SHANGRALA'S
SIENA
PHOTO
AWARDS 2!
The judges of the Siena International Photo Awards had the unenviable task
of sifting through submissions from 156 countries. Nevertheless, the results
are in and the winners of the 2026 competition are here! We've gathered some
of the best photographs that caught the judges' attention. Enjoy! :)
A Powerful Onset By Marco Di Marco
The Beauty Of Nature, 1st Classified
Eruptions of the Svartsengi volcanic system initially unfold in a
rapid and powerful way: within minutes, the ground tears open,
forming fissures up to one kilometer long, from which lava emerges
violently, creating high lava fountains and incandescent flows. At
Sundhnukagigar, during the November 20, 2024 event, the winter
night was lit by an orange glow as activity progressively
concentrated into a few eruptive vents.
Shark Portal By Linda Ness
Underwater Life, 2nd Classified
During the annual Sardine Run off the Transkei Coast of South Africa,
Linda spent three days freediving amidst massive shoals of sardines
trapped against a headland. She descended into an almost surreal
underwater world - a parallel universe where sharks swirled, appearing
and disappearing into the blue. Among them, a massive dusky shark, an
apex predator, moved effortlessly within the bait ball during this
extraordinary migratory spectacle. In that presence, an unexpected
sense of calm could be felt.
Sleeping Beauty By Felix Bell
Animals In Their Environment, 3rd Classified
From a ship deep within the Arctic pack ice north of Svalbard, in the summer
of 2025, a tuft of fur emerging from a distant ice wall catches Felix's
attention. In this remote polar environment, where sea ice thins each summer
due to rising temperatures, encounters with wildlife are increasingly rare
and unpredictable. Driven by curiosity, he launches his drone and approached
slowly. As the distance narrowed, the scene gradually revealed itself: a
polar bear is asleep, its body curled within a crack beside an extraordinary
formation of glacial ice of an intense and almost unreal shade of blue.
Felix keeps the drone high, careful not to break the spell of the moment or
disturb the bear's peaceful rest. Then, with the same gentleness with which
he had arrived, he withdrew, leaving the bear to its dreams, alone in the
frozen realm it calls home.
Highlands By Marco Gaiotti
Animals In Their Environment, 2nd Classified
A gelada perches on a rock in the Ethiopian highlands at sunset. Endemic to
Ethiopia, this primate - also known as the 'bleeding-heart baboon' for the
distinctive reddish patch on the chest of males, a sign of health and
dominance - is the only primate in the world that feeds almost exclusively
on grass, which it selects with agile, precise fingers. It spends the nights
clinging to rocky ledges along steep escarpments, where the altitude and
steep walls protect it from predators. In the background, amid threatening
clouds, the jagged peaks of the Simien Mountains rise, a volcanic massif in
northern Ethiopia with deep gorges and spectacular basalt cliffs. Declared a
UNESCO World Heritage Site, they host the world's largest concentration of
geladas and other endemic species in a high-altitude ecosystem often above
3,000 meters.
Power Play By Kevin Shi
Animals In Their Environment, 1st Classified
A moment of intense tension as a female puma attempts to capture a guanaco.
For days, Kevin had been following the predator, a mother of two cubs who
depended on her for food. At dawn, after observing the guanaco for a long
time, the puma cautiously approaches and launches her attack, repeatedly
trying to pull it down and bite into its neck to suffocate it. Despite the
intensity of the struggle, the guanaco ultimately manages to escape.
Back To Fishing By Romain Barats
Underwater Life, Highly Commended
A group of Gentoo penguins speeds through the icy waters of the Antarctic
summer at Port Charcot. At this time of year, penguins rapidly build
colonies on the Antarctic Peninsula, finding in this sheltered bay-surrounded
by mountains and icebergs-an ideal refuge. Romain and his companions anchored
their sailboat for three days near the colony. Every day they immersed
themselves in the freezing waters to observe these incredibly curious birds,
which repeatedly approached to investigate their presence. During a freediving
session, a vast group of penguins suddenly passed above him, diving in unison
to feed on krill. Clumsy on land, in water they transform into fast and
perfectly agile swimmers. In just moments, Romain found himself surrounded by
over 200 individuals, immersed in the midst of their frenzied activity.
