreciation of photography.” With this in mind, we’d like to present some highlights from last year’s IPA edition and offer a glimpse into the photographers behind these remarkable images.

More info: photoawards.com | Instagram 

15 PHOTOS

#1 Analog / Film / Fine Art: Better Days By Seunggu Kim

Korea has developed rapidly over the past 40 years, which has caused a lot of social consequences. One of which is long working hours with a very short period of break. During holidays, Koreans try their best to enjoy it, but due to lack of time to travel, they spend time mostly around the city. I take a step back and observe various leisure spaces and people, slowly frame them, and wait for complex situations to balance. Koreans' “fast pace lifestyle", and "community-based trust" revealed in this work show Koreans adapting to any situation, enjoying themselves together, and striving for ”coexistence“.

Pictolic reached out to Seunggu Kim, the award-winning photographer behind the series ‘Better Days.’ We were curious about what initially inspired him to document Korea’s leisure spaces and how people spend their limited free time. Here’s what we discovered: “When I was in my 20s, I felt that my identity was defined by the environment to which I belonged while working at the school and the construction site. As I went through a time of worry, I wondered what the bright side of my life was, and I thought that people's leisure could show it.”

#2 3rd Place / Editorial / Press / Sports: Modern Mowgli By Theresa Seilern-Aspang

Rene Casselly is a former circus artist, the first ninja warrior Germany winner, and the winner of 'let's dance' (the German version of 'dancing with the stars') He is a full blood artist and lives in Hungary at Kimba Elephant Park - a shelter and home for retired circus animals.

#3 1st Place / Special / Panorama / Panoramic: Sunrise Oblique Light By Shirley Wung

The bright morning sun jumps out of the mountains, and the golden sunshine shines on the earth, which makes people moved.

When asked about the process of selecting specific locations for the series, Seunggu Kim shared his criteria for what makes a scene compelling to him: “We are interested in places where heterogeneous factors overlap, such as the economic gap in the suburbs of cities, the division of cities and rural areas, where there are cultural intersections, and the coexistence of nature and artificial nature.”

#4 3rd Place / Analog / Film / Landscape: Faroe Sheep By Dominik Gottwald

The rest of the herd ran away.

#5 2nd Place / Architecture / Abstract: San Francisco, Ca, By Sinziana Velicescu

The photographer also shared that he’s been working on this project for 15 years. From his observations, Koreans enjoy their leisure time freely and safely, anywhere and anytime. However, he also mentioned, 'The period during COVID-19 was very dark. Those moments were captured too, and you can find them in my recently released book, Better Days.”

#6 1st Place / Advertising / Food & Beverage: Ripe And Oozy Brie By Heather Brown

Captured for a client explicitly to entice the customer to buy their cheese, this shot required quick reflexes to take this extremely ripe brie as it oozed its way to the table. Taken in natural daylight, I was keen to keep the cheese the star of the show and judging by the feedback (and the amount of sales), I think this photo was a success!

#7 2nd Place / Advertising / Conceptual: Personal Space By Kremer Johnson

In our latest series, "Personal Space," we delve into the evolving landscape of the modern workplace, inspired by a New York Times article on large companies encouraging employees to personalize their office spaces to draw them back post-pandemic. This project emerged from the profound shifts we've all experienced in our professional lives, highlighting the blend of home and office environments. To bring this vision to life, we purchased a standard office cubicle, transforming it into five distinct conceptual spaces, each reflecting a unique story of personal identity and professional life.

Lastly, Seunggu Kim shared with us his plans in the photography world: “I am interested in the 'loose bond' that is unique to Koreans. It's something not usually revealed, but it exists in the heart and is built on long-standing trust beyond mere relationships. I plan to express this more directly in my upcoming work.”

#8 3rd Place / Nature / Landscape: Frozen Pocket By Norman Mccloskey

10 years after I first learned of this place, I journeyed from the west coast of Ireland to the surreal landscape of this remote part of Arizona to photograph a complete contrast to the landscape I normally live and work in.

#9 2nd Place / Editorial / Press / Personality: Ian Mckellen By Frederic Aranda

British actor Ian McKellen photographed moments before a haircut.

#10 3rd Place / Architecture / Aerial / Drone: "Soratetsu" Airplane And Trains By Yoichi Yoshinaga

This work was taken aerially from an airplane (Cessna 172). I am a photographer who takes aerial photographs from airplanes and helicopters. I created a work called "Soratetsu," which is an aerial photograph of a railroad. I expressed the transportation rivals, airplanes and Shinkansen, in one photograph. An airplane is about to land over the Shinkansen rail yard at Haneda Airport. To take this photo, I obtained permission from the Airport Administration Bureau and captured the moment the two overlapped with a super-telephoto lens from an altitude of 6,000 feet.

#11 2nd Place / Fine Art / Portrait: Nataly&damilola By Niki Genchi

Portrait of Nataly & Damilola

#12 3rd Place / People / Portrait: Humans Of War By Zoya Shu

Each person is a universe. Every life is priceless. The photographs of the assault soldiers of the 24th Assault Battalion "Aydar" were taken in the spring of 2024 near Kramatorsk, Ukraine. These individuals embody a myriad of diverse experiences and a concentration of life. Among them are a lavender field owner, a foreman, an artist, a tradesman—people from various walks of life and professions, now defending their country, which faces the challenge of survival. Everyone dreams of victory, the end of the war, and returning to their families to live a peaceful life with their loved ones.

#13 Fine Art Photographer Of The Year: Fine Art Of Resilience By Paul Szimák

The focus of the Fine Art Of Resilience project is Mother Earth in the form of the Greek goddess of nature, Gaia, who we encounter in every picture in a new form. Gaia always appears timelessly youthful and beautiful to us, but in reality, she is not well. All images are classic Photoshop compositions that were created by hand over weeks of very complex, detailed retouching (WITHOUT any use of artificial intelligence). In Photoshop, I retouch using the painting techniques of the Old Masters such as sfumato, trebenis,m and chiaroscuro to merge my photographs with paintings.

#14 2nd Place / Event / Traditions And Cultures: The Gathering By Marla Aufmuth

Formally known as the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering, “The Gathering” celebrates cowboy and ranch life through poetry, art, music and workshops. During the annual week-long event in the high-desert of Elko, Nevada, cowboys, ranch families, ​​people living life on the land, music lovers, poetry writers and artists convene in the middle of winter, often through snow storms, to enjoy, learn, listen and partake in the rural West’s cultural traditions.

#15 1st Place / Sports / Extreme Sports: World Record Night Skydive By Laszlo Andacs

I was honored to be one of the photographers for the largest skydiving formation ever built at night. On November 1st, 2017, 64 jumpers led by Steve Woodford (organizer) got together in the night sky over the Arizona desert and set the still-standing world record for the largest night skydive. To do this kind of photography requires the photographers themselves to be very experienced skydivers. they jump along with the group, and the images they capture are the official evidence for the judges for certification. The photos show the day time and evening practice jumps, along with the world record.