23 Distinctive Travel Photography Winners from the 2025 AAP Magazine Awards

Travel has a humorous method of cracking us open—and the 2025 AAP Magazine Awards did precisely that. This 12 months’s Travels version delivers a robust visible passport, spotlighting photographers who didn’t simply go to locations, however felt them. We’re speaking uncooked streets, sacred rituals, vanishing traditions, and landscapes that hit you proper within the chest. These aren’t postcard snaps—they’re tales with soul.

We’re delighted to announce the 25 winners of AAP Magazine #53: Travels, a world showcase of visible storytelling at its most interesting. Thousands of submissions poured in from each nook of the world, and the ultimate choice represents 13 nations throughout 4 continents. Even higher? Nearly half of the winners are girls, proving that numerous voices are shaping the way forward for journey images in daring, thrilling methods.

What makes this version stand out is the depth. These initiatives don’t chase clichés—they decelerate and dig deep. From sacred areas in Afghanistan to ancestral rituals in Ethiopia and Borneo, from disappearing cultures in Papua New Guinea and the Amazon to intimate moments of labor, childhood, and migration, every story feels private and intentional. Every body carries weight, respect, and objective.

Published month-to-month, AAP Magazine continues to be a launchpad for each rising and established photographers who push visible boundaries. The Travels version isn’t nearly the place we go—it’s about who we’re after we get there. Scroll by way of these profitable initiatives and also you’ll really feel it immediately: curiosity, empathy, surprise. This is journey images doing what it does finest—connecting us to the world, one trustworthy second at a time.

You can discover extra information about AAP Magazine:

#1. 1st Place Winner: “The Background Noise” by Andrea Bettancini, Italy

“The image was taken in Kolkata, in the vast Maidan Park, an open space that in the early morning is often wrapped in a dense fog. At the center of the scene, a mounted soldier of the Indian Army stands still in silence. The soldier is stationed at Fort William, the historic fortress located on the edge of the park and owned by the Indian Army. It houses the headquarters of the Eastern Command, one of the country’s main strategic structures, with the capacity to accommodate up to 10,000 troops. The fog softens the urban context and transforms the scene into a rarefied vision, where the everyday gesture of surveillance takes on an intimate and almost dreamlike dimension.”

#2. 2nd Place Winner: “A Journey of Heart and Heritage” by Callie Eh, Malaysia

“The Kyrgyz mother, Meikin, is breastfeeding her child in a traditional cradle called a Beshik. This rocking cradle, crafted from juniper wood—symbolic of longevity—has been an important part of Kyrgyz traditions for many generations.”

#3. third Place Winner: “Devotion in Mazar-I Sharif” by Andrea Peruzzi, Italy

“At sunset, in front of the majestic Blue Mosque in Mazar-i-Sharif, a Taliban approaches to understand the reason for my presence in the sacred courtyard of the mosques, asking me if I wish to pray and if I am a Muslim. His penetrating gaze embodies faith and authority, a dual sense of protection and control.
Behind him, the turquoise tiles shimmer in the twilight, silent witnesses to the devotion of believers and the power of the Taliban, intertwined with their faith.”

Merit Award Gallery

#4. “Iceland from above” by Artem Postelnikov, Ukraine

“My first trip to the Icelandic Highlands left me in awe. Standing here felt like witnessing the Earth in its purest, most powerful form.”

#5. “The Distance of Light” by Andrea Torrei, Italy

“Made in Myanmar in 2018, during a brief period of openness. The work focuses on distance — and on how light passes between people and places, leaving only a trace.”

#6. “Bird people” by Guillaume Petermann, France

“The Mohana, often called the “bird people,” are a fishing community who have lived for generations on the waters of Lake Manchar, Pakistan’s largest freshwater lake, located in Sindh Province. They carry on an ancestral tradition found nowhere else in the world: hunting birds… with birds.”

#7. “Aroma Story” by Somenath Mukhopadhyay, India

“The photograph shows local boys of Kannauj in Uttar Pradesh, India spreading rose petals to dry them in the sun and these sun-dried petals are used for making condiments for use in culinary and cosmetic purposes.”

#8. “Bohurupi” by Indranil Sengupta, India

“Bohurupis are traditional folk artists of rural West Bengal who transform themselves into different Gods and goddesses by exquisite make up in which they paint their faces like those of different deities. Usually they perform various mythological enactments before the rural audiences which earn them their livelihood. Their activities soar specially during the annual GAJAN festival in which they are of high demand because of their expertise in enacting mythological dance dramas.”

#9. “Shanghai Tang” by Vitaly Golovatyuk, Russia

#10. “Guardians of the Forest” by Thibault Gerbaldi, France/United States

“Dayak warriors from Borneo reenact ancestral rituals that once celebrated unity, courage, and communion with nature. Their elaborate costumes — made of bark, beads, and hornbill feathers — honor the spirits that guard the forest and sustain life. Rooted in Kaharingan, the island’s ancient belief system, these ceremonies bridge the human and the spiritual worlds, preserving an identity deeply intertwined with the land.”

#11. “River Nile” by Fiorella Baldisserri, Italy

“Marriage in Egypt is an important moment in both cultural and religious life, and most Egyptians see it as a fundamental step in adult life. Weddings are often elaborate and expensive both for the ceremony and for the clothes necessary for the spouses and guests. The families are committed to saving for years to be able to organize it.The clothing is usually formal as elegant, elaborate, sophisticated evening dresses with silver gold embroidery and lace and for women it is expected to cover legs, neck arms and the head is covered with a scarf or veil.”

