IPPAWARDS 2024: The best iPhone photos of the year

The iPhone Photography Awards (IPPAWARDS) once again demonstrated the possibilities of smartphone photography in 2024. The competition has been taking place since 2007.

In addition to the best picture, the photographers of the year as well as the winners, runners-up and third-place winners were honoured in 14 categories. The categories range from people to landscapes.

The winning images 2024

This year, the jury once again had to select the best from thousands of entries. Here are five of the winning images. You can find the other winners in all categories here.

Winner of the main prize

The grand prize goes to Erin Brooks for her "Boy Meets Shark" photo taken on the iPhone 15 Pro Max. The photo was taken in Tampa, Florida.

1st place: Photographer of the Year

The IPPAWARDS jury named the American Glen Wilbert Photographer of the Year. Among other things, he submitted the photo "Lifeguard Camp", which he took in Huntington Beach, California with the iPhone 11 Pro Max.

2nd place: Photographer of the Year

Second place went to Mogli Maureal, who was born in the Philippines. His entries include the image "Student shot", which he photographed in Ta Prohm, Siem Reap with the iPhone 15 Pro.

3rd place: Photographer of the Year

Third place went to Wenlong Jiang from China. He took his picture "Tucson Morning" in Fujian, China, with the iPhone 14.

1st place - Landscape

My personal favourite photo is first place in the Landscape category. Paddy Chao from Taiwan took this picture "Night sky over Lake Tekapo" at the lake of the same name in New Zealand with the iPhone 15 Pro Max.

What makes the IPPAWARDS so special?

In contrast to other photo competitions, only photos taken with an iPhone are eligible for the IPPAWARDS. The jury evaluates the submitted images according to criteria such as composition, creativity, technical realisation and the ability to tell a story.

The number of entries per person is not limited. 25 submitted images will cost 75.50 US dollars. Images submitted must be original size and no smaller than 1000 pixels in height or width. They must not have been previously published anywhere. However, articles on personal social media accounts are permitted.

The history of the IPPAWARDS

Kenan Aktülün launched the competition in 2007 and is still the curator of the IPPAWARDS today. The foundation coincided with the market launch of the first iPhone in the same year. He recognised the growing enthusiasm for smartphone photography and created a platform to honour the best iPhone photographers. Since then, the IPPAWARDS have grown steadily.

The current 14 categories include: Abstract, Animals, Architecture, Children, City Life/Cityscape, Landscape, Lifestyle, Nature, People, Portrait, Series (3 images), Still Life, Travel, Other. <p