20 Winning Photos From Siena Creative Photography Awards

Riding on Marigold Waves, Runner Up, Nature and Landscape; A tiny crab spider settles into the curve of an African marigold petal, as if floating on rhythmic ocean waves.

Marta Fiscus – Siena Creative Photo Awards

The winning images of the international Siena Creative Photography competition, celebrate visionary artists working at the forefront of contemporary photography, offering an inspiring visual journey through innovation, imagination, and artistic excellence.

Founded in 2015, this prestigious photography contest is open to all photographers of all levels — professionals, enthusiasts, and emerging talents — in nine categories, including Animals, Advertising, Architecture, People, Wedding, Fine Art, Open Theme, Nature & Landscape, and Series.

Forbes21 Stunning Winning Images From Siena Photo AwardsBy Cecilia Rodriguez

Under the theme “I wonder if you can,” participants were encouraged to experiment freely with techniques, push creative boundaries and break traditional rules to shape new artistic trends in modern photography.

The Siena Creative Photo Awards are an element of the broader Siena Awards, one of the most internationally recognized events in contemporary photography and isual arts. The organization also oversees the Siena International Photo Awards and the Siena Drone Photo Awards.

Held annually in the historic Tuscan city of Siena, Italy, the Festival attracts intense global participation. This edition fielded more than 400,000 image submissions from photographers in 194 countries.

“The uniqueness of Siena Awards is the continuous attempt to be avant-garde and create, in the ideal place, strong positive and always new emotions, which are the ones that give joy, unite, and allow audiences and participants to overcome distances, and different cultures and goals,” the organizers explain.

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The overall winning photograph, selected from tens of thousands of submissions, is entitled The Shuttle by Ukrainian photographer Andrew Rovenko. Captured in Melbourne during global restrictions, the image transforms ordinary daily life into a dreamlike vision, inviting viewers to rediscover the imaginative power and creative resilience of new generations.

Overall Winner, Creative Photography

As our world was shut down by restrictions, a child’s boundless imagination knew no limits. This evocative image invites us to rediscover the wonder in the ordinary and to feel the power of dreams transporting us beyond our own reality.

Creative Photos Of Animals – Pets

In Antarctica, gentoo penguins sometimes take advantage of large icebergs to rest before returning to the water. This picture was composed to create a minimalist effect, highlighting the penguin in its environment.

Linda Smit’s portrait of a silverback gorilla eyeing the camera while resting his chin on his fist, as if deep in thought, resembles the famous statue by Rodin. This image highlights how closely related they are to humans. Looking into his gentle eyes, one can’t help but wonder what he’s thinking.

This tender moment captures the intimate bond between a newborn kid and its mother. The soft light, snow-white fur, and the baby’s half-closed eyes evoke a sense of comfort and safety, while highlighting the purity of life’s very first moments. This image speaks of silent love, the beauty of nature and the beginning of a new story.

In the afternoon, these American flamingos come alive. The dramatic late-day lighting allows their graceful forms to emerge, while the natural dark backdrop creates a theatrical effect that highlights their magical coloration and elegant postures.

During an expedition cruise in Svalbard where he was a guide, Grégory Pol took this photo of a female polar bear the expedition had spotted the day before.

Pol was struck by her majestic, imposing posture: When she stood, she lowered her head and moved her paw in front of her as if in salute, a gesture of reverence.

Nature and Landscape, Creative Photography

In the afternoon at the Maasai Mara National Reserve, a storm was brewing, creating the perfect light and backdrop for this surreal, delightful scene: A lonely acacia was being munched by giraffes as if it were cotton candy.

In the background, an army of mushrooms are larger than the young fruitbodies in the foreground. They are all genetic clones of one another and have grown on a tree stump in the forests below Mount Rainier.

An autumn branch with faded, rusty leaves emerges in a foggy forest scene, captured on a quiet November morning in the Transylvanian woods. The mist and soft light add a calm, moody atmosphere.

Creative Photos Of People

Chickens are sacred in Nigerian culture and are considered a bridge between the earthly and the spiritual realms. ‘When the Cock Crows’ is a symbolic image that captures this bond through photography, conveying love, respect and their role in rituals.

The Path of the Warrior is the path of the Heart. Without it, we cannot understand our purpose. It gives us the strength to always rise after a fall. The Path of the Warrior is like both a beam and a dagger.

This photo is an experiment with light, softness, and emotion to capture something theatrical yet personal. The look, the pose and the simple background all came together naturally. It’s a portrait where everything just ‘feels right’.

Fine Art Creative Photography

A long exposure photograph and a hybrid composition, taken in Targoviste, Romania, create a visual space that evokes the concept of transcendence. The picture was inspired by Wabi-Sabi, the Japanese aesthetic that finds beauty in imperfection, impermanence, and incompleteness, as well as by Kintsugi, the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with gold.

This portrait transcends the human form and merges with the natural cycle of the seasons. The figure of a woman, captured from behind in elegant nudity, celebrates vulnerability and inner strength. Her head, replaced by a crown of leaves in warm autumn hues, symbolizes connection with nature.

A striking play of bold colors is created via vivid blue hair and a bright yellow sweater set against a lush green backdrop, with a gleaming red bubble that momentarily obscures the figure’s face.

A romantic desert moment frames love in tradition. The couple stands among camels, blending culture and emotion in a timeless composition that evokes connection, heritage and enduring love.

Open Theme Creative Photography

A poetic photography of flowering cacti in California captures these blossoming cactus in various delicate shades as they emerged among the sharp spines. Displayed at a nursery in Capitola, California, each one is wrapped in a thin cellophane sleeve.

This proud chicken guards its apples from the orchard. Yet, slowly a slug crawls up and a worm emerges from an apple. The picture is inspired by the old masters. Warm tones are used for the chicken, contrasted with cooler tones for the apples.

‘No Limit’ showcases the legendary Cobra 427 SC (Museum Collection Metropole Druten), an icon of speed and exclusivity, resting in crystal-clear turquoise waters. Jaguars lounge beside it, echoing both strength and elegance. A surreal vision where luxury meets nature.

All the winners of the nine categories of the Siena Creative Photography Awards can be seen here.

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