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The 41 Most Stunning Winning Photos Of 2024 reFocus Photographer Of The Year
Interview"Awarding the prestigious title of Photographer of the Year to a distinguished group of artists who use the camera as their creative medium," reads the main page of the 1839 Awards, the organization behind the annual contest.
The 2024 edition of the competition attracted entries from 77 countries, making it the most diverse and expansive group of participants to date. This year's reFocus Awards celebrate creativity, technical skill, and the captivating art of visual storytelling. Each winner exemplifies the unique spirit of photography, inviting viewers to appreciate their mastery of the medium.
To learn more about the winning images and photographers, Bored Panda reached out to two of them—Tania Barrenetxea and Gabriel Holguín. Be sure to scroll down to read our full interview!
More info: Instagram | 1839awards.com | refocus-awards.com
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Photographer Of The Year - Event: Hybrid Solar Eclipse And Maasai Warrior By Eugen Kamenew
Hybrid Solar Eclipse is a very rare astronomical event. I found a Maasai, Peter Ekai Nakua, who agreed to collaborate with me on 3 November 2013. We experienced 16 seconds of totality. A fleeting surreal moment. This picture was created as a tribute to our friend Geoffrey Ekai Lowa.
Eager to dive deeper into the thought-provoking image Swallow, we contacted Tania Barrenetxea. Named International Discovery of the Year by the 2024 reFocus Awards, the photographer shared the fascinating story behind her award-winning photograph: “Swallow was born from a desire to explore illness—both physical and mental—and the challenge of existing in a body or mind with special needs. At the time, I was going through intense waves of anxiety and I felt a deep sense of misunderstanding and lack of awareness around me. So, this personal experience, together with being aware that we live in a system that struggles to accommodate vulnerability, influenced the creation of the image.”
International Discovery Of The Year: Swallow By Tania Barrenetxea
The number of people struggling with mental health conditions have been rising steadily in the last decade. This image was created in a period of my life when I was struggling with anxiety and an all-consuming feeling of emotional overwhelm.
Photographer Of The Year - Domestic Animals: Echo Of Light By Fleur Scholte
Samoyed Nanuq beneath sun rays in the forest.
The girl’s gaze, refracted through the water glasses in Barrenetxea’s image, is truly captivating. We were curious to uncover the message or emotion the photographer intended to convey through the subject’s expression. Here’s what we discovered: “The distortion caused by the water-filled glasses symbolizes the fragmented reality experienced during episodes of high anxiety. I wanted to visually convey how anxiety can feel. I believe my gaze carries that tension, reflecting both vulnerability and resilience."
Discovery Of The Year - Wildlife: Three In One By Girish Jamadagni
Photographer Of The Year - Travel: Honey Hunters Of Nepal By Andrew Newey
High in the Himalayan foothills of Nepal Gurung honey hunters gather twice a year, risking their lives to harvest the honey from the world’s largest honeybee. For hundreds of years, the skills required to practise this ancient and sacred tradition have been passed down through the generations.
The photographer also shared insights on the role of photography in raising awareness about mental health: “We are living in a complex era where, on one hand, conversations around mental health are becoming more open, and the long-standing taboo is beginning to break. At the same time, this growing awareness highlights how common mental health challenges are in our society. I believe art, including photography, has a unique power to open conversations about complex subjects, such as mental health. It gives us the ability to connect with people on an emotional level, bypassing barriers, fostering understanding and raising conversations that may otherwise go unspoken. So I believe it has an important role.”
Photographer Of The Year - Sports: Underwater Multiverse By Gabriel Holguín
In this underwater photograph, Colombia’s Underwater Hockey team emerges as ethereal figures, blurred at the surface. They resemble superheroes navigating a parallel universe, their dynamic movements creating a surreal, otherworldly scene in the aquatic realm.
It definitely is one of the best sports photos I've ever seen, but I prefer comic books anyway. Also love the "superhero" comparison in art form, rather than as a complaint about some astronomical contract dollars.
International Photographer Of The Year: Bath Time By Pepe Manzanilla
The red-eyed tree frog taking a bath.
The last question we asked focused on how Tania’s Swallow was received when it reached a broader audience. Barrenetxea shared: “The response to Swallow has been moving. Many viewers have shared personal stories and interpretations. This dialogue—the exchange between the artwork and the viewer’s personal experience—is one of the most rewarding aspects of sharing my photography. It reaffirms the idea that vulnerability is an essential bridge between individuals.”
