Five shocking photographs share $10,000 in AAP annual contest

By Chris George
published

Winners of The Mind's Eye photographic contest organized by the All About Photos show the power of the picture

All About Photo Awards 2021
(Image credit: Joseph-Philippe Bevillard/All About Photo Awards 2021)

The winners of the 6th annual All About Photo Awards have been announced – with the top pictures showing the power for pictures to shock and make a point. From a dead body in a hospital, to an Indian porter carrying an impossibly huge load on his head - the five prize-winning images all have powerful stories to go with their provoking pictures.

The first prize went to British photographer Tom Price, with a shot taken from a project that aimed to show the isolation and the struggle of migrant workers in thought provoking way. He wins a cash prize of $5,000.  

The other photographers, from Indonesia, Chile, Ireland and Spain, shared the remaining $5,000 of prizes in this contest organized by AAP. 

The full gallery, including those winning merit awards, can be seen on the AAP website.

Photographer of the Year 2021

Tom Price (UK) Porters "In 2016, I created a series of portraits featuring market porters in Asia’s largest wholesale market – Barabazar in Kolkata. I was initially drawn to these subjects because of their herculean task of carrying implausibly-sized objects through the bustle of a mega market. As I photographed these workers in isolation, separated from the throng of their industry, I discovered that many of the subjects had travelled far from their homes for this work, leaving families and familiarity behind in order to earn a living. In 2020, I collaborated with Featherwax to relocate these portraits into a more surreal landscape. This series is an attempt at representing something of the experience of the migrant laborer; the sense of dislocation, the burden of their work and the courage it takes to make ends meet". (Image credit: Tom Price/All About Photo Awards 2021)

2nd Place Winner

Joshua Irwandi (Indonesia) The Human Cost of COVID-19 "The body of a suspected coronavirus victim, wrapped in yellow infectious waste plastic bags and wrappers, lies on the patient's deathbed awaiting a body bag in a hospital in Indonesia. The wrapping of the patient, which takes two nurses a full hour to complete, is intended to suppress the spread of coronavirus. As mandated by the Indonesian Ministry of Health, the wrapping of the body is a standard procedure for every suspected, comorbid, and positive confirmed COVID-19 death". (Image credit: Joshua Irwandi/All About Photo Awards 2021)

3rd Place Winner

Joseph-Philippe Bevillard (Ireland) Irish Travelers (Mincéirs) "In 2009, I started photographing the Travelers also known as Pavee or Mincéirs who are an ethnic group at a horse fair in Ireland. I returned to the horse fair the following year to meet them again and to give them some photos I had taken. They gained my trust and invited me to photograph their families and other clans. I am intrigued by their nomadic lifestyle so I decided to visit their caravans, halting sites and roadside encampments. In March 2017, Irish Travelers group have been formally recognized as an ethnic group. Today, they are still facing racism, discrimination, hardship by society and high suicide rates. Travelers are very proud of their culture. I want to represent these people through my photographs. My goal is to continue to work with these families as well as other members that I encounter, and perhaps let the settled people have more understanding of their unique culture". (Image credit: Joseph-Philippe Bevillard/All About Photo Awards 2021)

4th Place Winner

Javier Arcenillas (Spain) LATIDOAMERICA Juvenile detention Saul and Walter David Martinez Quilez in District 1 of Tegucigalpa for possession of marijuana. In the image detainees are beaten by police. (Image credit: Javier Arcenillas/All About Photo Awards 2021)

5th Place Winner

 Javier Vergara (Chile) Chile Resists "Demonstrators protect themselves with a shield from water cannon used by the Special Police Forces during protests in Chile. November 11th, 2019, Santiago". (Image credit: Javier Vergara/All About Photo Awards 2021)

Read more
The best travel cameras in 2021

Best digital photo frames

The best binoculars

The best trail cameras

Best cameras for kids

via photopublicity.com

Thank you for reading 5 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access

Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription

Join now for unlimited access

Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

Chris George
Chris George

Chris George has worked on Digital Camera World since its launch in 2017. He has been writing about photography, mobile phones, video making and technology for over 30 years – and has edited numerous magazines including PhotoPlus, N-Photo, Digital Camera, Video Camera, and Professional Photography. 


His first serious camera was the iconic Olympus OM10, with which he won the title of Young Photographer of the Year - long before the advent of autofocus and memory cards. Today he uses a Nikon D800, a Fujifilm X-T1, a Sony A7, and his iPhone 11 Pro.


He has written about technology for countless publications and websites including The Sunday Times Magazine, The Daily Telegraph, Dorling Kindersley, What Cellphone, T3 and Techradar.

Related articles