The Dark Knight By Ben Thouard
Sports In Action, 2nd Classified
A rare and fleeting alignment unfolds beneath the surface in Teahupo'o,
Tahiti, French Polynesia. Captured from underwater, the surfer becomes
a dark silhouette gliding along the wave's face, framed by a luminous
ribbon of light slicing through the water. The slow shutter speed
softens the chaos above into a celestial texture, while the perfect
alignment of wave and surfer, combined with the reflection of light,
transforms the wave itself into a sculptural, dreamlike form.
Suspended between motion and stillness, the scene reveals the duality
of the ocean: both powerful and serene. In this instant, light, water,
and human presence merge into a single, timeless vision, creating an
almost surreal composition.
Jumping Javelineer By Dean Mouhtaropoulos
Sports In Action, 1st Classified
Para-athlete Guillermo Varona Gonzalez of Team Cuba prepares to compete in
he Men's Javelin Throw F46 Final on day three of the 2025 World Para
Athletics Championships at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, on September 29, 2025.
The F46 class features standing athletes with upper limb impairments, who
adapt their technique to throw the javelin for maximum distance. Varona
secured the bronze medal with a throw of 63.34 meters.
Guardian Of The Cattle By Alessandro Bergamini
Journeys & Adventures, 3rd Classified
In South Sudan, the Mundari tribe-a Nilotic pastoral people with
deep cultural and social roots-has preserved its customs and
traditions unchanged for centuries. Their economy revolves around
cattle, with which they live in an almost symbiotic relationship.
Roaming the banks of the White Nile, they migrate to ensure
grazing for their precious animals: the majestic, large-horned
Ankole-Watusi cows and bulls, regarded as true family members,
status symbols, wealth and even a form of currency. At dusk, as a
young herder watches over the camp from above, the silhouettes of
the animals meld with the golden light of the sunset. It is the
story of a timeless bond between man and land, where responsibility,
identity, and tradition are passed down intact from generation to
generation.
Commotion In The Ocean By Nur Tucker
Underwater Life, 1st Classified
A chaotic underwater struggle unfolds as northern gannets compete
fiercely for discarded fish. What begins as a frantic aerial dive
quickly transforms beneath the waves into a violent battle for
survival. This intense feeding frenzy exposes the unseen
consequences of human fishing activity-an artificial abundance
that distorts natural behavior, pushing these seabirds into
dangerous and exhausting competition.
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The Fan Out By Olesia Kim
Street Photography, 2nd Classified
During the Notting Hill Carnival, London's West End transforms into a whirlwind
of steel pans, booming sound systems, and vibrant masquerade bands. This event,
Europe's largest street festival celebrating Caribbean culture since 1966,
attracts millions of visitors each year. Under the sweltering August sun,
attendees from all over the world cool themselves with bright fans, becoming
part of the living performance. In this intimate frame, three figures hide
behind ornate fans. Their rhythmic waving, set against a backdrop of raw urban
graffiti, adds a sophisticated, fluttering layer to the carnival's famous
kaleidoscope of colors, turning a simple gesture of cooling down into an
exuberant choreography.
The Ones Who Stay By Ringo Chiu
Documentary & Photojournalism, Commended
A firefighter's shadow is cast on the wall of a burning home as wind-driven
embers fly during the Palisades Fire. Amid a powerful windstorm on the west
side of Los Angeles, crews worked to contain the fast-moving flames on
January 8, 2025.
The Flying Horse By Matteo Botta
Under 20, 2nd Classified
The Menorquin Fiestas and Jaleos are vibrant traditional celebrations
with roots dating back to the Medieval period, held every summer across
Menorca's main towns. In a remarkable display of horsemanship, skilled
riders dressed in traditional costumes guide their Menorcan horses at a
gallop through densely packed crowds, in a thrilling atmosphere of
music, cheering, and festivity. At the heart of the festivities is the
'bot'-a movement in which the rider makes the horse rear up on its hind
legs-while spectators try to touch the horse's chest, a gesture long
considered to bring good luck. These fiestas remain one of the most
extraordinary and authentic folk traditions in the Mediterranean.
