Celebrated Photographer Steve McCurry Picked the Winners of This Photo Contest

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left, a person climbs a rope ladder in a misty forest; center, an Indigenous child holds colorful feathers, gazing ahead; right, a person with painted skin stands among a crowd, looking at the camera.

All About Photo (AAP) has announced the winners of the 2026 All About Photo Awards, marking the 11th anniversary edition of The Mind’s Eye competition. The annual program highlights international photographic work spanning documentary, conceptual, and fine art practices. This year’s selection was judged by acclaimed photographer Steve McCurry.

Global Scope and Jury

The awarded works represent photographers from 15 countries across four continents, reflecting a wide range of visual approaches and cultural perspectives. Submissions included documentary photography, conceptual projects, and observational work rooted in everyday life.

Steve McCurry’s selection emphasizes images that move between personal narrative and broader global themes, highlighting photography’s role as both documentation and interpretation.

About Steve McCurry

Steve McCurry has been one of the most widely recognized figures in contemporary photography for more than four decades. Born in Philadelphia, he studied film and fine art photography at Pennsylvania State University before beginning a freelance career that soon led him to extensive work across South Asia.

Early in his career, McCurry traveled through the region with minimal equipment, documenting daily life and cultural change. His work gained international attention after he was embedded with Afghan refugees during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, producing some of the earliest widely published images of the conflict.

Over the course of his career, McCurry has focused on conflicts, disappearing traditions, and contemporary life, with a consistent emphasis on human-centered storytelling. He has published more than 20 books, including Monsoon, Portraits, India, Afghanistan, and Devotion, and has presented numerous exhibitions worldwide.

His work has been recognized with major industry honors, including the Robert Capa Gold Medal, the Centenary Medal from the Royal Photographic Society, and his appointment as a Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters by the French Ministry of Culture. He is also an inductee of the International Photography Hall of Fame.

About the Awards

Founded in 2015, the All About Photo Awards, also known as The Mind’s Eye, is an annual international photography competition open to all genres and levels of experience. The program recognizes images that combine strong artistic vision with social, cultural, or environmental significance, positioning photography as both an expressive and documentary medium.

Each year, the competition receives submissions from photographers across the globe, representing a wide range of countries, cultures, and photographic traditions.

From the United States to Spain, from India to Indonesia, and from China to France, these images cross borders while remaining deeply rooted in specific places and lived experiences. Whether capturing the quiet weight of history in Window to the Past, the introspective complexity of identity in Obscura, or the cultural rhythms of daily life in West Africa and Cuba, each photograph contributes to a broader, interconnected narrative,” All about Photo says.

“Yet this diversity represents only part of the story. The competition attracted submissions from more than 500 photographers worldwide, spanning an even wider range of countries, cultures, and continents. The final selection is therefore both a distillation and a celebration — an edited constellation of voices that reflects the vast creative energy behind it.”

Inspired by the idea of photography as a balance between observation, emotion, and composition, the awards aim to highlight diverse perspectives on contemporary life through visual storytelling.

Top Winners

A person is seen through a foggy windowpane with red frames, their figure blurred by condensation. A house and some trees are visible outside, faintly reflected in the glass.

This image was made as part of a broader project exploring the life and legacy of Thomas Jefferson, photographed across historical sites connected to him, including Williamsburg, Virginia. The scene captures a misted window created by humid summer air, which McClain worked carefully over time to incorporate into the composition. The photograph reflects Jefferson’s enduring historical presence as the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, connecting atmosphere, place, and memory through a quiet, contemplative moment.

A surreal figure with flowing hair and a shadowy body blends into a textured, sepia-toned background. The head has a triangular opening revealing a solemn, partially hidden human face inside.

A conceptual self-portrait exploring how people construct, alter, and obscure their identities through public sharing. The work reflects on the tension between curated self-expression and the unintended consequences of revealing oneself in a digitally driven culture, questioning what is lost or transformed in the process of self-exposure.

Four women in white dresses and head coverings sit and stand against a gray wall with large white polka dots, engaged in conversation. The ground is sandy with scattered banana peels.

