HUAWEI 2021 NEXT-IMAGE Awards winners announced

HUAWEI officially announced the winners of the annual smartphone photography competition, HUAWEI 2021 NEXT-IMAGE Awards, on January 24, 2022, with over 70 winning entries awarded this year following the judging process.

The competition saw over 1 million submissions from more than 100 countries and regions across the world, all of which were reviewed and assessed by a panel of professional judges.

Winners of the "Photographer of the Year" had their outstanding works praised by international judges

The works "Generations" by Hungarian photographer Attila Tompa, "Hometown feast" by Chinese photographer Zhang Wei, and " I am a father now!" by Czech photographer Zdeněk Dvořák won unanimous praise from the international panel. The photographers were awarded "Photographer of the Year" for their entries, and each received $10,000 USD in cash prizes to aid them in continuing to create and express themselves using HUAWEI mobile phones in the future.

Attila Tompa (Hungary), Generations | HUAWEI P40 Pro

Photographer’s Description: “The people pictured in the photo are my mother-in-law and my daughter. In this moment, where their faces were illuminated by light and shadow, I was very touched. The lives of two generations are intertwined here, showing that love and family have never been changed by the times.”

Judges’ Comments: "The warm moment between a grandparent and her grandchild not only moved the photographer but moved me too. This photo freezes it in time, making me feel as if I can't bear to disturb the quiet, tender moment." — Lin Haiyin, 2020 NEXT-IMAGE Awards Photographer of the Year

Zhang Wei (China), Hometown feast | HUAWEI P40

Photographer’s Description: "This photo was taken in Longyan City, Fujian Province. In accordance with the unique Hakka tradition of 'making great fortune', every family pictured here was hosting a feast to entertain guests. This precious image stirs up both love and longing in one's heart."

Judges’ Comments: “The longer you look at this work, the better you’ll find it. It’s full tones, rich colour details, the strong and cleverly balanced contrast evokes curiosity and fascination.” — Reuben Krabbe, Canadian extreme sports photographer

Zdeněk Dvořák (Czech Republic), I am a father now! | HUAWEI P9

Photographer’s Description: “On the day my daughter was born, my wife’s labour lasted 38 hours, and I decided to record this unforgettable moment with my phone. Having progressed from romance to building a family together, from being a husband to becoming a father, life seems fuller now. "

Judges’ Comments: “The photographer captured soft reflected light from electronics with his mobile phone, thus bringing out the warmth of the photo and the authenticity of everyday family life.” —Liu Heung Shing, founder of the Shanghai Center of Photography, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Journalism

A collection of top works of photography, the award winners in each of the competition’s ten categories have been chosen

The HUAWEI 2021 NEXT-IMAGE Awards welcomed submissions across ten categories, namely: Portrait, Monochrome, Colour, Snapshot, Night, Telephoto, Super wide angle, Super macro, Story creator and Storyteller. Within each category, Category Winners and Winners were selected.

Among them, 27 Category Winners will each receive a NEXT-IMAGE Creative Fund of $1000 USD, and 30 Winners will each receive a HUAWEI WATCH 3.

This year’s award-winning entries highlight details of the world seen through the photographer’s lens, using the power of smartphone photography to tell life stories or the ever-changing social landscapes. Photographers can express their creativity in different ways through various categories.

For example, in the ‘Portrait’ category, the photographers capture intimate expressions of their family and friends, filling the photos with emotions that move the judges and viewers through the heart-warming details in each shot. In the ‘Monochrome’ category, photographers make full use of light and shadow to create a sense of depth and to highlight the contrasting lines that enrich the pictures. Through the ‘Colour’ category, photographers capture the true beauty of the stories and emotions through colours, as well as being able to create dramatic presentation through creative use of strong colours.

This year’s number of entries for the ‘Storyteller’ category doubled compared to last year’s competition, reflecting the popularity of the competition, as well as the creators’ improvement in thought process and smartphone photography skills. The new categories in this year’s competition look to encourage smartphone photography enthusiasts to express their emotions, tell compelling stories, document the changing world, as well as discover new emerging trends.

Additionally, this year’s competition offers a brand-new award, namely, the Student Focus Awards, for students aged 18 to 24 who have submitted their entries into the competition. Several students from the Central Academy of Drama, Beijing Film Academy, Xi'an Jiaotong University and other institutions have won the award, and stand to receive a NEXT-IMAGE Creative Fund of $1000 USD and a HUAWEI P50 mobile phone to spur them to continue to create in the next year.

In the era of mobile photography, NEXT-IMAGE provides insights into the future

The HUAWEI NEXT-IMAGE Awards is an important part of the company’s NEXT-IMAGE Plan and serves as a platform for global conversation on mobile capture technology, the experience of shooting on mobile, and new forms of expression. Since it began in 2017, the competition has been held for five consecutive years, attracting users from over 170 countries and regions, and shining a light on many amateur/hobbyist photography enthusiasts and creators.

With the 'NEXT-IMAGE Plan', HUAWEI aims to inspire creators to capture and share life’s excitement and its beauty, anytime, anywhere, and to explore more possibilities for mobile photography alongside consumers all around the world.

The full list of award winners：https://gallery.consumer.huawei.com/