Urban Puzzle By Luca Paccusse
Street Photography, 1st Classified
Amid the chaos of Roman traffic and the warm glow of the sunset,
Luca is struck by a face on a poster at the bus stop. After a
few minutes of waiting, he manages to compose this interlocking
of gazes, which intertwine and overlap, capturing the layers and
complexity of a city where diverse identities merge and blur,
like tiles in an ever-shifting urban mosaic.
Trouble On The Double By Seb Daly
Sports In Action, Highly Commended
Jockey Jamie Lee Scallan and Empire Soldier narrowly avoid Stealthy Tom
and jockey Simon Derek Torrens, who remain on the ground after a fall,
as they soar over Ruby's Double-a demanding double grass obstacle built
in 1995 in honor of legendary Irish jockey Ruby Walsh Sr.-on the cross-
country course at Punchestown in County Kildare. The action takes place
during the third day of the Punchestown Festival, Ireland's premier
National Hunt event, held every April, which attracts top competitors
and large crowds and is regarded as the Irish equivalent of the
Cheltenham Festival. With clods of earth flying through the air, Scallan
maintains balance and momentum as his horse stretches mid-leap, in a
moment of pure peril and precision.
Weightless Morning By Thibault Gerbaldi
Journeys & Adventures, Highly Commended
In rural Bali, children grow up among rice paddies and jungle. Kites
occupy a central place in village life, as they are symbols of
prosperity and spiritual connections to the gods. They serve as ritual
tools to communicate with the divine, acting as a bridge between the
earthly and the spiritual realm. Their tradition is passed down from
father to son, with boys learning from a very young age the craft of
shaping bamboo, sewing silk, and assembling lightweight frames. Built
collectively and flown during the dry season, they reflect agricultural
rhythms and family traditions. On a quiet path, a boy leaps into the
morning light to catch his homemade kite. Far from screens and traffic,
his play reflects a slower rhythm of life-immersed in nature,
creativity, and joy. In these still corners of the world, time stretches
differently.
Morning In A Burned Valley By Pinu Rahman
Documentary & Photojournalism, Highly Commended
Early in the morning, after a devastating fire swept through the
Korail slum near Dhaka's Mohakhali-Gulshan area, a family rests
beneath the open sky, surrounded by the charred remains of their
own home, reduced to rubble by the blaze of the previous night.
Mating Mandarin Fish By Luc Rooman
Underwater Life, 3rd Classified
In December 2025, Luc spent two weeks in the Lembeh Strait, exploring
its volcanic seabed to document the underwater microcosm. During a
dusk dive, he focused on the elusive mandarinfish, a species renowned
for its extraordinary and fleeting twilight mating ritual. These small,
vividly colored fish emerge from the coral in pairs, briefly rising into
the water column to complete reproduction, before vanishing in a
fraction of a second. After countless attempts and patient waiting, Luc
managed to capture the exact moment of the nuptial ascent, immortalizing
the chromatic harmony and fragility of this brief instant.
Pickering Hotel 4 By Chin Leong Teo
Journeys & Adventures, Highly Commended
The Parkroyal Collection Pickering Hotel feels like a lush vertical
garden in the heart of Singapore. Its swimming pool is framed by
sky-gardens and cabanas that offer a serene retreat, creating a
verdant architecture that contrasts dramatically with the hectic
streets below.
Amina By Stefano Rosselli
Photo Of The Year
Amina, an Afghan girl, perfectly embodies the condition of Afghan women:
a life spent in the shadows, confined within the walls of her home, her
eyes struggling to glimpse a future that, for now, remains steeped in
darkness. In any other corner of the globe, the right to fight for a
better life exists, but this is not the case for Afghan women, who are
deprived of the right to work and their independence-the only weapons to
change their destiny. In Afghanistan, moreover, there is not a single day
of respite; it is a vortex of emotions that overwhelms you at every turn.
Entering the homes of those who have lost everything reveals a chorus of
identical stories: families where the death or disappearance of men has
left an unfillable void, silencing all hope. They are all defined by the
sad awareness that a happy ending will probably never be written by anyone.
Images Source
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