SIPA 2017, The World’s Most Prestigious Photo Contest Has Just Announced Its Winners and The Photographs Are Mind-Blowing

By Andrew Alpin, 11 December 2017

In case you didn’t know, The Siena International Photography Awards happens to be one of the world’s most prestigious photo contests that attract the highest international participation. The 2017 edition received a whopping 50,000 images from both professional and amateur photographers spread across 161 countries. The competition showcases some of the most mind blowing images in categories like adventure, fascinating faces and characters, Fragile Ice and more. This is a list of 30 of the best award winning photographs taken this year which were recently announced.

1Fragile ice 1st place-Dreaming on sea ice-Roie Galitz (IL)

A shot of a male Polar Bear sleeping on the floating sea ice I the Fjords of Eastern Spitsbergen portrays the growing concern of global warming and how Polar bears blindly trust ice for survival.

Image Source: sipacontest.com

2Fragile Ice-2nd place-Ice-Marcin Dobas (PL)

A shot of fancy types of icebergs in Disko Bay originating from the Jakobshavn glacier. The formations have been caused by melting ice because of global warming.

Image Source: www.fotopolis.pl

3Fragile ice 3rd place-Ludovico-Pedro Armestre (ES)

Taken by photographer Pedro Armestre in Svalbard when Greenpeace held a performance with famous Italian composer and pianist Ludovico Einaudi on the Arctic Ocean to create awareness and promote its protection.

Image Source: www.savethearctic.org

4Journeys and Adventures-1st place-At world’s end-Alessandra Meniconzi (CH)

Taken in Yamal Siberia of a Nenet girl collecting wood. The Nenets are the last of the nomadic tribes existing in Russia who live in the most inhospitable conditions where winter temperatures drop to -40 degrees centigrade. The little girl’s name is Olya and she is 6 years old.

Image Source: sipacontest.com

5Journeys and Adventures-2nd place-Selfie Culture-Jelena Jankovic (RS)

Taken during the Massive Attack concert in Pula, Croatia showing how the selfie culture has grown to dominate the young generation.

Image Source: www.hk01.com

6Journeys and Adventures-3rd place-Poplars in Sand Sea- Chuansheng Wang (CHN)

Koral in the South of Xinjiang during October. Koral is the home of the pear tree and this desert region is full of it. The autumn colors captured here is fantastic.

Image Source: hronika.info

7Journeys and Adventures-3rd place-Eve teasing-Pronob Ghosh-Ind (BD)

Taken in Lalbagh, Bangalore India, this is an incredible shot with a very suitable caption symbolic of the harassment and eve teasing women face in India.

Image Source: sipacontest.com

8Animals in the Environment-1st place-Attack-Sergey Gorshkov (RU)

Take in Wrangel Island, Russia where millions of snow geese come to nest from North America. The area is the world’s largest breeding ground for snow geese where arctic foxes regularly come to prey in the eggs.

Image Source: sipacontest.com

9Animals in the Environment-2nd place-Pandas gone-wild-Ami Vitali (US)

This was taken in Wolong China and is a shot of YeYe a 16-year-old Panda in Wolong conservation center. Her Cub was recently released into the wild after two years of special training.

Image Source: www.worldpressphoto.org

10Animals in their Environment-3rd place-Baby Sea Lion-Fillipo Borghi-(IT)

While the photographer was diving in the waters off Mexico, he came across this baby sea lion and clicked the photo instantly.

Image Source: www.sipacontest.com

11Animals in their Environment-honorable mention-different ways-Panos Laskarakis-(GR)

A spectacular photo taken on a winter morning on the border of Namibia and Angola. These are antelopes that usually cross this area of the desert to locate water.

Image Source: panoslaskarakis.com

12Animals in the wild-Remarkable award- L’ora Del Lunch-Marco Mercuri (IT)

This is a fantastic shot of bears having just climbed out of the water searching for fish. The guy in the middle has a real mean expression on his face too.

Image Source: www.marcomercuri.it

13Animals in their environment-remarkable award-Peak-Peter Sabok (HR)

Truly deserving of a remarkable award, this shot of a kingfisher with its food and sitting o a branch even as the frost is melting is beyond words.

Image Source: sipacontest.com

14Beauty of Nature -1st place-Beast-James Smart (AU)

The beauty of nature category where the photographer chasing this storm in Black Hawk, South Dakota USA found the perfect shot and timing. The storm developed into a supercell.

