The Phi Photography Awards has officially announced its 2025 winners, concluding a highly competitive global search for the world’s most exceptional visual storytellers. Celebrating the timeless dialogue between light, meaning, and composition, this year’s prestigious competition drew an impressive 3,000 submissions from 650 photographers representing 54 countries.
The 2025 edition culminated in the awarding of $2,400 in cash prizes, recognizing artists who successfully captured the “hidden order” of the world across nine distinct categories, ranging from raw photojournalism to majestic architectural and nature photography.
“We were profoundly moved by the sheer caliber and emotional depth of the work submitted this year,” said Babak Mehrafshar, Founder and Organizer of the Phi Photography Awards. “Photography is a universal language, and this year, artists from 54 nations showed us how they interpret the hidden rhythm of our world. Whether mastering the ancient rules of the Golden Ratio or bravely breaking them to create something entirely new, these winning images give us a vital reason to pause, observe, and understand the stories unfolding around us.”
Top Honors and Grand Prizes The highly coveted title of 2025 Photographer of the Year, accompanied by a $1,000 cash prize, was awarded to Xuejun Long (China). Long was celebrated by the international jury for a remarkable, consistent body of work that included breathtaking masterpieces such as Journey of Life and the poignant environmental piece, Morning Jog 2.
The special PHI Golden Ratio Prize, awarding $500 for flawless compositional mastery, went to Rita Kluge for Connoisseur—a stark, shocking, yet graceful underwater capture of a leopard seal hunting a penguin in Antarctica, serving as a brutal reminder of the fragile circle of life.
“To see 650 photographers trust us with their personal truths is an honor,” Mehrafshar added. “If their images carry a voice, our mission is to ensure those voices are heard on a global stage.”
2025 Category Winners ($100 Prize Recipients): Evaluated by a distinguished panel of international judges, the following artists took top honors in their respective categories:
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Advertising: Antonio Coelho — State of Mind: The Theater of the Modern Mind
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Architecture: Bernd Gantert — Auditorio de Tenerife
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Black & White: Xuejun Long — Morning Jog 2
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Editorial: Abdelrahman Alkahlout — No Escape: Civilians Trapped in Gaza
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Fine Art: Foteini Zaglara — Je est une autre
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Minimalist: Thomas De Franzoni — The Gathering
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Nature: Alberto Jose Moreno Jurado — Molinos De Papel
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People: Lisa Tomasetti — The Australian Ballet on the International Stage
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Special Category: Alberto Jose Moreno Jurado — Molinos De Papel
