10 Photos That Won The Independent Photographer’s Contest In “People Photography”

Discover the results of the People photography award, hosted by The Independent Photographer, that took place in October 2021.

Spanning across all corners of the globe, crossing both cultures and borders; we’ve created a complex world of traditions and behaviors. There are few restrictions and we are looking for portraiture, travel, street photography, documentary work, photojournalism, or any other form of photographic practice that tells the story of people!

Elizabeth Krist was the competition judge; she has been National Geographic photo editor for over 20 years, and has worked on more than 100 stories and edited at least four million photographs. Throughout her extensive career, Krist has taught for the International Center of Photography, Syracuse University, Santa Fe Workshops, and La Luz. She has reviewed portfolios for The New York Times and was nominated for the Joop Swart Masterclass. She curated Women of Vision, organized the first Women Focus event at the Newseum in Washington D.C and is on the board of Women Photograph. She is currently working on a National Geographic book and exhibition on China and producing stories for Magnum Photos.

Congratulations to the Winners & Finalists!

More info: independent-photo.com

More info: independent-photo.com

1ST PRIZE: $1000

“Balinese temple” - Bali, Indonesia.

A Pemangku (Balinese priest) sits and recites prayers and rings a holy bell in his cave temple, deep in a remote ravine in northern Bali, Indonesia.

2ND PRIZE: $600

“Silent preparation” - Valencia, Spain

Portrait of the Spanish bullfighter Marco Polope (from the bullfighting school of Valencia), preparing to go out to fight in the Final of the Contest “Valencian Bullfighting Federation” in Sueca (Valencia).

3RD PRIZE: $400

“Aarti, the Ceremony of Lights” - Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India

Arti, (Hindi: “the ceremony of lights”) Sanskrit aratrika, in Hindu and Jain rites, the waving of lighted lamps before an image of a god or a person to be honored. In performing the rite, the worshiper circles the lamp three times in a clockwise direction while chanting a prayer or singing a hymn.

“Haenyeo - The Grandma Divers” - South Korea

Soon-ja Hong of Seongsan comes out of the water holding an octopus.  She explains that she and her fellow Haenyeo set traps to catch octopuses which come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Today she was lucky to catch this large specimen. Now 69, she is at the peak of her career, It has taken Soon-ja many years to build up her endurance and fine-tune the hunting techniques that enable her to dive most efficiently.  But even the most experienced divers must follow the strict rules imposed by the fishing cooperatives including diving cycles that allow the women to work seven days on and eight days off in order to recuperate.

"I’m different” - Siena, Italy

“With my portrait work I want to show people that without clothes and without status labels, we are all the same. We love, we live, we breathe, we work, we make love and for all these actions there is no difference in how we look.”

“Nomadic life” - Western Mongolia

A young Kazakh nomad of Western Mongolia looks over a herd of Bactrian camels at dawn. during the winter migrations camels usually lead the way and do not need to be herded like the rest of the livestock because they do know the way.

“Integrity” - Santee Alley, Los Angeles, California, August 2021

“The cooks” - Havana, Cuba

Cubans cooks on their break in Havana, Cuba. Cubans are, despite all the adversities of life in Cuba, some of the happiest and most interested people I’ve ever met. My goal was to make a candid photograph that shows them in their daily life, capturing the essence of their soul.

“Life’s a Blur” - New York, USA

The New York subway is probably one of the perfect examples of the rapid movement of life in the city. Everyone is in a hurry. This image illustrates movement versus restriction. Busy versus calm. A juxtaposition of life.

“The shower of blessings” - Vrindavan, India

From “Holi”, the annual festival of colors celebrated in India.