Image Source: www.dailymail.co.uk

15Beauty of Nature-2nd place-Middle Earth-Enrico Fossati (IT)

Take in Assiniboine Provincial Park where the beauty of the Alpine landscape looks straight of a JR Tolkien story and can easily be mistaken for Middle Earth.

Image Source: www.pinterest.com

16Beauty of Nature –Honorable Mention-Pine Rock lightening and full moon- Miguel Angel Artus Illana (ES)

Taken in Tossa di Mar Guirona Spain, this is a remarkable shot taken with long exposure so that the lightning too could be captured at the precise moment. The entire image has been lit up because of the full moon.

Image Source: sipacontest.com

17Sports in action-1st place-Great Britain Team-Tim Clayton (US)

Taken during the Rio Olympics in Brazil, this is a shot of the British cycling team winning the gold medal and breaking a world record in the men’s pursuit race.

Image Source: sipacontest.com

18Sports in action-2nd place-Superman Monfils-Jason O Brien (AU)

A photograph of Gael Monfils of France diving to hit the ball at his fourth-round match i9 the Australian Open Tennis tournament held in Melbourne.

Image Source: sipacontest.com

19Sports in action-Remarkable award-hanging by a thread-Andrea Rizzi

Another dramatic and spectacular photograph of the mountainside even as the climber looks just a speck against the rocks.

Image Source: sipacontest.com

20Fascinating Faces and characters-Remarkable award-Red persimmon-Xiaolin Fan (CHN)

A beautiful shot of a Chinese girl in full traditional attire and sitting atop what appears to be a peach or large cherry tree.

Image Source: sipacontest.com

21General –Remarkable award-Manfred Daams and Mette Hansen (DE)

This looks as if it is straight out of some painting. The overtly stationery looks of the subjects and the colors of the canvas make it ethereal.

Image Source: fineartphotoawards.com

22Storytelling-Remarkable award-Fleeing death-Szymon Barylski (Ie)

This is one of a series of monochromes submitted in the storytelling category that highlights the ongoing refugee crisis which seems to have no solution in sight.

Image Source: photogrvphy.com

23Urban Landscapes-Remarkable award-Flatiron building in the snowstorm-Michelle Palazzo (US)

A beautifully timed shot of the flatiron building during a snowstorm

Image Source: www.ephotozine.com

24Journeys and Adventures-Remarkable award-Caramel- Aristeidis Apostolopoulos

Almost every photograph in this category deserves special mention as you can see each shot has ben clicked with perfect timing.

Image Source: sipacontest.com

25Fascinating faces and Characters-Honorable mention-Heavy Load - Chunshui Yu (CN)

Taken in Butou Sichuan where small children are usually made to carry such loads to feed livestock.

Image Source: sipacontest.com

26Under 20-3rd place-Blood and Pain-Nermesh Singh Gurdib Singh (MY)

This is what the author an under 20 teenager wrote for his submission “Can you tell me? How shall I educate myself when war is going on every single day?

Image Source: felesteen.ps

27Fragile Ice-Honorable mention –Spring time-Marina Malikova

This is a shot taken at Baikal Lake in Russia which freezes gradually. This part of the Olkhon Caves where stalactites regular appears after snow storms.

Image Source: www.sipacontest.com

28Journeys and Adventures-Honorable mention-A dream come true-Nadia Aly (US)

This is one incredible photograph with the first swim along with an ever obliging and interactive humpback whale. This is an adventure of a lifetime where the subject is dancing with whales.

Image Source: sipacontest.com

29Author of the year-Amy Vitale-Pandas in the Wild

US photographer on contract with National Geographic, Amy Vitale won the award of an author of the year award her series of photographs I the storytelling category depicting the conservation effects of the Hetaoping Wolong Panda center in China.

Image Source: www.huffingtonpost.com

30SIPA Photographer of the year-Sandhill Cranes-Randy Olsen (US)

The overall contest winner of the Siena Photography awards was renowned National Geographic photographer Randy Olsen for his fantastic shot of lightning strikes captures at Ogallala Aquifer near Wood River Nebraska. What is spectacular is the flock of cranes flying against the lightening backdrop.

Image Source: www.pinterest.com


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