Bored Panda got in touch with Daniel Berman, founder of the Mobile Photo Awards, to find out more about the idea behind the awards and how it works.

Daniel started from the beginning: “Way back in 2009, well before Instagram, I was part of a community of photographers using our phones to create, edit and share our work. We connected through Twitter and Flickr. The work people turned out with these low-resolution cameras and simple photo editing apps was amazing! I wanted to document and celebrate these photos, so I started the MPA.”

To compete in the MPA, you don’t need anything in particular to enter. Daniel commented: “Anyone with any phone is eligible to enter. Certainly, it helps to have a better quality phone camera if you’re trying to shoot spectacular landscapes… but often, a visual story or a unique moment in time captured decisively will be just as beautiful no matter the device.”

But just have in mind that not every photo is award-winning. Here are behind the scenes of the jury evaluation process that Daniel wrote about: “We look for a great story. If the photograph takes you somewhere new or conveys a coherent visual message, or ever so delightfully treats the viewer to a special moment or even just a facial expression in the right setting. We aren’t necessarily looking for 'sharpness' or 'pixel count' - although, again, in the right context, a technically superior photograph will carry weight.”

Having a great shot is a great start. The rest is left to the jury to decide among all the applicants who would win. This year's winners had to compete with people all over the world. Daniel commented on how many people applied to participate in this year's contest: “We receive anywhere from 6000-7000 photos depending on the year. We have received entries from over 65 countries every year for the last 10 years.”

It would be clever to look through the winners from the years before since each year, applicants show improvements. Daniel wrote: “Every year the work gets better and better as more people realize the convenience and the software-based technical benefits of mobile photography.”

Daniel added: “It’s been a spectacular 12-year ride watching this genre grow from the limited capabilities of the old iPhone 3G to the miraculous visual achievements today’s devices can create. I can’t wait to see where we go from here. Wow!”

If you got interested and are thinking of participating in the MPA 2022, the deadline is December 17th. Winners get cash prizes: a $3000 Grand Prize, $250 for each of the 12 Category Winners, or the $500 Photo Essay Prize. So, photographer Pandas, don’t miss out and apply with your best work here.