We also had the opportunity to speak with another award-winning photographer from the contest. This time, we were eager to learn more about the fascinating image Underwater Universe. Its creator, Gabriel Holguín, shared the inspiration behind capturing this surreal and dynamic moment featuring the Colombian underwater hockey team: “I think almost all underwater photos are surreal simply because of the fact that they are taken in a world to which we have to adapt. My inspiration, or what moves me, is the athletes. Accompanying the processes of the Colombian underwater hockey team in its different categories is always very fulfilling. Being able to bring visibility to this aquatic sport, in which our country is a reference, is very important to me.”
Discovery Of The Year - Sports: Dancer In The Light By James Whittlesey
This a pow wow dancer doing the spotlight dance at the Stillwater Pow Wow in Redding, California.
Photographer Of The Year - Fine Art: Gathering Of Snails By Annemiek Muller-Rijnaard
When asked about the biggest challenges he faced while photographing underwater—especially in a high-energy sports environment—Gabriel responded: “Underwater, everything is a challenge: the light, the movement, framing the subjects, looking through the viewfinder, and all of this while holding your breath and shooting exactly at the moment you think it’s right—and boom, you have it. As for the moment, it’s a very action-packed sport. The women were in their final practices for the World Cup in Malaysia that day, and the atmosphere was very lively—lots of energy, enthusiasm, and the best attitude, which is reflected in the image we captured.”
Photographer Of The Year - Animals: Double Chin By Bernard Sim
Lift your head to hide the double chin.
Discovery Of The Year - Nature: The Scavenger By Ngar Shun Victor Wong
This vulture in South Africa is hovering over the dead body of a kudu.
The Underwater Universe photograph masterfully blurs the line between reality and fantasy. We asked Holguín whether this striking effect was intentional and how he managed to achieve it technically. Here’s what we discovered: “This image is ‘Fantastic’; it looks like a scene from a science fiction movie, and the girls seem to be flying. In reality, the photo is upside down. The lines that appear at the top are the pool’s background, and they are swimming toward the camera, lying on their backs very close to the surface, which creates a mirror effect and blurs their figures. Technically, I set up the camera to freeze the subjects, and then in post-production, I recovered the color and removed the blue from the water.”
Photographer Of The Year - Landscapes: Creation Of The World By Jatenipat Ketpradit
A global journey through nature’s grandeur: majestic mountains in the mist, powerful waterfalls in midnight sun, winds sweeping across vast landscapes, rainbows arching over lush valleys, and rivers winding through untouched terrain. Each image reveals the powerful beauty of Earth’s elements.
Love the deep thoughts artist is trying to convey but I don't think they achieved it. Closer than any others I suppose.
Discovery Of The Year - Landscapes: Fall In The Cypress Swamp By Ben Murphy
Images both in color and processed infrared.
Lastly, we were curious about what the significant achievement of winning the reFocus competition in the Sports category means to the photographer. Gabriel kindly shared: “It was a complete surprise to me. Winning first place is always very satisfying in an international competition, and for my career, it’s extremely important. When I was editing this image, I felt something special, so I asked Camilo Díaz, the 2017 Sony World Photography winner, for his opinion. He’s a reference for me, and I trusted his vision. He gave me some advice, and I submitted the image to 6 international competitions, from which I’ve received 4 recognitions: 1st place in Sports at the reFocus Awards, 3rd place in Underwater at the reFocus Awards, 1st place at the Chromatic Awards, 3rd place at the ND Awards, and Honorable Mention at the BIFA Awards. All of these recognitions add to my professional career, but the most important thing is being able to give visibility to underwater hockey in my country.”
Photographer Of The Year - People: Reign Of The Eagle Hunters By Jatenipat Ketpradit
In the harsh Altai Mountains, Kazakh ‘Burgedchins’ ride with their golden eagles, bonded by 250 years of tradition. Through -40°C winters, they hunt as one, preserving a legacy threatened by time but rooted deeply in the soul of the mountains.
Photographer Of The Year - Photojournalism: The Right To Know By Roberta Vagliani
Photographer Of The Year - Wildlife: Nose To Nosehorn By George Dian Balan
A wide angle, up close and personal eye-contact view of a black rhino bull in his prime, part of a breeding programme. Did you know that rhino horns are as hard as trigonometry and almost as light as a feather? They are stronger than elephant tusks or buffalo horns as per tests at Oxford University.
Discovery Of The Year - People: Potter By Serkan Dogus
Transformation of soil into art.
Photographer Of The Year - Aerial: Barcelona's Timeless Heart By Henry Do
Barcelona’s heartbeat unfolds in this aerial view of the Sagrada Família, surrounded by a grid of vibrant, warm-toned neighborhoods. The cathedral rises like a jewel amid the city’s orderly blocks, capturing a timeless blend of modern structure. An architectural marvel in a city of contrasts.
