The Best 10 Photos Of 2023 According To The Urban Photo Awards

The Urban Photo Awards has recently announced the complete list of finalists for this year’s competition. We are delighted to present the top 48 images that successfully made it to the finals and received awards in various categories, including streets, people, spaces, creative, and more.

Photographer Natalya Saprunova has earned the title of the overall winner of the Urban Photo Awards 2023 with her photograph titled “Going to save themselves from the abnormal heat.” This shot was chosen by the president of the jury, Alec Soth, from among all the first-ranked images in other categories within the Single Photos section. 

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10 PHOTOS

#1 People, Remarkable Award: Out Of The Water By Salvatore Montemagno

There are people who always live their lives with the clear and annoying sensation of feeling out of place, of never being at ease .... not even within themselves.

Pictolic got in touch with Andres Ramos Palacios, who won the first prize in the Streets category of the Urban Photo Awards 2023. We wanted to ask some questions about the photographer's work and the winning image “Tough Life.”

First, we asked what inspired Andres to capture the scene depicted in his photograph. He told us: “At the time of taking this photo I was more and more interested in capturing scenes of tourists, a phenomenon for which I consider that street photography has the possibility to understand in its many facets. In this case, I was struck by the halo of beauty emanating from the woman lying down and the people around her, emulating some kind of ritual.”

#2 People, Remarkable Award: Redwalk By Marcel Van Balken

#3 People, Remarkable Award: Superman To The Rescue By Sehmuz Bayhan

Asked how he navigates the balance between capturing authentic moments and respecting the privacy of his subjects in urban environments, the photographer answered: “I adhere to the legislation of each country, on the one hand (which usually allows these photos), and to the elementary respect between people. If someone kindly asks me to delete his photo, I do it. I also do not take pictures of people in disadvantaged situations.”

#4 People, Honorable Mention: Sunset By Daniela Calò

A sunset by the sea acquires an even more radiant significance thanks to a small group of sisters who greet it with joy, faith, lightness, and above all with a smartphone to take selfies.  If I didn’t dream it, for a moment I became like them, with them, among them, a happy butterfly.

#5 Creative, Honorable Mention: Horror Movies Story By Hardibudi

We were wondering how important, according to Andres Ramos Palacios, storytelling is in street photography, especially in the context of urban life. We found out that: “I think it's a fundamental part of a certain type of street photography, but sometimes it's taken too literally. I think photos can suggest (not tell) little stories or interactions between people, which enriches them, but not tell stories as such. On the other hand, there are merely aesthetic photos that tell nothing and are very valuable.”

#6 Street, Winner: Tough Life By Andres Ramos Palacios

The life of a tourist is not always easy. Imagine arriving in Hanoi with jet lag and the next day, early in the morning, taking a three-hour bus to Halong Bay. Once there, you stand in a long queue for the boat and spend the day cruising among majestic rock formations, exploring caves that evoke the Earth's prehistory, and bathing peacefully on dreamy beaches. After lunch (dessert included), who wouldn't feel the need for a nap on deck to escape for a while from so much beauty?

#7 Street, Honorable Mention: Alone By Jasper Tejano

A boy tries to comfort himself from the overwhelming tour experience of the roaring falls of Niagara.

Last, but not least, we wanted to know what winning the 1st prize in the street photography category of the Urban Photo Awards means to Andres. The photographer shared with us: “It's my first major award, so it has been a reaffirmation of my confidence as a photographer and my intuition for spotting good photos. However, you have to put it in context as a single award-winning photo can mean just one lucky moment, so it's important to build a body of work that gives consistency to your portfolio.”

#8 Civic Museum Sartorio In Trieste, Special Prize: Tempra By Martina D’Agresta

A feminine noun with a double meaning: a heat treatment of metals aimed at improving its properties strength and bending mechanics or a set of psychic and spiritual qualities of an individual with a marked connotation of solidity and vigor.

#9 People, Honorable Mention: The Right To Know By Roberta Vagliani

#10 Street, Honorable Mention: Spectacular Noise By Alessandro Deluigi

Rimini, Italia. Un ragazzino, seduto in cima ad uno scivolo, si era tappato le orecchie al rumore assordante delle spettacolari Frecce Tricolori Italiane.