Travel photography isn’t just about places—it’s about stories, people, rituals, and fleeting moments that reveal how deeply connected our world really is. AAP Magazine has just announced the 25 winners of AAP Magazine #53: Travels, and the results offer a powerful reminder of why photography remains one of the most compelling ways to explore the human experience.
This international competition drew thousands of submissions from photographers around the globe, each offering a personal interpretation of travel—far beyond postcards and clichés. The winning projects transport viewers into lived realities: sacred ceremonies, remote communities, everyday work, childhood memories, and fragile traditions shaped by time, belief, and environment.
More info: all-about-photo.com | Instagram | Facebook | x.com | youtube.com
#1 Guardians Of The Forest By Thibault Gerbaldi
Image source: All About Photo
The top prize was awarded to Andrea Bettancini (Italy) for The Background Noise, a striking series that captures the quiet tension between presence and place.
Second Place went to Callie Eh (Malaysia) for A Journey of Heart and Heritage, an intimate exploration of identity and belonging.
Third Place was awarded to Andrea Peruzzi (Italy) for Devotion in Mazar-I Sharif, a deeply moving look at faith and ritual in Afghanistan.
The remaining 22 Merit Award winners complete a remarkably diverse and global lineup, featuring photographers from 13 countries across four continents—with 12 women among the 25 winners, reflecting the evolving voices shaping contemporary photography today.
#2 Maidan From The Series ‘The Background Noise’ By Andrea Bettancini
Image source: All About Photo
#3 Bird People By Guillaume Petermann
Image source: All About Photo
The Merit Award winners are:
Artem Postelnikov (Ukraine), Kristyn Taylor (Australia), Andrea Torrei (Italy), Guillaume Petermann (France), Somenath Mukhopadhyay (India), Indranil Sengupta (India), Vitaly Golovatyuk (Russia), Thibault Gerbaldi (France/United States), Fiorella Baldisserri (Italy), Brigitte Bourger (France), Lise Leino (Finland/United Kingdom), Ryan Kost (United States), Prescott Lassman (United States), Mogli Maureal (Philippines/United States), Costanza Rossi (Italy), Carole Mills Noronha (Australia), Orna Naor (Israel), TJ Vissing (United States), Emilie Favier (France), Mariqua Poquet (France), Sanghamitra Sarkar (India), and Laura Jean Zito (Ireland).
From ancestral rituals in Ethiopia and Borneo, to disappearing ways of life in Papua New Guinea and the Amazon, and deeply personal narratives of migration, labor, and childhood, these series form a layered portrait of a world in constant motion—yet deeply rooted in tradition.
#4 Give Me Shelter From The Series ‘Going Bedouin’ By Laura Jean Zito
Image source: All About Photo
#5 Heart Of The Highlands From The Series ‘Iceland From Above’ By Artem Postelnikov
Image source: All About Photo
The top three winners each receive a $1,000 cash prize, and all 25 winning photographers are featured in the All About Photo Winners Gallery and published in the printed edition of AAP Magazine #53: Travels.
More than a competition, this issue is a celebration of curiosity, respect, and storytelling—proof that travel photography, at its best, doesn’t just show us where people live, but how they live, remember, and belong.
#6 Colour Spread From The Series ‘Aroma Story’ By Somenath Mukhopadhyay
Image source: All About Photo
#7 Shanghai Tang By Vitaly Golovatyuk
Image source: All About Photo
#8 Marriage From The Series ‘River Nile’ By Fiorella Baldisserri
Image source: All About Photo
#9 Illimani From The Sky From The Series ‘Bolivia At 12,000 Feet And Above’ By Tj Vissing
Image source: All About Photo
#10 The Art Of Beshik From The Series ‘A Journey Of Heart And Heritage’ By Callie Eh
Image source: All About Photo
#11 Make Up From The Series ‘Bohurupi’ By Indranil Sengupta
Image source: All About Photo
#12 Between Departures From The Series ‘The Distance Of Light’ By Andrea Torrei
Image source: All About Photo
#13 The Widow By Lise Leino
Image source: All About Photo
#14 Outside The Weaving Cooperative From The Series ‘The Road To Machu Picchu’ By Prescott Lassman
Image source: All About Photo
#15 Don Mario From The Series ‘Life In Viñales’ By Mogli Maureal
Image source: All About Photo
#16 Portrait Of Natata From The Series ‘Level 5, Kenya’ By Carole Mills Noronha
Image source: All About Photo
#17 Legacy Light By Emilie Favier
Image source: All About Photo
#18 Bajao Boys In Mangrove Forest By Sanghamitra Sarkar
Image source: All About Photo
#19 The Guardian From The Series ‘Devotion In Mazar-I Sharif’ By Andrea Peruzzi
Image source: All About Photo
#20 Crossroads V By Brigitte Bourger
Image source: All About Photo
#21 Camp Kitchen By Ryan Kost
Image source: All About Photo
#22 The New Elders From The Series ‘The Fathers Of The Rite’ By Costanza Rossi
Image source: All About Photo
#23 A Boy From The Valley From The Series ‘Where The Mountains Remember’ By Marika Poquet
Image source: All About Photo
#24 Dassanech Woman With New Life From The Series ‘Tarly Morning Coffee With The Dassanech’ By Kristyn Taylor
Image source: All About Photo
#25 Gypsy Village, Romania By Orna Naor
Image source: All About Photo
Follow Us
