16 Award-Winning Photographers Showcase the Power of iPhone

5 hours ago 11

a black cat sits against a black and white background, a volcano erupts at night with glowing lava, and a young girl runs barefoot on a beach carrying a bucket with waves crashing nearby.

The 2026 iPhone Photography Awards (IPPAWARDS) has announced the winners of its 20th annual competition. This year, thousands of photographers from more than 140 countries showed just how powerful an iPhone can be in the right hands and how great photos don’t always require high-end, dedicated camera equipment.

This year’s overall winner is Robyn Jensen from the Cayman Islands for an incredible shot of a volcanic eruption shot on an iPhone 15 Pro using its main camera (24mm equivalent). The shot combines a starry night sky with vibrant, glowing lava to great effect.

A volcano erupts at night, spewing bright red lava and smoke under a starry sky. Glowing lava streams flow down the dark slopes, illuminating the eruption.

Beyond Jensen’s Grand Prize victory, the iPhone Photography Awards also selected Gold, Silver, and Bronze “Photographers of the Year.” These winners, Hungarian photographer Gellert Gombai, American Arnold Plotnick, and American Catherine Wang, each delivered very different but equally excellent photos. They also showed that photographers don’t necessarily need the latest and greatest iPhone models to capture incredible photos, as Gold Prize winner Gellert Gombai used an iPhone X for their winning shot. This phone came out in 2017, and its main camera image sensor is so small that it has a 7x crop factor.

Two children lying on grass in sunlight, with one holding a badminton racket over their face, creating a shadow pattern. A shuttlecock is nearby. The image is in black and white.

A black cat with bright eyes sits on a paved surface in front of a stark black and white background, blending into the shadows except for its eyes and faint outline.

A colorful parrot perches on a watermelon slice amid whole and cut watermelons and a watermelon-patterned bowl against a soft, cloudy sky background.

Category Winners

Alongside the overall winners above, the iPhone Photography Awards also celebrate great photos across specific categories, including Abstract, Animals, Landscape, Nature, Portrait, Street, and more. Only the category winners are featured here, while the runners-up and third-place winner can be seen on the iPhone Photography Awards website.

A car windshield covered in intricate frost patterns, resembling fern leaves, with a windshield wiper visible at the bottom and a glimpse of the red car hood.

Two dogs with light fur peek through parted white curtains at a window framed by brick and ivy, looking outside from inside a building.

A winding, illuminated road curves through dense greenery at night, leading to a modern building surrounded by trees. Warm lights trace the road’s edges, creating an S-shaped pattern amidst the dark landscape.

A young girl with curly hair runs barefoot on a beach, holding a bucket. Waves crash against rocks in the background, and houses sit on a hill beneath trees. The scene is in black and white.

A black-and-white photo of a cityscape shows birds flying over industrial buildings, with smoke rising from a tall chimney under a cloudy sky.

A dirt path winds through rolling hills covered in dry, golden-orange grass under a clear blue sky, with a few scattered trees dotting the hills.

A lifeguard wearing a red cap and yellow shirt sits under a red and yellow umbrella atop a lifeguard station, with a bright blue sky in the background.

A leafless tree stands on a small island, surrounded by thick mist over calm water, with soft blue and pink light in the sky, creating a serene and mysterious atmosphere.

A person showering on a beach in silhouette, with sunlight streaming through misted water and buildings, sand, and distant mountains visible in the background.

A black and white photo of a person stepping into a puddle, creating ripples. The person's shadow is clearly reflected in the water, while only their legs and white shoes are visible above the ground.

A person wearing a protective mask and goggles stands amid swirling smoke, dressed in a dark jacket with earphones dangling. The black-and-white image has an industrial, gritty atmosphere.

Three black-and-white photos show a misty swamp with tall, leafless trees, dense vegetation, and still water, creating an eerie and mysterious atmosphere.

The complete gallery of award-winning photos, including hundreds of Honorable Mentions, is available on the iPhone Photography Awards website. It is often said that the best camera is the one a photographer has with them. In many cases, that’s a smartphone. As the 2026 iPhone Photography Awards winners demonstrate, a phone can be an extremely good camera.

Image credits: iPhone Photography Awards. Individual photographers are credited in the captions.

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