URBAN Photo Community, thank you for these record-breaking numbers! Submissions are closed
A record-breaking edition for URBAN Photo Awards
This year, URBAN Photo Awards reached unprecedented heights, surpassing all participation records and once again establishing itself as an undisputed benchmark in the landscape of global photography contests. With an extraordinary influx of photographers from every corner of the planet, the sixteenth edition concluded with overwhelming success.
Enthusiasm and Participation
We express our sincere gratitude to over 5,000 photographers from every corner of the world who accepted the challenge of our contest. We wish all participants the best of luck in the upcoming phases of the contest. The response to this year’s contest has been extraordinary: we were inundated with as many as 10,685 submitted photos, 8,627 Projects and Portfolios, and 90 books.
Support for Young Talent
URBAN continues to passionately support emerging photographers under 35 through dedicated initiatives, such as the URBAN Photo Arena tournament. This year, participation has been remarkable, with nearly 500 entries received. These young talents will soon be invited to enter the Arena, where they will compete in hundreds of exciting photographic battles, voting for their preferences and helping to shape the tournament’s path.
The second edition of the URBAN Special Prize “The Patricia D. Richards Legacy Award“ highlights the power and storytelling ability of photography. Named after Patricia D. Richards, a photographer, teacher, and mentor, this award has garnered considerable interest, with 77 Under 35 candidates participating in the Projects & Portfolio section. The award emphasizes how essential photography is in communicating creative stories and ideas, recognizing Richards’ importance in supporting new and lasting talents.
Reflecting on this record-breaking edition, we are deeply grateful for the overwhelming worldwide participation. URBAN supports and enhances the voices of its growing photographic community both online, through social media, and with dozens of exhibitions in prestigious locations in Trieste and beyond. Photographers are witnesses to a constantly evolving world, capturing it through diverse perspectives and experiences. Our goal is to collect and present all their stories at Trieste Photo Days, which tell how rapidly society and the environment we live in are changing.
Stefano Ambroset, Founder and director of URBAN Photo Awards, Trieste Photo Days and Exhibit Around
Stefano Ambroset, Founder and director of URBAN Photo Awards, Trieste Photo Days and Exhibit Around
Jury and Awards Process
Our jury is already at work examining extraordinary submissions. The Selected Photographers will be announced shortly, while the Editor’s Choice will be published in mid-July. The Finalists will be unveiled at the end of July, and the Winners Shortlist announced in mid-September. As always, the rankings will be listed in alphabetical order.
The final winners, chosen directly by the judges, will be announced during the Awards Ceremony to be held on Saturday, October 25, 2025. This event will take place as part of the Trieste Photo Days – International Photography Festival, which will be held in the splendid city of Trieste. The ceremony will represent one of the culminating moments of the festival, celebrating the talent and creativity of the participating photographers.
URBAN Photo Awards 2025 is promoted by the associations dotART and Exhibit Around APS with the valuable support of partners, institutions, and friends, whom we thank below. Special thanks to the Municipality of Trieste for the special exhibition-prize “Civic Museums Award” at the Sartorio Museum.
URBAN Photo Awards 2025 is promoted by dotART and Exhibit Around APS associations with the precious support of partners, institutions and friends whom we thank below. We thank theMunicipality of Trieste for the special exhibition-prize “Premio Musei Civici” at the Sartorio Museum.
A special Thank to all our Partners
Main Partners
Trieste Photo Days
Craf- Centro di ricerca e archiviazione della fotografia
Fondazone Pietro Pittini
Unicusano Trieste
Technical Partners
Press Partners
And to all the Members of the Jury
Matt Black, Paolo Verzone, Denis Curti, Mihaela Noroc, Mark Fearnley, Federica Berzioli, Bob Patterson, Emanuele Costanzo, Andy Hall, Isabella Tabacchi, Gabriele Micalizzi, Dimpy Bhalotia, Alessandro Cinque, Tommi Viitala, Chantal Convertini, Trish Lambe, Péter Baki PhD, Obinna Obioma, Monica Carvalho, Michael George, Olga Karlovac, Dominic Dähncke, Khumais Idrees, Nina Papiorek, Marcus Cederberg, Irina Werning, Steve Bisson, Nora Lalle, 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.
Wishing the best of luck to all,
The URBAN Photo Awards Team