Captured near the Benin/Togo border, the image shows women associated with the Celestial Church resting after a service. Their white attire and distinctive hats contrast with a grey wall marked by painted circles, creating a striking visual harmony. The moment highlights cultural identity, ritual, and everyday presence in a quiet, observational way.

A woman in a dark headscarf sits by a window on a dimly lit bus, eyes closed. Next to her, another woman wears a patterned scarf. In the foreground, a wide-brimmed beige hat partially obscures the scene.

A spontaneous street photograph taken inside a train traveling from Carthage to Tunis, capturing a woman sleeping peacefully. The image focuses on an unposed, transient moment, emphasizing stillness within motion and the quiet humanity found in everyday travel.

Two men walk down a street carrying boxes in front of a weathered building with a line of laundry hanging above them. The scene is in black and white, with bright sunlight casting strong shadows.

In Havana’s Casablanca district, two boys are seen walking home carrying cages with small songbirds. The image reflects a long-standing Cuban tradition of keeping birds for their song, a practice rooted in cultural history and domestic life. The scene captures both innocence and tradition within an everyday urban moment.

Notably, three women photographers were placed among the top five selections.

Themes and Visual Storytelling

The remaining winning images span a broad thematic range, including social documentation, environmental concerns, cultural tradition, and personal reflection. Some works address urgent global issues such as labor conditions and climate impact, while others focus on quieter, observational moments drawn from everyday life.

Across the selection, the competition highlights photography’s continued ability to merge documentary practice with artistic interpretation, allowing multiple forms of storytelling to coexist.

A child with only their head and shoulders above dark water looks up, eyes wide. Wet handprints are visible on the stone ledge in front of them. The image is in black and white.

Interior of an empty, old bus at night, illuminated by warm, orange streetlights from outside the windows, creating dramatic shadows and reflections on the seats and floor.

Black and white photo of a shoe-shine shop with three men sitting on raised chairs and two workers below; one worker leans on a railing, while the other sits and reads a newspaper. Price list and clock are visible on the wall.

A nun in a blue habit walks past a colorful mural depicting two popes in white robes and ornate headpieces, with one smiling and raising his arms, set against a backdrop of greenery and rocks.

A black-and-white photo shows police officers arresting a man near a large horse. The horse dominates the foreground, while officers and onlookers stand behind, capturing the tense scene.

A person covered in dust, with only their hands and arms visible, emerges from a pile of bricks in a dim, dusty environment; bricks and debris surround them.

A person wearing a conical hat and red shirt sits surrounded by blue fishing nets, arranging or repairing them, viewed from above.

Molten lava flows down a dark landscape, glowing bright orange and red. In the background, a line of fire burns intensely, with thick smoke billowing upwards into the night sky.

A synchronized swimmer in a colorful swimsuit and white cap performs a complex jump above a pool, tucking her legs while water splashes below and another swimmer's legs are visible at the surface.

A sunlit church stands in a green valley surrounded by dark, forested hills, with dramatic, jagged mountains and scattered clouds in the background.

A person swims underwater above three large sperm whales in deep blue ocean, with sunlight streaming down from the surface.

A nun in a white habit stands ironing clothes in a dimly lit room with tiled floors and two windows. A white robe hangs in the foreground, partially obscuring the view.

A shirtless young man stands in a dimly lit room, pulling on dark pants. A white dress shirt hangs on the wall beside him, and black pipes run along the wall in the background.

A person in a red jacket rides a bicycle along the edge of a frozen surface covered in dark circular cracks and starburst patterns, seen from above.

Aerial view of a red car in a snowy parking lot with circular tire tracks surrounding it; a small structure and scattered bushes are visible among the parking spaces.

A young child holds a stick decorated with two colorful feathers, one blue and one red, in front of their face while three other children stand barefoot in the background outdoors. They all have dark hair and are shirtless.

A person rides a bicycle in front of a large modern building with a circular window, showcasing geometric lines and patterns in a black and white composition.

A woman in a blue dress holds a decorative hand fan above her head, casting shadows on her face, with tall modern buildings in the background under bright sunlight.

