Unsplash Awards 2024 Selections

The 8th annual Unsplash Awards have come to a close, and it’s time to celebrate this year’s 14 incredible finalists!

Before we dive in, we want to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who submitted an image or supported the Awards last month. This special event is a chance to celebrate you—the amazing Unsplash community. Whether you’re a longtime contributor or just joined, your creativity and generosity continue to inspire us daily.

A huge thank you to our exceptional panel of Judges for taking on the nearly impossible task of selecting this year’s finalists—your dedication made it all happen.

And a special shoutout to our sponsor, Imgix, for awarding each finalist $500 USD.

Now, let’s celebrate the finalists in each category and the creators behind these stunning images.

3D

Finalist: Alex Shuper
Judge: Pablo Vazquez — Blender

“Aside from how technically impressive it is, this one’s all about the storytelling. It makes me want to dive in, ask the protagonist what happened to the canal, and wander around this gloomy yet beautiful place together.”
— Pablo Vazquez

Shortlist:
Cash Macanaya
Emperor
Luke Jones
Maxim Berg
Nick Andréka
Point Normal
Prydumano Design
Resource Database
Tilak Baloni

Animals

Finalist: Allec Gomes
Judge: Rodrigo Bonilla  — WWF

“There's something about this photo that just draws you in. The contrasting colors and leaves in the foreground frame the shot beautifully, with the jaguar's eyes right in the center. It’s as if you’ve been transported to the rainforest, standing only a few feet from an apex predator. However, you don’t feel fear; instead, you feel connected to and concerned for the jaguar, which, as photographer Allec Gomes points out, embodies vulnerability amidst its strength. Many wildlife photos elicit a sense of awe, but not all inspire action - this photo does, and that’s what makes it special. It conveys the message that nature is beautiful yet increasingly fragile, and we are part of the equation - so the urgent efforts we take to maintain its delicate balance must be as intense as the jaguar's gaze.”
— Rodrigo Bonilla 

Shortlist:
Elias Maurer
Leandra Rieger
Mo
Philipp Mika
Qijun Huang
Rob Potter
Sam McCool
William Warby
Zdeněk Macháček

Architecture & Interiors

Finalist: Zhenyu Luo
Judge: David Basulto —  Founder of Arch Daily

“This photo seamlessly brings Shanghai’s iconic skyline into a single frame, through the skillful use of focal length. The image not only showcases the architectural grandeur of the city but also captures its electric, futuristic essence with breathtaking clarity.”
— David Basulto

Shortlist:
Aakash Goel
Aboodi Vesakaran
Alexander Psiuk
Alexandros Giannakakis
Dmitry Kropachev
Francesco Liotti
Lena Polishko
Peter Herrmann
Ryunosuke Kikuno

Experimental

Finalist: Dynamic Wang
Judge: Kemi Alemoru — Writer, Editor, Host, and Consultant

“Dynamic Wang's image stands out in this category for its ability to immediately arrest the viewer with its simplicity. Its experimentation is through a series of clever contrasts. The eerie stillness of a fog that bears down on a lush green landscape contrasts brilliantly with Wang's unusual movement. She's chosen to use a wide lens for a self-portrait, yet she's so little of the image – the central focal point is her contorted body, curled almost into a question mark, that punctuates a large, vast, and hostile backdrop. It's intimate in that you're drawn to her, but it's ostracising as you can't see her expression or quite make her out as she stands alone and in such a vulnerable position in what seems to be the middle of nowhere. It's a clever use of space, movement and light or lack thereof. The image's impact is through how it works with the natural world and what we have at our disposal – grass, gestures, daylight – and is not wholly reliant on Adobe Photoshop's tools for dramatic digital alteration. In an increasingly augmented and contorted digital world, the only thing that has been obviously manipulated here is Wang's stance: a powerful autonomous statement in a category full of heavily edited subjects.”
— Kemi Alemoru

Shortlist:
Стас Кадрулев
Dmitrii Shirnin
Egor Litvinov
Joshua Earle
Nick Fancher
Nik Radzi
Riccardo Cervia
Teslariu Mihai
Venti Views

Fashion & Beauty

Finalist: Alyssa Jane
Judge: Robin Key  — GQ

“For me this image is particularly successful due to the strong sense of narrative Alyssa has imbued. The skilled use of light, simple props and posing has a cinematic quality and the detached gaze of the model in the almost liminal setting is intriguing. The muted palette which is carried throughout the image is particularly successful, with the pop of colour from the earring in the centre of the frame drawing the viewer's eye.”
— Robin Key 

Shortlist:
Braxton Apana
Christopher Ott
Dwayne Joe
Edward Cordoba Bastidas
Good Faces
Hrant Khachatryan
Marlen Stahlhuth
Shahin Khalaji
Simeon Asenov

Film

Finalist: Nicolas Chonville
Judge: Karen Freer — Analogue Wonderland

“I chose this photo because it stood out to me. I like how the image has a cover of red halation across the water. It makes the lake look a bit mysterious. I also like that you can still see some of the mountains across the landscape in the distance and the amount of sky reminds you how enormous everything is.”
— Karen Freer

Shortlist:
Annie Spratt
Celia Arroyo
Chris Weiher
Dina Badamshina
Hrant Khachatryan
Lizgrin F
Richard Stachmann
Tudor Croitoru
Yves Cedric Schulze

