Matthew Bagley
Bubble Lion – Matthew Bagley

Here Are The Non-Professional Category Winners of Moscow International Foto Awards 2021

July 8, 2021
Even more so than for photographers in the professional category, handing in their works to be judged by an international jury panel requires a special kind of bravery from non-professional and student photographers. The Non-Professional Category Winners of Moscow International Foto Awards 2021 came up with a series of infinitely beautiful, soulful and brilliant works – see our sumary of them below.

Hypocritical – Yu-Heng Chen

1st Place in Advertising (Non-Professional)

Probably all of us have been there – hypocrisy is a thing that occurs at one point or another in our lives. The intention of the photographer was to let the viewer know that it is okay to be hypocritical sometimes.

Hypocritical – Yu-Heng Chen
Hypocritical – Yu-Heng Chen
Abandoned Sanatorium – Guenther Reissner
Abandoned Sanatorium – Guenther Reissner

Abandoned Sanatorium – Guenther Reissner

1st Place in Architecture (Non-Professional)

Searching for adventure, the photographer often goes on tours to other countries to see abandoned places. This time, his journey led him to Germany, where he explored a sanatorium long left to nature’s devices.

Read the interview with the photographer here.

Hombrecino (Little Man) – Susana Cabanero

1st Place in Book (Non-Professional)

The Madrid-based photographer’s mission was to commemorate the victims of the Spanish Civil War. Her Grandfather used to carry a list of names in his wallet, people who died during the war – he often told her stories about these great people with tears in his eyes. The sentiment of loss and sorrow seeps through the pages of the book with imagery that tells us the very real story of war.

Hombrecino (Little Man) – Susana Cabanero
Hombrecino (Little Man) – Susana Cabanero
Unrest in Portland – Jordan Stern
Unrest in Portland – Jordan Stern

Unrest in Portland – Jordan Stern

1st Place in Editorial (Non-Professional)

After George Floyd’s murder, 48 nights of protests flooded the streets of Portland. Then the Federal Agents were sent in using flash-bangs and tear gas to disperse the protesters – this photo series shows us what happened during those days – due to violent clap-back, the situation worsened and protesters pushed on.

Wyvern – Alfred Jurcalis

1st Place in Events (Non-Professional)

No daylight, but the crew of Abu Dhabi based Dragon Boat team of women continued their training. The strenuous activity is reflected poetically by the photographer, who grasped their immense strength and persistence.

Wyvern – Alfred Jurcalis
Wyvern – Alfred Jurcalis
The Aesthetic of The Movement – Jean-Paul Soujol
The Aesthetic of The Movement – Jean-Paul Soujol

The Aesthetic of The Movement – Jean-Paul Soujol

1st Place in Fine Art (Non-Professional)

Good photography is more often than not up to capturing that perfect millisecond. This photograph aims to prove this concept – the exact movement when the waves’ edges touch the shore, right before they devour the object exemplifies that moment in time.

Bubble Lion – Matthew Bagley

1st Place in Nature (Non-Professional)

Even when we are underwater, something connects us to the surface – in this case, the tiny bubbles flowing up from the sea lion, captured in a moment of serenity and peace.

Bubble Lion – Matthew Bagley
Bubble Lion – Matthew Bagley
Muddy Childhood – Vladimir Karamazov
Muddy Childhood – Vladimir Karamazov

Muddy Childhood – Vladimir Karamazov

1st Place in People (Non-Professional)

Children who live amongst rubbish, in poverty, often with no food to eat – this is one of the Roma ghettos in Bulgaria. While they live right next to the capital, nobody thinks of helping them, the government ignores them and they are forced to steal and beg.

Suspended Lives – Salvatore Montemagno

1st Place in Portfolio (Non-Professional)

The past year and many months of this one have been full of doubt for all of us, being locked away due to the pandemic worsened feelings of isolation and anxiety. The photographer let us catch a glimpse into the desperation and abandonment many of us might have felt during this time.

Suspended Lives – Salvatore Montemagno
Suspended Lives – Salvatore Montemagno