The Final Countdown: Discover the URBAN 2025 Winners Shortlist

After months of anticipation, thousands of entries from talented photographers around the world and weeks of careful voting by an outstanding international jury, the URBAN Photo Awards is proud to unveil the 2025 Winners Shortlist!

This year’s selection showcases the very best of the competition, with images chosen from an unprecedented volume of high-quality submissions.

Spotlights are now firmly on URBAN’s two main categories – Single Pictures and Projects & Portfolios – as the race to the podium enters its final stretch.

What the Winners Shortlist Represents

The Winners Shortlist highlights photographers who have earned one of the following recognitions: Winner, Honourable Mention or Remarkable Reward. 

The URBAN jury has examined each entry with great care, assessing images and projects through a rigorous selection process. To keep the suspense alive until the final ceremony, the Shortlist is published in alphabetical order, divided by category.

The winners will be revealed on Saturday 25 October 2025 during the URBAN Photo Awards Ceremony, held within the framework of Trieste Photo Days . The ceremony will be open to the public and streamed live on our social channels.

Record Numbers in 2025

The URBAN Photo Awards continues to grow year after year. In 2025 the competition received 10,685 single photographs, 643 projects and portfolios and 90 books from over 5,000 photographers worldwide, reflecting an ever-rising standard of work.

URBAN has become a true international hub for contemporary photography, connecting a global community of authors and enthusiasts beyond the digital sphere.

A heartfelt thank-you goes to our jury, whose expertise and dedication ensured a meticulous and thoughtful evaluation of the entries, ensuring the outstanding quality of this year’s Shortlist.

Jury Members: 

Matt Black, Paolo Verzone, Denis Curti, Mihaela Noroc, Mark Fearnley, Federica Berzioli, Bob Patterson, Andy Hall, Isabella Tabacchi, Gabriele Micalizzi, Dimpy Bhalotia, Alessandro Cinque, Tommi Viitala, Chantal Convertini, Trish Lambe, Péter Baki, Obinna Obioma, Monica Carvalho, Michael George, Olga Karlovac, Dominic Dähncke, Khumais Idrees, Nina Papiorek, Marcus Cederberg, Irina Werning, Steve Bisson, Nora Lalle, Pierpaolo Mittica, Charles Fréger, SuzAnne Steben, Konrad Langer, Philippe Litzler, Sharon Harper, James Artaius, Moisés Levy, Pie Aerts, Cyrielle Gendron, Tomasz Trzebiatowski, Claudia Colecchia, Michela Messina, Stefano Ambroset, Rohit Vohra.

Our sincere thanks also go to:

• the jury of the URBAN Press Award, composed of representatives from some of the leading international photography and visual culture publications: Digital Camera World, FRAMES, IL FOTOGRAFO, OPENEYE, Pamplemousse Magazine, PHOTO.fr, Street Photography Magazine, The Photographic Journal,.
• The partners of URBAN Photo Awards 2025 for providing the winners with top-quality prizes, including photographic equipment and professional services: Fowa, Ricoh, Pentax, Cullmann, SmallRig, Think Tank Photo, and the School of Creative Photography in Krakow, Stroppa, and Giorgio Celiberti.

Winners Shortlist

The 2025 winners shortlist is published in alphabetical order and does not represent a ranking list. We will unveil the final podium on October 26th at the Trieste Photo Days 2025 festival.

Single Pictures – Streets

Andrea Bettancini – Break
Antonio Flores – The Offering Of The Heirs Of The Fire
Arianna Speranza – Varanasi Streets
Eleni Albarosa – Sabato Dei Fuochi
Forrest Walker – Sand Scream
France Leclerc – Full Swing
Ingrid Gielen – One Day I’ll Fly Away
Jozef Macak – Crossroad Of Stories
Luis Olivan Tenorio – Porto In May
Md Enamul Kabir – The Flying Chicken
Mustafa Kılıç – Hope
Russ Rowland – Beach Day
Stefano Mirabella – Untitled

Single Pictures –  People

Alena Grom – Stolen Spring
Andrea Salvucci – I Licutiani
Andrew Rovenko – The Shuttle
Massimo Galeazzi – Il Profilo, Una Collina
Rahsan Firtina – Pingpong Game At The Veterans Club
Sarah Wouters – The Elephant Herder
Sergei Stroitelev – Andrey From Bereznik
Shamim Ul Islam – End Of Hopes, Paid By Death.
Shibasish Saha – Moonlight Tea Pluckers
Toby Binder – Andy From The Series “youth Of Belfast”
Vitaly Medvedev – The Time Machine

Single Pictures –  Spaces

Ahmet Aslan – Harran Houses
Daniel Joss – Cattedrale Industriale (abandoned Powerplant)
Daniela Silvestri – Seamulacre
Enrico Civeriati – Milano
Grzegorz Bukalski – Untitled
Olga Arune – David And Goliath
Saurabh Sirohiya – Bowing In Prayer
Yevhen Kostiuk – When The Games Are Over

Single Pictures –  Creative

Chris Yan – Image Poetry Of The City
Jozef Danyi – Skateboarders
Luca Regoli – Faccia Pelosa
Pietro Abbagnato – Young Poplars
Roland Okon – Summer In The City
Stefania Bonfiglio – Untitled

Projects & Portfolios

Daniel Ramos – Carnival On The Outskirts
David Jacobson – Night Gallery
Gavin Libotte – Wanderland
Tianqiutao Chen – Seen-unseen: The Migrant Children

The Awards Ceremony

Mark your calendars: the Awards Ceremony will take place on Saturday 25 October at 6:00 p.m. at the Auditorium Salone degli Incanti in Trieste. Those unable to attend can watch the live broadcast on our social channels, which will be updated throughout the festival.

Highlights of the evening will include:

• Paolo Verzone presenting the Photographer of the Year among the top authors in the Single Pictures category
• Matt Black announcing the Winner of the Projects & Portfolios section
• Giorgio Celiberti awarding a photographer with the Artistic Sensitivity Award
• The live final match of the Under 35 URBAN Photo Arena contest

During the ceremony, Denis Curti will award the winners of the URBAN Book Award  and the Special Prize “The Patricia D. Richards Legacy Award”.

The winners of the Gazes on Existence special prize, the URBAN 2025 Press Award, and the Premio Musei Civici will also be recognised.

Exhibitions at Trieste Photo Days

This year marks the twelfth edition of Trieste Photo Days, now established as one of Europe’s most prestigious photography festivals. For two weeks, Trieste transforms into the capital of photography, offering visitors an original city-wide itinerary of free exhibitions – from institutional venues to selected spaces taking part in the Trieste Photo Fringe – with a stunning array of works from the contests and featured projects.

Trieste reaffirms itself as a vibrant meeting point for photographers and artists, fostering an inspiring environment where emerging talents and established professionals can share their passion and collaborate in a unique setting.

For the latest updates on exhibitions and events, please visit the official Trieste Photo Days website.