The world's best smartphone photographers revealed in IPPAWARDS winners 2019

NZ Herald

29 Jul, 2019 09:17 PM2 mins to read

The top pictures were chosen from a pool of thousands from 140 countries. Photo / Supplied, IPPAWARDS

"The best camera to use is the one you have at hand," goes the old adage.

Just looking at the winners of this year's international iPhone Photography Awards, you can't help but see a talented photographer can produce some stunning results armed with just a smartphone camera.

The world's most skilled smartphone photographers have been recognised in the 2019 IPhone photography awards, the IPPAWARDS.

In each of the thousands of entries submitted from 140 countries were photographed using a smartphone or tablet.

These winning images were taken with a little lens and a lot of skill.

Launched in 2007, the same year as the iPhone was first sold, smartphone cameras and the standard of photos improved year upon year.

The awards founder Kenan Aktulun, told the Herald that the judging process "is done in several steps by a panel of 8 - 10 members. [This panel] consists of photographers, creative directors, architects, media buyers, designers and a design professor."

From the sixty shortlisted photos from this year's crop, you can't help but marvel and ask yourself "how come my holiday pictures don't look like that?"

The judging process saw the panel of industry experts whittle down submissions to just 18 category winners and one grand prize.

The winning shot this year was taken by Gabriella Cigliano from Italy, whose entry Big Sister was of a portrait of two girls playing on the beach in Tanzania.

Think your best holiday snap measures up to these pictures?

Entries are open for next year's competition. You can enter as many of your pictures as you like. The only provision being that they were taken on an apple iPhone or tablet and haven't appeared anywhere else, beyond personal social media pages.