Freedom BY Sara Goli
Our First Place Winner was submitted by
Sara Goli from Tehran, Iran
Sara Goli from Tehran, Iran
Fine Art & Minimalist Photographer | Curator | IAAP Ambassador
Born in 1989 in Tehran, Sara Goli is an award-winning fine art and minimalist photographer with over six years of professional experience in the field. Her work explores the quiet power of simplicity, geometry, space, and emotion—each frame carefully composed to evoke contemplation and connection.
Sara is also a certified gallery manager and curator, bringing both artistic vision and organizational expertise to exhibitions and cultural projects. She actively contributes to the international photography community as an IAAP Ambassador (2024), advocating for artistic excellence and cross-cultural dialogue.
Visit more of Sara's amazing work online at:
www.saragoli.art
Born in 1989 in Tehran, Sara Goli is an award-winning fine art and minimalist photographer with over six years of professional experience in the field. Her work explores the quiet power of simplicity, geometry, space, and emotion—each frame carefully composed to evoke contemplation and connection.
Sara is also a certified gallery manager and curator, bringing both artistic vision and organizational expertise to exhibitions and cultural projects. She actively contributes to the international photography community as an IAAP Ambassador (2024), advocating for artistic excellence and cross-cultural dialogue.
Visit more of Sara's amazing work online at:
www.saragoli.art
Streetcar Stories 3 BY Rudolf Sulgan
Our Second Place Winner was submitted by
Rudolf Sulgan from Trnava, Slovakia
Rudolf Sulgan from Trnava, Slovakia
I am a photographer and visual artist based in the USA and Slovakia. My work focuses on the intersection of humanity, nature, and light, through a poetic and contemplative lens. After completing my studies, I began my career as an art restorer at Sotheby’s in New York, where I developed a deep sensitivity to light, texture, and atmosphere. That early foundation continues to inform my visual language, combining precision with emotional resonance.
For over ten years, my work has been exhibited internationally and featured in a variety of publications. Through my photography, I seek to merge artistic beauty with storytelling that creates emotional impact, inviting awareness, reflection, and connection.
Visit more of Rudolf's amazing work online at:
www.rudolfsulgan.com
For over ten years, my work has been exhibited internationally and featured in a variety of publications. Through my photography, I seek to merge artistic beauty with storytelling that creates emotional impact, inviting awareness, reflection, and connection.
Visit more of Rudolf's amazing work online at:
www.rudolfsulgan.com
Chasing Colours BY Derry Ainsworth
Our Third Place Winner was submitted by
Derry Ainsworth from Yuen Long, Hong Kong
Derry Ainsworth from Yuen Long, Hong Kong
Derry Ainsworth is an award-winning British photographer, videographer, and digital artist based in Hong Kong. After earning a degree in architecture, he left the UK in 2014 to explore and photograph urban environments across Asia, ultimately making Hong Kong his home. Initially working in architecture, Derry transitioned to photography, dedicating himself to capturing the city’s unique beauty..
Visit more of Derry's amazing work online at:
www.derryainsworth.com
Visit more of Derry's amazing work online at:
www.derryainsworth.com
NYC summer heatwave BY Gwendolyn Shabka
Our Honorable Mention Winner was submitted by
Gwendolyn Shabka from New York
Gwendolyn Shabka from New York
Returning to New York City after living in London for over 30 years, my camera’s viewfinder is my portal for reconnecting. It’s where I can take a moment of pause, feel a sense of belonging, remember my history, and feel a part of a great continuum.
The subject of this scene was shot during a heat wave in the summer of 2025. I had just arrived from London, and the city felt strange and disorienting. But as I captured these children playing in the spray of a hydrant, I recalled my paternal grandparents stories about living in poorly ventilated ‘dumbell’ apartments on the Lower East Side at the turn of the century -- so named for the air shaft that struggled to provide adequate airflow under the pressure of New York’s 16 million immigrants populating its 43,000 dumbell tenement buildings. Bashing hydrants to release water was common practice, and no matter how poor a family was, mothers and their children would flock to the lower Catskill mountains to escape the summer heat, taking up temporary residence in modest wooden structures and sharing bathroom and kitchen facilities.
In New York City today, it’s rare to find children bashing hydrants with tools to release water, but a street fair in El Barrio on the Upper East Side would not let the scene go forgotten and re-created this iconic 20th century summer experience for the local community to enjoy. _
I came to photography with a degree in art history, experience as a gallerist and curator, and a great love for the FSA photographers under Roosevelt. Born in Manhattan and living in London for 30+ years, I presently reside in New York City.
Visit more of Gwendolyn's amazing work online at:
https://www.instagram.com/photography_by_gwendolyn/
The subject of this scene was shot during a heat wave in the summer of 2025. I had just arrived from London, and the city felt strange and disorienting. But as I captured these children playing in the spray of a hydrant, I recalled my paternal grandparents stories about living in poorly ventilated ‘dumbell’ apartments on the Lower East Side at the turn of the century -- so named for the air shaft that struggled to provide adequate airflow under the pressure of New York’s 16 million immigrants populating its 43,000 dumbell tenement buildings. Bashing hydrants to release water was common practice, and no matter how poor a family was, mothers and their children would flock to the lower Catskill mountains to escape the summer heat, taking up temporary residence in modest wooden structures and sharing bathroom and kitchen facilities.
In New York City today, it’s rare to find children bashing hydrants with tools to release water, but a street fair in El Barrio on the Upper East Side would not let the scene go forgotten and re-created this iconic 20th century summer experience for the local community to enjoy. _
I came to photography with a degree in art history, experience as a gallerist and curator, and a great love for the FSA photographers under Roosevelt. Born in Manhattan and living in London for 30+ years, I presently reside in New York City.
Visit more of Gwendolyn's amazing work online at:
https://www.instagram.com/photography_by_gwendolyn/
Theme Shortlist
Below are the amazing images that shortlisted into the top tier of this themes competition. A big congratulations to all the talented photographers that participated!