Food & Drink

Finalist: Julia Vivcharyk
Judge: Brad Smith —Food Network

“This one made me stop. Click back and really took time to appreciate the visceral reaction I had to seeing it. I'm also a huge cinema fan and the play on red white and black just really caught my eye!”
— Brad Smith

Shortlist:
360floralflaves
Anna Jakutajc-Wojtalik
Artem Mihailov
Eduardo Ramos
Food Photographer
Jeff Frenette
Kari Bjorn
Roberta Sant'Anna
Toa Heftiba

Nature

Finalist: Jeremy Bishop
Judge: Sarah Gardner — National Geographic

“In the nature category, the power of simplicity in visual storytelling was on display, with many finalists' images featuring quiet, contemplative, or minimal scenes. Jeremy Bishop's sand dune image is the opposite of spectacle, and an example of how capturing the right "decisive moment" can lead to a more intriguing image. This composition, filled with satisfying curves, stark contrast, and negative space, invited me to peer closer—with that stunning little bird shadow as a reward.” 
— Sarah Gardner

Shortlist:
Arnaud Girault
Evgeni Tcherkasski
Hanan Edwards
Joshua Earle
Karsten Winegeart
Maksim Samuilionak
Olivie Strauss
Slava Auchynnikau
Steve Gribble

People

Finalist: Yannick Apollon
Judge: Holly Shackleton —  Former Editor-in-Chief of Vogue and I-D

“The colour and the composition immediately stood out to me; the repetition of the earthen pots and the brilliant flashes of yellow are mesmerising.”
— Holly Shackleton

Shortlist:
Adolfo Félix
Alim
Dylann Hendricks
Fadhil Abhimantra
Gustavo Leighton
Ravi Sharma
Roberta Sant'Anna
Sophia Lasheva
Zach Wear

Sports

Finalist: Johannes Kopf
Judge: Jerome Brouillet — Jerome Brouillet Photography

“I really like the overall atmosphere of the photo, which leaves room for the imagination. The athlete preparing in the foreground, pressing his watch to perhaps start his training, with a very threatening weather in the background. The cord used to fasten the suit is fluttering in the wind, adding another dramatic meteorological detail to the scene. This is also what high-level sport is about. Training regardless of the weather conditions or even motivation.”
— Jerome Brouillet

Shortlist:
Andrej Lišakov
Eugene Chystiakov
Holden Baxter
Ibrahim Razzan
Lorin Both
Louis Gaudiau
Max Fitz
Michiel Annaert
Nunzio Alessandro Saraniti

Travel

Finalist: Tomáš Malík
Judge: Karin Mueller — Condé Nast Traveller

“As my winner for the travel category because it powerfully captures the raw, untamed beauty of nature. The silhouetted figure standing in front of an erupting volcano brings in a human element and evokes a sense of awe and adventure, emphasizing the spirit of exploration and the profound connection between humanity and the world's most breathtaking landscapes.”
— Karin Mueller

Shortlist:
Artur Adilkhanian
Daniel Seßler
Joshua Earle
Karsten Winegeart
Mojtaba Mohtashami
Nick Da Fonseca
Nicolas Meunier
Radek Skrzypczak
Raul Taciu

Illustrations

Finalist: Luisa Roth
Judge: Martin Rowson — The Guardian

“I'm old school, and how you do digital art remains a total mystery to me. Which means I'm also deeply impressed by those who produce it. All the shortlisted entries are, in their different ways, equally impressive, but the one that does it for me to perfection is Luisa Roth's deceptively simple, cartoonish image of a vast figure with massive feet, huge hands and a tiny head, mesmerized by a phone screen. That's us, that is.”
— Martin Rowson

Shortlist:
Anna Kutukova
Beatriz Camaleão
Catur Argi
Chris Costa
Gustopo Galang
Jessie Wong
Lisa Barlow
Sanja Djordjevic
Sara Oliveira

Rising Stars

Finalist: Max Ovcharenko
Judge: Rachel Louise Brown — MA Commercial Photography at LCC, UAL

“I was struck by Max’s evocative work instantly. The image is ethereal yet moody in tone and the composition strange but beautiful. An unknown cinematic narrative palpitates gently, like the wings of a butterfly. I want to see more... to know more, when looking at this picture. What came before and what comes after?”
— Rachel Louise Brown

Shortlist:
Adam Bignell
Aedrian Salazar
Cash Macanaya
Jens Riesenberg
Kabiur Rahman Riyad
Mazin Omron
Nick Design
Simeon Asenov
Yves Cedric Schulze

Photo of 2024

We asked the community to vote for the image they thought was the most impactful photograph of the year. The votes are in, and the image that resonated most was this one by Christoph Nolte as originally nominated by Maksym Mazur

Shortlist:
Dmitrii Shirin
Evgeni Tcherkasski
Jens Riesenberg
Joshua Earle
Micheile Henderson
Sam Williams
Sebastian Knoll
Teslariu Mihai
Tomáš Malík

Thank you again to everyone for supporting the eighth edition of the Unsplash Awards.

↪ Discover all the finalists and shortlisted photographers

Special thanks to our Judges and Sponsor