2019 iPhone Photography Award Winners Announced - MacRumorsOpen MenuShow RoundupsShow Forums menuVisit ForumsOpen Sidebar
Skip to Content

2019 iPhone Photography Award Winners Announced

The winners of the 12th annual iPhone Photography Awards were unveiled today.

This year's recipients were selected from thousands of entries from over 140 countries around the world, including Australia, Bahrain, Belarus, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Peru, Portugal, Russia, South Africa, Taiwan, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

big sister iphone photography award

"Big Sister" shot on an iPhone X by Gabriella Cigliano of Italy

The grand prize winner is Gabriella Cigliano of Italy for her entry "Big Sister," shot on an iPhone X in Zanzibar, Africa:

Last year I spent a month in Wasa, Tanzania, teaching a class of young, curious and amazing guys. Before heading back to Italy we stopped in Zanzibar, where this photo was taken. I still wonder how could I capture that exact moment in all its beauty. I was just observing, a few meters from them, but they were probably more curious about me than I was about them, and that's probably why the girl was looking at me. We couldn't talk much, except for a few words in Swahili I had learned in the previous weeks, but those kids could definitely talk with their eyes. It was one of the most beautiful things I've seen in my life, and I'll keep it in my memories forever. The best part was showing them and their mums the photos, for some it was the first time they were seeing their faces, and their excitement was unexplainable, unfortunately my iPhone was in their hands and I couldn't capture that!

A few more winning photos:

diogo lage iphone photography award

"Sea Stripes" shot on an iPhone SE by Diogo Lage of Portugal

peng hao iphone photography award
"Come Across" shot on an iPhone X by Peng Hao of China

Head over to the iPhone Photography Awards website for the full lists of winning photos and winning photographers.

Apple CEO Tim Cook congratulated last year's winners on Twitter.

Popular Stories

iPhone 18 Pro Deep Red Feature

iPhone 18 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 12 New Features

Wednesday March 18, 2026 7:39 am PDT by
While the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are not expected to launch for another six months or so, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. It was initially reported that the iPhone 18 Pro models would have fully under-screen Face ID, with only a front camera visible in the top-left corner of the screen. However, the latest rumors indicate that only one Face ID component...
ios 26 4 yellow

Here Are Apple's Release Notes for iOS 26.4

Wednesday March 18, 2026 11:56 am PDT by
Apple provided developers and public beta testers with the release candidate versions of iOS 26.4 and iPadOS 26.4, which means we're going to see a public launch as soon as next week. The RC versions of the software include Apple's official release notes, giving us final details on what's included in the update. Apple Music - Playlist Playground (beta) generates a playlist from your...
Apple Logo Sketch Feature

Apple Has Now Unveiled Eight New Products This Month

Tuesday March 17, 2026 9:25 am PDT by
Apple has unveiled a whopping eight new products so far this March, including an iPhone 17e, iPad Air models with the M4 chip, MacBook Air models with the M5 chip, MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, the all-new MacBook Neo, an updated Studio Display, a higher-end Studio Display XDR, and now the AirPods Max 2 this week. iPhone 17e features the same overall design as the iPhone...

Top Rated Comments

iRutherford Avatar
87 months ago
as a photographer my self them shots are really nothing special
The last Motiv is cool at least.
But the 1st price shot... no. The girl is not looking at the photographer as he or she is kneeing. And the girls eyes are not looking curiously but suspiciously at someone near the photographer. The whole story... yack.
I'm sure it won because it's diverse and cultural.
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ipedro Avatar
87 months ago
I was contacted by Apple about this photo tagged #ShotOniPhone back in 2014 with an iPhone 5 in Barcelona. They asked for the original file to confirm that it was shot on iPhone and presumably to get the full resolution. I don't know if it was ever published but I assume they would have let me know.



Attachment Image
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
87 months ago
as a photographer my self them shots are really nothing special
For future reference: when dissing someone, you want to demonstrate your superior qualifications to make the assertions you do. Maybe you could demonstrate the awards that you have received, or the galleries where you have pictures on display, that would work!
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
87 months ago
as a photographer my self them shots are really nothing special
Glad you aren't one of the judges. Looking at your instagram all the winning shots would just be your endless selfies.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
roguedaemon Avatar
87 months ago
Been an amateur photographer for over 20 years don't see what's so special about these photos....lol

I think Apple is letting their emotions decide what constitutes a good photo.
as a photographer my self them shots are really nothing special
What the **** is with everyone in this ****ing thread? Can’t you all just enjoy some nice pictures? It makes no ****ing difference how much of a photographer you are, I don’t see your pictures in the awards.
And these are exceptional pictures. What is the job of a picture? To capture a moment, to tell a story and to above all evoke an emotional response. For the judges at Apple these pictures hit those points!

y’all need to just chill man and learn from the dude, Jeff bridges. Take it easy man.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
GtrDude Avatar
87 months ago
Been an amateur photographer for over 20 years don't see what's so special about these photos....lol

I think Apple is letting their emotions decide what constitutes a good photo.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Related Apple News: Travel | Reviews | News | Culture | Mac