The winners of the 2021 Mobile Photography Awards (MPAs) have been revealed with Liu KunKun taking the Grand Prize and being named as MPA Photographer of the Year.   

The annual Mobile Photography Awards launched in 2011 and the 2021 winners are the 11th year of the awards.

Liu KunKun shot all of his winning portfolio with an Apple iPhone12 ProMax smartphone.

The 2021 MPAs were judged by a panel of six – they were:

  • Rodrigo Rivas (past winner, freelance photographer and Category Expert of Photography & Video at creative community Domestika)
  • Evgeny Tchebotarev (co-founder and CEO of NFT marketplace Sloika.xyz)
  • Dominika Koszowska (past winner, doctoral student at the Academy of Fine Arts in Katowice, Poland)
  • Dan Liu (past winner, independent photographer & visual artist)
  • Glenn Homann (past winner and iPhone photographer)
  • Manuela Matos Monteiro (author and artist founder of New Era Museum)

The winners of all the categories of the 2021 Mobile Photography Awards can be seen below:


Grand Prize & MPA Photographer of the Year

Winner – Liu KunKun

A collage of the winning images by Liu KunKun in the 2021 Mobile Photography Awards

A collage of the winning images by Liu KunKun in the 2021 Mobile Photography Awards

The Grand Prize and 11th annual MPA Photographer of the Year went to Liu KunKun for his series of eight images (shown in a collage above).

The judges commented, ‘As we always seek to do at this time, we reward what we find to be the most consistently excellent, original and compelling set of images submitted to the MPA this year. The work of Liu KunKun fits that description.’

Liu was also praised for ‘a great mastery of geometry and perspective’ by MPA Jury Member Rodrigo Rivas.

Liu KunKun calls himself a, ‘non-professional freelance who shoots everything. I work with people.’

It’s said that he often finds photographic inspiration in his native city of Shanghai.


Photo Essay

Winner – Vince Keresnyei for Free from Panic

Keresnyei revealed, ‘I met Adriann, who is suffering from panic disorder like me. She took down the medicine after two years and trues to stand on the ground and establish her panic attach free world without pills. Living with a mental health problem is a constant fight. Sometimes you are strong enough to go to battle with yourself and sometimes not. Pills can help when you don’t have solid ground under your feet but there is always a will to live without medicine. She lets me photograph this whole process with the ups and downs.’

Free from Panic by Vince Kerenyei, 1st Place Winner, Photo Essay category, 2021 Mobile Photography Awards. © Vince Keresnyei

Free from Panic by Vince Kerenyei, 1st Place Winner, Photo Essay category, 2021 Mobile Photography Awards. © Vince Keresnyei

Free from Panic by Vince Kerenyei, 1st Place Winner, Photo Essay category, 2021 Mobile Photography Awards. © Vince Keresnyei

Free from Panic by Vince Kerenyei, 1st Place Winner, Photo Essay category, 2021 Mobile Photography Awards. © Vince Keresnyei

Free from Panic by Vince Kerenyei, 1st Place Winner, Photo Essay category, 2021 Mobile Photography Awards. © Vince Keresnyei

Free from Panic by Vince Kerenyei, 1st Place Winner, Photo Essay category, 2021 Mobile Photography Awards. © Vince Keresnyei

Free from Panic by Vince Kerenyei, 1st Place Winner, Photo Essay category, 2021 Mobile Photography Awards. © Vince Keresnyei

Free from Panic by Vince Kerenyei, 1st Place Winner, Photo Essay category, 2021 Mobile Photography Awards. © Vince Keresnyei

Free from Panic by Vince Kerenyei, 1st Place Winner, Photo Essay category, 2021 Mobile Photography Awards. © Vince Keresnyei

Free from Panic by Vince Kerenyei, 1st Place Winner, Photo Essay category, 2021 Mobile Photography Awards. © Vince Keresnyei

Free from Panic by Vince Kerenyei, 1st Place Winner, Photo Essay category, 2021 Mobile Photography Awards. © Vince Keresnyei

Free from Panic by Vince Kerenyei, 1st Place Winner, Photo Essay category, 2021 Mobile Photography Awards. © Vince Keresnyei

Second place in the Photo Essay category went to The Mass Ave Project by Jeff Larason. In third place was The Olive Harvest by Alessandra Manzotti.


