The All About Photo Awards, alongside competition juror and renowned photographer Steve McCurry, have revealed a collection of winning photographs that represents the beauty and complexity of our world today.
Here we bring you a selection of some of the award winning photographs and merit winners from the All About Photo Awards, with selections by juror and photographer Steve McCurry.
First place winner. Intern, Megan Day, 20, works in Margaret Hunter’s Millnery Shop at Colonial Williamsburg on Tuesday July 15, 2025 in Williamsburg, VA. This image was part of a story looking at the life of founding father, Thomas Jefferson. He was a resident of Williamsburg in different periods of his life. Picture: Matt McClain/Courtesy All About PhotoSecond place winner. “Obscura” looks at the nature of social sharing through the lens of a self-portrait artist, questioning the ways we alter, obscure, and share ourselves so willingly in today’s culture. “I have been a self-portrait artist for seventeen years, curating my “sense of self” and “public persona” very intentionally,” explains the photographer. Picture: Brooke Shaden3rd place Winner. “From a previous trip to West Africa, I was familiar with the Celestial Church, the white attire, and the hat women devotees wear when they attend church service,” said the photographer. “On a random walk near the Benin/Togo border, I noticed these women resting and chatting, presumably after attending a service, sitting in front of a gray wall where white circles had been painted. I was amazed by the juxtaposition of the hats and the circles.” Picture: France LeclercFourth Place Winner. “The photograph is part of a larger photographic project that took me to Tunisia,” states the photographer. “The image belongs to what we call street photography. It’s a spontaneous picture of a woman sleeping peacefully in a train car traveling from Carthage to the Tunisian capital.” Picture: Javier ArcenillasThis image was taken at the Yamuna Ghat near Jama Masjid in Delhi. A man comes here regularly as part of his daily ritual to feed migrating birds along the riverbank. Picture: Tittu Shaji ThomasThis photograph was captured in the summer of 2025 in Amdo County, Nagqu, Tibet, during the magnificent annual Horse Racing Festival. Picture: Cheng ZhuThe photographer explained: “As I explored along the Thu Bon River in Hoi An, it was the vibrant blue of the fishing net that stayed with me long after witnessing this scene. A local woman was patiently mending a huge net by hand, and beyond the striking colour, it was a tradition living through her meticulous craft.” Picture: Marie KentThe Lambe-Sujo e Caboclinhos is one of the most fascinating popular street theaters in Brazil, deeply rooted in the state of Sergipe, Brazil. This cultural manifestation is a living and epic representation of a painful piece of history, yet one of great resistance: the escape of enslaved people and the formation of the quilombos (maroon communities). Picture: Cesare SimioniIn a rudimentary coastal shelter, fishermen wait as winds intensify in the hours before Cyclone Ditwah reaches the shore. The storm would later devastate parts of Southeast Asia and claim hundreds of lives in Sri Lanka alone. Picture: Thibault Gerbaldi“I found this spot in the labyrinth of narrow alleys in Harar, Ethiopia, where time seems to linger between the silent walls. I waited patiently, trusting that someone would come walking down the narrow alley,” said the photographer. Picture: Gabi Steiner
