SUSANNE MIDDELBERG | 1st PLACE

SELFPORTRAIT | susannemiddelberg.nl

Susanne Middelberg is a German photographer known for her powerful and emotionally rich portraits, which explore themes of vulnerability and human complexity. After initially studying modern dance at the Higher School for Arts in Arnhem, she transitioned into photography, graduating in 1998 from the Academy for Visual Arts. Middelberg has since established a career as a freelance photographer, specializing in portrait and theater-dance photography. Her work often captures the dualities within people—strength and fragility—and she believes that showing vulnerability in her subjects fosters connection and understanding.

Middelberg’s photographic style is described as “intense, honest, and picturesque,” and she is particularly inspired by the human condition. Her approach focuses on revealing the layers of personality in her subjects, aiming to touch viewers through this emotional depth. She has received numerous awards for her work, including prizes from The Canon Master, the Monochrome Awards and the Px3 Prix de la Photographie Paris. In addition to her portraits, Middelberg has been commissioned for various projects, including work for theater posters. She has exhibited her work in galleries across the Netherlands and internationally, including in New York and Boston. Her projects have earned her a solid reputation in the photography world, winning accolades like the MUSE Photography Awards for her “Daylight” series, where she emphasized natural light and raw emotion to portray her subjects.

Middelberg cites Jan Saudek, Stephan Vanfleteren, and Richard Learoyd as major influences on her work. Her philosophy as a photographer is to remain authentic and continuously learn from others.

APOSTOLOS KALOUDIS | 2nd PLACE

EAGLEHUNTER HUANJOL, LAST OF HIS NAME | beacons.ai/alpha0929

Apostolos Kaloudis sees himself as an adventurer/explorer rather than a photographer. His passion for exploration has been significantly influenced by his studies in Medieval History, which sparked his fascination with the intricate narratives and details of military campaigns. This enthusiasm has motivated him to journey through remote regions, including the Silk Road, the vast steppes and deserts of Central Asia and northern China, as well as former Himalayan kingdoms.

In 2015, he became a member of the National Geographic Global Community (NatGeoyourShot), which provided a daily curated selection of high-quality visual storytelling. His strong desire to understand the world and its diverse cultures has drawn him toward documentary, cultural, and humanitarian portraiture, along with architecture (including historical monuments and sites).

Since then, he has received awards in various competitions, been published in magazines, and exhibited his work in many cities around the world, including New York, Paris, London, Rome, Milan, Sydney, Berlin, Minneapolis, Glasgow, Barcelona, Bologna, Athens, and Tbilisi.

SALVATORE MONTEMAGNO | 3rd PLACE

THE MASK ABD THE APPLE | salvatoremontemagno.wixsite.com/salvatoremontemagno

Salvatore Montemagno was born in Gela, Sicily, on January 4, 1962. Since 1984, he has lived in Montichiari (BS). He has been taking photos for more than 30 years. He still remembers when he took his first photo with a reflex camera, a Cosina CT1, lent to him by a work colleague in Rome, from the window of their office. It was a very banal photo, but for him, it was very important. It marked the zero point of a great passion that has never abandoned him since then. He still has that photo.

However, it has only been a few years since he started studying and developing his photos. The encounter with digital photography was year zero for him. Being able to have total control over his shots in post-production opened the doors to a new and wonderful world. It was what he had been waiting for. For Salvatore, photography is the externalization of internal images. He has no claim, intention, or desire to document reality. He loves to interpret reality or, rather, he likes to give “his version of the facts,” trying to express it artistically and hoping to succeed. He is a winner of various national and international photography competitions as a non-professional. He was awarded “New talent of the year” at the “Moscow international foto awards 2021 – mifa” and twice, in 2022 and 2023, as “Discovery of the year” at the nd awards in London. He also won at the urban photo awards 2023 and the “Creative siena awards 2023.”

ALEX FERRO | HONORABLE MENTION

LA SUERTE

Recognized for the transgressive and explicit nature of her images, this Spanish photographer, awarded the title “Emerging Galician Photographer 2015,” has made the leap onto the international art scene with her project Mama Mía, otras miradas al cáncer de mama (Mama Mía, Other Perspectives on Breast Cancer). In it, she explores challenge, empowerment, and sensuality through an optimistic lens, a body of work that earned her the Gold Medal from the Spanish Confederation of Photography and has been featured in prominent publications.

Prestigious institutions such as PhotoEspaña, the Ramón y Cajal University Hospital, Fundación Abanca, and various museums endorse the trajectory of this artist, whose work primarily focuses on documenting stories through a powerful and emotional visual narrative. In her practice, the body is used as a tool for protest, reflection, and exhaustion.

Accustomed to social media censorship due to the bold and explicit nature of her work, Alex has mastered the art of storytelling without writing a single word, offering viewers the chance to confront their own scars, fears, or fantasies. She enjoys pushing her models, convinced that there’s always more to give than what is initially offered.

Currently, she is exhibiting her latest project, Malandanza, where once again, through a sharp and unfiltered gaze, she underscores the sense of abandonment in the art world, using a circus-inspired aesthetic to provoke, challenge, and interrogate reality. A tireless traveler, she also collaborates with digital travel magazines, where she shares her curiosity and passion for nature and continuous discovery through both text and imagery.

INGETJE TADROS | HONORABLE MENTION

WATCHING | ingetjetadros.com

Ingetje Tadros is a Dutch documentary photographer whose work explores the beauty, complexity, and diversity of the human experience. Her storytelling is rooted in a deep commitment to humanitarian causes, often addressing sensitive topics such as mental health in Bali, leprosy in India, transsexuality in Asia, death rituals in Egypt, and the struggles of Australia’s Indigenous communities.

Ingetje’s photography is known for its raw and thought-provoking nature, using intimate and personal perspectives to spark dialogue and understanding between cultures. From her early years documenting life around her in the Netherlands, she has grown into an international voice, using her lens to give visibility to overlooked stories and amplify voices that often go unheard.

Her work has appeared in major publications, including STERN, Amnesty International, Australian Geographic, The Sydney Morning Herald, Daily Mail, and The Australian. Ingetje’s photography has been recognized with numerous awards, including the Walkley Award (2015), the Amnesty International Media Award (2015), the ANI-PixPalace Award (2016), the LensCulture Visual Storytelling Award (2014), and the Juliet Margaret Cameron Award for Women (2013 and 2019).