Some of the least touristy spots from far corners of the globe were highlighted in the Siena International Photo Awards (SIPA) 2021, whose winners were announced last month, and whose works are now on display in Siena, Italy.
The competition garnered entries from thousands of photographers, professional and amateur, from 163 countries across the world. SIPA highlights artistic achievement in photography and promotes traditions, culture, and natural beauty, while raising awareness of places and peoples in sometimes obscure locales.
SIPA allowed The Epoch Times a peak at this year’s winners in categories ranging from: Street Photography, to Animals in their Environment, to The Beauty of Nature—plus the overall winner for Photo of the Year.
So now, we’re pleased to offer a glimpse of these inspiring scenes to you, our reader.
Photo of the Year
“Hardship of Life” by Turkish photographer Mehmet Aslan took the place of overall winner in SIPA 2021. The emotionally-charged shot was taken in the district of Reyhanli, in the Turkish province of Hatay, at the border with Syria.
A father, Munzir, who lost one leg when a bomb was dropped as he walked through a bazaar in Idlib, holds his son, Mustafa, who was born without lower or upper limbs due to a congenital disorder caused by medications during his mother’s treatment in the war in Syria. The photo was selected from tens of thousands of images submitted by photographers from 163 countries.
Street Photography
In “Street Photography,” Indian photographer Lopamudra Talukdar won with the image “Childhood,” showing children on a swing set at play in a courtyard in Havana.
Journeys & Adventures
Russian photographer Sergey Savvi won with “This is My Jungle!”—a picture of a wild elephant assailing a jeep filled with people on a dirt road in Yala National Park, Sri Lanka.
Fascinating Faces and Characters
The image “Zor” by Italian photographer Selene Magnolia, taken in the city of Plovdiv in Bulgaria, is the winning image in Fascinating Faces and Characters. A young bride is shown preparing for her wedding on a slum-like street in the crowded Roma ghetto of Stolipinovo.
The Beauty of Nature
In The Beauty of Nature, photographer Shirley Wung from Taiwan earned top prize with “Green Light Forest.” Shot in Wufeng in Taiwan, a mountain path amidst a lush forest is illuminated by a multitude of sparkling fireflies that give the landscape a fairytale-esque atmosphere.
Animals in their Environment
American photographer Ronan Donovan won Animals in their Environment with the image “Food for Weeks.” A camera trap placed inside a large muskox carcass was used to take this shot of a pack of 10 wolves, the members of which returned to feed for over a month.
Sports in Action
The image shot in Kolkata “Street Fighting” by Indian photographer Anupam Roy Chowdhury won in Sports in Action. Local wrestlers compete in a tournament at Raja Katra market on Diwali, one of India’s most important festivals.
Documentary & Photojournalism
Photographer Marcus Westberg from Sweden earned the top spot in Documentary & Photojournalism with “Captive,” which portrays a giant panda caged and alone in a facility in Shaanxi, China. The image juxtaposes “good” human intentions with the reality on the ground: in this case, a wild animal kept inhumanely in the name of conservation and repopulation.
Under 20
With “Buzzard at Dusk,” British photographer Ben Pulletz won in the category Under 20. The image, shot in Somerset, UK, portrays a buzzard in a tree, in which Ben used a sunset to highlight the bird as the shot’s focal point.
More SIPA 2021 Competition Winners and Runners-Up
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