Need to see them irl to really appreciate. I bet this is far more impressive than it feels here.
Photographer Of The Year - Architecture: Peaceful Mind By Anh Nguyen
Discovery Of The Year - Film/Analog: Nostalgia By Eddy Verloes
Old man behind the curtain watching his life passing by.
Photographer Of The Year - Still Life: Delicate By Hilda Champion
Texture, form, and intricate details play together in this subtle image.
Discovery Of The Year - Underwater: Blending In By Gillian Shark
A beautiful female Caribbean reef shark passed by a big school of fish which resulted in this interesting photo composition. Although the shark was swimming on a different level than the school of fish, the colours and its movement somehow gave the illusion of it blending in.
Photographer Of The Year - Underwater: Husnah Kukundakwe By Marijn Fidder
Husnah Kukundakwe (15) during an early swim training in Kampala, Uganda. Husnah currently is the country's only classified paralympic swimmer. Her first appearance at the World Championships in London was mentioned among the International Paralympic Committee’s (IPC’s) Top 10 Moments of 2019.
Discovery Of The Year - Domestic Animals: East Los Angeles By Kristine Vann Discovery Of The Year - Architecture
Photographer Of The Year - Advertising & Commercial: Financier Tree By Masahiro Okumura
The financiers fell down to form a tree shape. Christmas with financiers in light and shadow.
Discovery Of The Year - Photojournalism: The Wrong Side Of Freedom By João Coelho
They are considered outcasts, having fled their parents' homes and the institutions where they have always been abused. They help each other escape the onslaught of police and malaria in the ruins of the city. They have all chosen to live on the wrong side of freedom.
Photographer Of The Year - Conceptual: What's Love Got To Do With It? By Elisa Miller
Leaving is never simple. The cycle of returning, hoping, and breaking down feels impossible to escape. This series reflects on the cycle of domestic abuse: the hidden patterns that pull us back, even when we know they hurt. Sometimes, the hardest part isn’t leaving—it’s to stay gone.
Photographer Of The Year - Minimalism: Deliverance By Thomas De Franzoni
Classic Tuscany Landscape. I took this shot in mid-June during the harvest. I tried to take a minimalistic scene, a lonely tree on the rolling hills and a cloud more or less over the tree.
Photographer Of The Year - Street: Children Of The Wall By Alonso Oliveros
Before releasing the bulls into the streets, on the last days of the ceremony, the children climb the walls of the church to protect themselves.
Discovery Of The Year - Aerial: P-Opular & I-Gnored By Yevhen Kostiuk
Photographer Of The Year - Travel: One Morning In Varanasi By Ngar Shun Victor Wong
Two men were doing their workouts at the bank of the Ganges River early in the morning at Varanasi.
One looks as if he's about to assault the other by hitting him over the head...
Discovery Of The Year - Architecture: Touch Me If You Can By Dorota Yamadag
Discovery Of The Year - Minimalism: Infinity Steps By Rick Bogacz
Photographer Of The Year - Fashion & Beauty: Three Color By Piotr Werner
Discovery Of The Year - Abstract: Moment By Vinci Weng
Discovery Of The Year - Event: Life Coach Enlightens People By Josip Miskovic
I participated in many of the "motivational and awakening" meetings where crafty instructors, so-called "coaches," make a lot of money for sharing hours and hours of motivational sentences. It looks more like a purgatory exit than a conference hall.
Discovery Of The Year - Still Life: Weaknesses Of The Oceans By Antonio Coelho By
This series refers to the current problem experienced in the oceans and seas. They represent 50% of oxygen production in the world and today they are also affected by the increase in global temperature, pollution, among others. The series was created in a sustainable way using recycled elements.
Discovery Of The Year - Street: The Butcher By Robert Lie
Discovery Of The Year - Fashion & Beauty: Exp. By Anjie Zhong
My work draws inspiration from the "best before" date of food, exploring whether people and their relationships also have an expiration. Using fruits as symbols, I illustrate the evolution of two female characters from strangers to intimacy, then to separation.
Discovery Of The Year - Potrait: Untitled, 2024. By Ben Hubert
A collective experience of both traditional masculine values and progressive
views form the foundation of this project’s exploration. The male form exists in the photograph alongside abstracted sculptures of space, allusive to the changing landscape of masculinity.
Photographer Of The Year - Film/Analog: The Don Steppe By Misha Maslennikov
Imagine yourself in the middle of the steppe, looking out at the horizon. Your gaze is fixed beyond this meeting of earth and sky, so much so that you see nothing but this inexorable boundary. But stand in silence for a little while, just a little while longer, and it all falls away.
Standing on a horse is an excellent way to get your neck broken. Plus it's not good for them.