#12. “Crossroads V” by Brigitte Bourger, France

“My photographic work explores the meeting point of landscape, abstraction and cultural geography, tracing the subtle contrasts between marine environments shaped by human hands and those that remain largely untouched. Through aerial photography, I capture patterns, colors, and forms that transform coastlines and marine zones into poetic visual narratives.”

#13. “The Widow” by Lise Leino, Finland/UK

“This is a portrait of a Huli tribe widow from the Highlands of Papua New Guinea. In Huli culture, widows follow specific rituals, including covering themselves in white clay to become unrecognizable to their late husband’s spirit, helping them move on and consider remarrying. A key part of her ritual involves wearing necklaces made of Jobs tears seeds. Each week, she removes one seed, symbolising the passage of time and the end of her mourning.”

#14. “Camp Kitchen” by Ryan Kost, United States

“Abel Milla Flores works diligently in camp at Mitucocha at dusk, cooking dinner for 14 people on a simple two-burner propane stove. We carried the stove for 13 days while trekking through the Cordillera Huayhuash Range in Peru. All supplies are transported by a team of donkeys and horses, crossing high mountain passes over 16,600 feet.”

#15. “The Road to Machu Picchu” by Prescott Lassman, United States

“The Road to Machu Picchu follows my travels in Peru from the former Inca city of Cusco through the Sacred Valley to the ruins of Machu Picchu perched high in the Andes Mountains. This photograph captures local weavers and their children standing outside a weaving cooperative in a small town in the Sacred Valley.”

#16. “Life in Viñales” by Mogli Maureal, Philippines/ United States

“There was a busy road behind me and everyone said Hola to Don Mario. I asked if he was famous around here and he chuckled. This photo resembles his expression telling stories of hard work, heritage, and the enduring spirit of rural life while he takes a break in the tobacco fields.”

#17. “The Fathers of the Rite” by Costanza Rossi, Italy

“The Dimi ceremony of the Dassanech in Ethiopia is a ritual built around female genital mutilation (infibulation), a practice still present in parts of Africa and deeply rooted in the Omo Valley. Though distant from Western culture, it remains a lived reality, often carried out in rudimentary conditions and leading to infections and, at times, the death of young girls. Paradoxically, the girls remain hidden throughout the celebration, confined inside huts and invisible to the community.”

#18. “Portrait of Natata” by Carole Mills Noronha, Australia

“A series of photos from my travels through Kenya, visiting various tribal groups. This portrait was taken in Turkana. Each tribe was unique and remote. The title of my series came about after a conversation I had with a young woman on the streets of Nairobi. She told me she was level 2, about to turn level 3. She was referring to her age. Twenty-nine years old about to be thirty. I told her I was level 5. I loved this take on age. Reaching a higher level each decade. One of the beautiful ways life is described in Kenya which will stay with me always.”

#19. “Gypsy Village, Romania” by Orna Naor, Israel

“I was traveling among Gypsy villages in Romania taking pictures of people living on the margins and their lifestyles.”

#20. “Bolivia at 12,000 feet and above” by TJ Vissing, United States

“Across Bolivia’s salt flats a few landmarks anchor the eye. The Salar de Uyuni invites a slower way of seeing, where subtle shifts in weather and light redefine the landscape. These photographs explore moments of stillness and vastness, capturing the quiet balance between presence and emptiness that defines one of the world’s most elemental landscapes.”

#21. “Legacy Light” by Emilie Favier, France

“A suspended moment of a father and son on their backs, belonging to the Korowai ethnic group, in the middle of their jungle, their home, and an almost divine light. This ethnic group now has only one soldier, and their way of life, so close to nature, is disappearing.”

#22. “A Boy From The Valley” by Mariqua Poquet, France

“Bamyan is a place that stays with you, not for its noise or crowds, but for its quiet weight. It sits high in central Afghanistan, in the heart of the Hindu Kush, where the mountains feel old enough to remember everything. For centuries, this valley was a crossroads. Monks, merchants, caravans, and nomads were passing through along the Silk Road. You feel those passages in the stillness.The cliffs that once held the great Buddhas rise like open pages of history. The people of Bamyan are predominantly Hazara, a Shia ethnic group with Central Asian origins. What stands out in Bamyan is the atmosphere.The city breathes slowly. And those who live here breathe with it. Bamyan does not ask to be remembered, yet it is difficult to forget.”

#23. “Bajao boys in Mangrove forest” by Sanghamitra Sarkar, India

“Three joyful children of Bajao tribe playing in a mangrove forest by the sea. With water up to their knees and roots rising around them, they smile and pose freely, wearing simple goggles that hint at their adventurous spirit. The dense green trees behind them blend into the bright blue sky and the calm sea, creating a peaceful and lively scene. The boys seem at home in nature, enjoying the water and the moment without any distractions. Their laughter, curiosity, and connection to their environment shine through the photo. It’s a pure and heartwarming glimpse into childhood — wild, free, and deeply connected to the natural world.”

In Summary

What are the 2025 AAP Magazine Travel Awards?

• They are worldwide images awards recognizing excellent journey images initiatives from all over the world.

How many photographers received on this version?

• A complete of 25 photographers had been chosen for AAP Magazine #53: Travels.

What themes do the profitable initiatives discover?

• Culture, rituals, landscapes, wildlife, migration, labor, id, and disappearing methods of life.

Who can take part in AAP Magazine competitions?

• Both rising and established photographers from all over the world are welcome to submit.

Why is that this version particular?

• It highlights numerous world views with almost half the winners being girls, showcasing balanced and highly effective storytelling.