A person stands in shadow next to a column, while two large shadows and pigeons appear on the sunlit ground. The background features a beige brick wall with closed white garage doors.

A person wearing a long coat and head covering walks along a narrow, winding cobblestone alley between high, textured walls in a sunlit, deserted street.

Two men in traditional Middle Eastern clothing gesture and speak as a camel is lifted by a crane, while other camels and people are nearby, possibly at a market or festival, under a partly cloudy sky.

A person wearing blue gloves uses a measuring tape to measure a newborn baby lying on a white cloth in a medical setting.

A silhouette of a heron with outstretched wings flies among trees draped with Spanish moss, illuminated against a bright sky in a dramatic black-and-white scene.

A person in elaborate traditional costume and mask stands amid dense smoke, while people around them hold lit flares during an outdoor celebration or festival. Houses and power lines are visible in the background.

A silhouette of a person in traditional attire with a hair ornament stands near a red door with a lion head knocker, against a yellow wall illuminated by sunlight.

A boy in a cowboy hat aims a slingshot directly at the camera, with intense focus in his eyes. The photo is in black and white, and a car and cloudy sky are visible in the background.

A group of people covered in dark body paint stand closely together; at the center, a child looks directly at the camera amid the crowd, droplets of water visible on their skin and clothing.

An American flag at half-staff waves in the wind on a barren field beside a cornfield under a dark, cloudy sky, creating a somber and dramatic atmosphere.

A black and white photo shows the silhouette of a person's head and upper body cast on a scalloped sheet, with another person walking behind the sheet, only their legs visible beneath it.

A person stands on a small boat in the middle of calm water, surrounded by vibrant yellow and orange hues, creating a surreal, dreamlike atmosphere with gentle ripples around the boat.

A group of young monks in red robes and orange hats play with a ball outside a monastery built into a rocky, snowy mountainside. Colorful prayer flags hang nearby.

A person in protective clothing climbs a rope ladder on a rocky cliff, surrounded by large honeycombs and swarms of bees, harvesting honey with baskets.

A silhouette of a person riding a bicycle, framed by a lightbulb shape in darkness, with glowing bokeh dots along the lower edge, creating a dreamy, surreal atmosphere.

A blurred figure of a person in a white skirt and dark top is seen walking outside through a rain-soaked, foggy window, with water droplets on the glass. The background is urban and indistinct.

A woman with short hair is seen through a foggy, rain-streaked window. Soft, warm light illuminates her face as she looks downward, creating a moody, contemplative atmosphere.

A person wrapped in a shawl stands by a river at sunrise, accompanied by a dog. Birds fly overhead, and people are seen on a boat and along the riverbank in the background.

An elderly man wearing a turban smokes while looking at the camera, with smoke swirling around his face. An elderly woman sits slightly blurred in the background. The photo is in black and white.

A blurred image of a Kathakali dancer in vibrant costume and elaborate headgear, with bold face paint and traditional attire, set against a warm, textured background.

A modern glass building shows reflections of an older building and colorful chairs inside. Pedestrians walk by on the sidewalk, and a yellow bicycle is parked near a sign reading "75 York Road.

A person sits among large, round, weathered objects tied with ropes in a dimly lit, crowded space. The scene is in black and white, highlighting contrast and texture.

Exhibition and Recognition

The All About Photo Awards provide a total of $5,000 in cash prizes, along with significant international exposure for selected photographers. Winning and finalist images are featured in AAP Magazine, included in curated online exhibitions, and distributed across partner media platforms that reach a global audience of editors, curators, and photography professionals.

Organizers describe the awards as a platform supporting visual storytelling across all levels of experience. The focus is not limited to technical perfection, but instead prioritizes originality, narrative strength, and cultural or emotional relevance. This approach encourages photographers to submit work that reflects meaningful engagement with contemporary life rather than purely aesthetic concerns.

Over time, the awards have evolved into both a competitive showcase and an annual curated archive of global photography. Each edition brings together a wide range of voices and perspectives, offering a snapshot of how photographers around the world interpret and document the present moment.

Image credits: Individual artists as credited, Courtesy All About Photo

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