Architecture, Design & Still Life

Winner – Kuanglong Zhang

The Observatory by Kuanglong Zhang, 1st Place Winner, Architecture, Design & Still Life category, 2021 Mobile Photography Awards. © Kuanglong Zhang

The Observatory by Kuanglong Zhang, 1st Place Winner, Architecture, Design & Still Life category, 2021 Mobile Photography Awards. © Kuanglong Zhang


Black & White

Winner – Svetlin Yosifov

Caro Boy by Svetlin Yosifov, 1st Place Winner, Black & White category, 2021 Mobile Photography Awards. © Svetlin Yosifov

Caro Boy by Svetlin Yosifov, 1st Place Winner, Black & White category, 2021 Mobile Photography Awards. © Svetlin Yosifov


Landscapes & Wildlife

Winner – Shinya Itahana

Holy Stream by Shinya Itahana, 1st Place Winner, Landscapes & Wildlife category, 2021 Mobile Photography Awards. © Shinya Itahana

Holy Stream by Shinya Itahana, 1st Place Winner, Landscapes & Wildlife category, 2021 Mobile Photography Awards. © Shinya Itahana


Macro & Details

Winner – James Peck

Big Bumble by James Peck, 1st Place Winner, Macro & Details category, 2021 Mobile Photography Awards. © James Peck

Big Bumble by James Peck, 1st Place Winner, Macro & Details category, 2021 Mobile Photography Awards. © James Peck


People Photos

Winner – Anh Vu Do

Old Age Joy! by Anh Vu Do, 1st Place Winner, People Photos category, 2021 Mobile Photography Awards. © Anh Vu Do

Old Age Joy! by Anh Vu Do, 1st Place Winner, People Photos category, 2021 Mobile Photography Awards. © Anh Vu Do


Portraits & Self-Portraits

Winner – Angelica Loustaunau

Life Style by Angelica Loustaunau, 1st Place Winner, Portraits & Self-Portraits category, 2021 Mobile Photography Awards. © Angelica Loustaunau

Life Style by Angelica Loustaunau, 1st Place Winner, Portraits & Self-Portraits category, 2021 Mobile Photography Awards. © Angelica Loustaunau


Silhouettes

Winner – Jason Liu

Silhouettes Street Cleaner by Jason Liu, 1st Place Winner, Silhouettes category, 2021 Mobile Photography Awards. © Jason Liu

Street Cleaner by Jason Liu, 1st Place Winner, Silhouettes category, 2021 Mobile Photography Awards. © Jason Liu


Street Photography

Winner – Roy Pan

Where are You? by Roy Pan, 1st Place Winner, Street Photography category, 2021 Mobile Photography Awards. © Roy Pan

Where are You? by Roy Pan, 1st Place Winner, Street Photography category, 2021 Mobile Photography Awards. © Roy Pan


Darkness|Noir

Winner – Wai Ying Kwok

Same time! by Wai Ying Kwok, 1st Place Winner, Darkness|Noir category, 2021 Mobile Photography Awards. © Wai Ying Kwok

Same time! by Wai Ying Kwok, 1st Place Winner, Darkness|Noir category, 2021 Mobile Photography Awards. © Wai Ying Kwok


Travel/Adventure & Transportation

Winner – Azim Khan Ronnie

Festival of Colors by Azim Khan Ronnie, 1st Place Winner, Travel/Adventure & Transportation category, 2021 Mobile Photography Awards. © Azim Khan Ronnie

Festival of Colors by Azim Khan Ronnie, 1st Place Winner, Travel/Adventure & Transportation category, 2021 Mobile Photography Awards. © Azim Khan Ronnie


Visual FX & Digital Art

Winner – Erika Brothers

Mind of Garden by Erika Brothers, 1st Place Winner, Visual FX & Digital Art category, 2021 Mobile Photography Awards. © Erika Brothers

Mind of Garden by Erika Brothers, 1st Place Winner, Visual FX & Digital Art category, 2021 Mobile Photography Awards. © Erika Brothers


Water|Snow|Ice

Winner – Junbiao Cai

On the Beach by Junbiao Cai, 1st Place Winner, Water|Snow|Ice category, 2021 Mobile Photography Awards. © Junbiao Cai

On the Beach by Junbiao Cai, 1st Place Winner, Water|Snow|Ice category, 2021 Mobile Photography Awards. © Junbiao Cai


Find out more

To discover more about the MPAs got to the Mobile Photography Awards website.


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