Photos from the winners of the sixth annual iPhone Photography Awards have been posted on the IPPA website, displaying some of the best pictures taken with an iPhone over the course of the past year.

The photo subjects range from portraits of animals and people to landscapes, with the first place photo depicting a close-up shot of a horse. The second and third place photos were taken during a Holi festival of colors and a snowstorm, respectively.

ippawinner
In addition to the top three photos of the year, the website also displays the winners from a number of categories, including architecture, nature, seasons, and food.

ippanaturefirstplace
According to the rules of the contest, all photos were taken with an iPhone. No external manipulation was permitted, though photo editing apps such as Instagram and Snapseed were allowed to be used.

snowstorm
Apple's iPhone remains the most popular camera choice on photo sharing website Flickr, a title that it has held since 2009. As the iPhone has grown in popularity as a point-and-shoot camera replacement, Apple has worked hard to improve its photo taking capabilities. The iPhone 5 introduced an impressive 8-megapixel camera with enhanced HDR and low-light capabilities and the iPhone 5S, coming in September, is expected to offer further camera improvements.

Top Rated Comments

iMikeT Avatar
161 months ago
The "pro photographers" are getting scared.


Having experience as a professional commercial photographer, I will come out and say that it is reasonable to have some amount of fear with the growing trend of iPhone/camera phone photos becoming accepted in the world of photography. In fact, I have friends who work for ad agencies that have sought out photography in the style of those taken with iPhones.

Despite the growing trend of amateurs using their phones for creativity and dare I say "art", it takes more than just luck for quality work. With the further democratization of creativity, access to creative tools, and forums where anyone can post their work, we as a society may suffer from the lack of quality for a few generations.

Personally, I've never entered a photography contest. The reason is the fact that we have a close-up for a horse winning picture of the year while there are other photos that were far more compelling that it. Every time I've been encouraged to enter my work in one of these contests, I always look at the prior year's winners and they're always some sort of nature/landscape shot. It makes no difference how creative a person is, if a person can point a camera and knows how to open a shutter at the luckiest moment, they can win in these contests.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
blue22 Avatar
161 months ago
iPhoneography...

Camera phones are certainly getting better, but won't be replacing dSLR's anytime soon.

What matters most IMHO is your creativity and passion for the field of photography, not what tools you utilize to make captivating photos from.

That said, it's great to see mobile photography getting the kudos it deserves.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
justperry Avatar
161 months ago
Photos from the winners of the sixth annual iPhone Photography Awards (http://www.ippawards.com/?project=2013-winners) have been posted on the IPPA website (http://www.ippawards.com/), displaying some of the best pictures taken with an iPhone over the course of the past year.

Site seems to be offline!
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Jsameds Avatar
161 months ago
I wish they could be a filter-free showcase. You can take any old picture and filter it to death until it ticks all the boxes for an arty and moody photograph which then goes on to win awards. It just de-values the whole thing IMO.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
iLilana Avatar
161 months ago
First

First let me start with "there are iPhone photo awards?" That's crazy. second There are iPhone photography awards?
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nStyle Avatar
161 months ago
These are certainly good but its irrelevant what camera these came from. Obviously, from a technical standpoint, they aren't the clearest, sharpest, most accurate photos. They are filtered up "meh".
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Coming Soon With These 8 New Features on Your iPhone

Thursday December 11, 2025 8:49 am PST by
Apple seeded the second iOS 26.2 Release Candidate to developers earlier this week, meaning the update will be released to the general public very soon. Apple confirmed iOS 26.2 would be released in December, but it did not provide a specific date. We expect the update to be released by early next week. iOS 26.2 includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, such as a new...
Google maps feaure

Google Maps Quietly Added This Long-Overdue Feature for Drivers

Wednesday December 10, 2025 2:52 am PST by
Google Maps on iOS quietly gained a new feature recently that automatically recognizes where you've parked your vehicle and saves the location for you. Announced on LinkedIn by Rio Akasaka, Google Maps' senior product manager, the new feature auto-detects your parked location even if you don't use the parking pin function, saves it for up to 48 hours, and then automatically removes it once...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature 1

Apple to Make More Foldable iPhones Than Expected [Updated]

Tuesday December 9, 2025 9:59 am PST by
Apple has ordered 22 million OLED panels from Samsung Display for the first foldable iPhone, signaling a significantly larger production target than the display industry had previously anticipated, ET News reports. In the now-seemingly deleted report, ET News claimed that Samsung plans to mass-produce 11 million inward-folding OLED displays for Apple next year, as well as 11 million...
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Pro 3

Thursday December 11, 2025 11:28 am PST by
Apple today released new firmware designed for the AirPods Pro 3 and the prior-generation AirPods Pro 2. The AirPods Pro 3 firmware is 8B30, up from 8B25, while the AirPods Pro 2 firmware is 8B28, up from 8B21. There's no word on what's include in the updated firmware, but the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Pro 3 are getting expanded support for Live Translation in the European Union in iOS...
iOS 26

15 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 26.2

Friday December 5, 2025 9:40 am PST by
Apple is about to release iOS 26.2, the second major point update for iPhones since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least 15 notable changes and improvements worth checking out. We've rounded them up below. Apple is expected to roll out iOS 26.2 to compatible devices sometime between December 8 and December 16. When the update drops, you can check Apple's servers for the ...
AirTag 2 Mock Feature

Apple AirTag 2: Four New Features Found in iOS 26 Code

Thursday December 11, 2025 10:31 am PST by
The AirTag 2 will include a handful of new features that will improve tracking capabilities, according to a new report from Macworld. The site says that it was able to access an internal build of iOS 26, which includes references to multiple unreleased products. Here's what's supposedly coming: An improved pairing process, though no details were provided. AirTag pairing is already...
iOS 26

Apple Seeds Second iOS 26.2 Release Candidate to Developers and Public Beta Testers

Monday December 8, 2025 10:18 am PST by
Apple today seeded the second release candidate version of iOS 26.2 to developers and public beta testers, with the software coming one week after Apple seeded the first RC. The release candidate represents the final version iOS 26.2 that will be provided to the public if no further bugs are found. Registered developers and public beta testers can download the betas from the Settings app on...
iPhone 14 Pro Dynamic Island

iPhone 18 Pro Leak Adds New Evidence for Under-Display Face ID

Monday December 8, 2025 4:54 am PST by
Apple is actively testing under-screen Face ID for next year's iPhone 18 Pro models using a special "spliced micro-transparent glass" window built into the display, claims a Chinese leaker. According to "Smart Pikachu," a Weibo account that has previously shared accurate supply-chain details on Chinese Android hardware, Apple is testing the special glass as a way to let the TrueDepth...
Home Hub Command Center with Dome Base Siri Finder Feature

iOS 26 Code Leak Reveals Apple Smart Home Hub Details

Thursday December 11, 2025 4:02 pm PST by
Apple is working on a smart home hub that will rely heavily on the more capable version of Siri that's coming next year. We've heard quite a bit about the hub over the last two years, but a recent iOS 26 code leak provides additional insight into what we can expect and confirms rumored features. Macworld claims to have access to an internal version of iOS 26 that references several upcoming...
studio display purple

Apple Studio Display 2 Code Hints at 120Hz ProMotion, HDR, A19 Chip

Thursday December 11, 2025 4:19 am PST by
Apple's next-generation Studio Display is expected to arrive early next year, and a new report allegedly provides a couple more details on the external monitor's capabilities. According to internal Apple code seen by Macworld, the new external display will feature a variable refresh rate capable of up to 120Hz – aka ProMotion – as well as support for HDR content. The current Studio...