These stunning iPhone Photography Award 2024 winners show you don't need an iPhone 16 upgrade after all

The iPhone 16 Pro rumors might be promising some improved optical zoom and a better wide-angle camera, but the new winners of the iPhone Photography Awards 2024 show you don't need a new iPhone to take great snaps.

The competition, now in its 17th year, runs independently of Apple but has become a staple in the smartphone-snapping calendar. It claims to be the world's longest-running iPhone photography competition – and as you'd expect, some fine photos are spread across its 15 categories.

The iPhone 15 Pro Max is understandably the most well-represented camera in the awards – it was used for 10 out of the 46 award-winning shots. However, the awards are by no means dominated by new Apple models. The second most popular phones were the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone X, which were used in four winning shots each.

A couple of photos were even shot on iPhones that won't even support iOS 18 when it lands next month. First place in the 'Animals' category (shot by Colin Hoskins) was taken on an iPhone 7 Plus, which launched back in 2016. Meanwhile, the top spot in the 'People' category (an eerie shot of some renovators at an LA motel by Brooke Wilen) was taken on an iPhone 6S. 'The best camera is the one you have with you' may be a cliché, but it's also true.

What's clear from the winners below is that composition and a little editing both trump hardware these days. Very few shots appear to be 'straight out of camera', with many displaying the tell-tale signs of color tweaks from the best photo editing apps like Snapseed and Lightroom, or a tasteful black-and-white conversion.

While the competition's rules stated that "photos should not be altered in Photoshop or any desktop image processing program", that does leave the room open for mobile editors – and there's nothing wrong with that in our book.

Looking for some World Photography Day inspiration? Here's a gallery of all of this year's award winners, and the iPhone that was used for each shot...

Overall winner

A boy at an aquarium looking at a shark

Grand Prize Winner, by Erin Brooks (shot on an iPhone 15 Pro Max) (Image credit: IPPA Awards / Erin Brooks)

The judges chose the shot above, Boy Meets Shark by Erin Brooks, as their Grand Prize Winner. Erin is no stranger to the awards, having previously come second in the Portrait category in 2022 and winning the Series category in 2021. The black-and-white shot was taken on an iPhone 15 Pro Max.

Taken in Tampa, Florida, the shot captures the moment a young boy comes close to a huge shark – behind the safety of glass at least – with the judges stating it symbolizes "the innocence of youth juxtaposed with the mysteries of the deep sea." The processing also fittingly gives it a picture-book quality.

It certainly wasn't the only standout entry, though, as you can see in the galleries of the other category winners below...

Photographer of the year

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A group of swimmers in red caps in a green river

First place in 'Photographer of the Year', by Glen Wilbert (shot on an iPhone 11 Pro Max) (Image credit: IPPA Awards / Glen Wilbert)
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A line of young monks meditating at a temple

Second place in 'Photographer of the Year', by Anthony Maureal (shot on an iPhone 15 Pro) (Image credit: IPPA Awards / Anthony Maureal)
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Light coming through the windows of a cavernous modern building

Third place in 'Photographer of the Year', by Wenlong Jiang (shot on an iPhone 14) (Image credit: IPPA Awards / Wenlong Jiang)

Abstract

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Orange feathers

First place in 'Abstract' category, by Jose Manuel Garcia Gonzalez (shot on iPhone 14 Pro Max) (Image credit: IPPA / Jose Manuel Garcia Gonzalez)
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An abstract shot of a rocky landscape

Second place in 'Abstract' category, by Verity Milligan (shot on iPhone 15 Pro Max) (Image credit: IPPA Awards / Verity Milligan)
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A close-up of pink tunnels

Third place in 'Abstract' category, by Glenn Homann (shot on iPhone 11 Pro) (Image credit: IPPA Awards / Glenn Homann)

Animals

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A man riding a horse surrounded by dogs

First place in 'Animals', by Colin Hoskins (shot on an iPhone 7 Plus) (Image credit: IPPA awards / Colin Hoskins)
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A cheetah in a tree with a cub

Second place in 'Animals', by Huapeng Zhao (shot on an iPhone 15 Pro Max) (Image credit: IPPA awards / Huapeng Zhao)
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A dog licking its lips in front of a bag of chips

Third place in 'Animals', by Rebecca Horrocks (shot on iPhone 13) (Image credit: IPPA awards / Rebecca Horrocks)

Architecture

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An abstract shot of some colorful archways

First place in Architecture, by Leping Cheng (shot on iPhone 12 Pro Max) (Image credit: IPPA Awards / Leping Cheng)
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A modern white building in China

Second place in 'Architecture', by Yixi Luo (shot on an iPhone 13 Pro) (Image credit: IPPA Awards / Yixi Luo)
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An old stone hallway in front on a blue sky

Third place in 'Architecture', by Stephanie Weber (shot on an iPhone 11 Pro) (Image credit: IPPA Awards / Stephanie Weber)

Children

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A child swinging in a blue hammock in front of a purple wall

First place in 'Children', by Daniel de Cerqueira (shot on an iPhone 11) (Image credit: IPPA Awards / Daniel de Cerqueira)
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A close-up of a child's head from a top-down view

Second place in 'Children', by Soledad Barranca Miron (shot on iPhone 12 Pro Max) (Image credit: IPPA Awards / Soledad Barranca Miron)
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A child wearing a Nike top looking up

Third place in 'Children', by Ron Hendricks (shot on an iPhone 13) (Image credit: IPPA Awards / Ron Hendricks)

Cityscape

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A colorful playground in front of a river and industrial towers

First place in 'Cityscape', by Yanzhou Chen (shot on an iPhone 15 Pro Max) (Image credit: IPPA Awards / Yanzhou Chen)
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An old car under a spotlight in an empty underground parking lot

Second place in 'Cityscape', by Aliaksandr Kaptsevich (shot on an iPhone X) (Image credit: IPPA Awards / Aliaksandr Kaptsevich)
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Rows and rows of bicycles in black and white

Third place in 'Cityscape', by James Kittendorf (shot on an iPhone X) (Image credit: IPPA Awards / James Kittendorf)

Landscape

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A night sky over Lake Tekapo

First place in 'Landscape', by Paddy Chao (shot on an iPhone 15 Pro Max) (Image credit: IPPA Awards / Paddy Chao)
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An iceberg under a dark sky

Second place in 'Landscape', by Alessandra Manzotti (shot on an iPhone 12 Pro Max) (Image credit: IPPA Awards / Alessandra Manzotti)
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Snow on orange rocky mountains

Third place in 'Landscape', by Qu Lu (shot on an iPhone 13 Pro Max) (Image credit: IPPA Awards / Qu Lu)

Lifestyle

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A crowd of people wearing yellow swimming hats

First place in 'Lifestyle', by Glen Wilbert (shot on an iPhone 11 Pro Max) (Image credit: IPPA Awards / Glen Wilbert)
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A man being pushed on a tricycle in front of kites

Second place in 'Lifestyle', by Leo Huang (shot on an iPhone 11) (Image credit: IPPA Awards / )
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A man holding several colorful balloons standing in front of a city river

Third place in 'Lifestyle', by Leo Huang (shot on an iPhone 13 Pro Max) (Image credit: IPPA Awards / )

Nature

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A waterfall surrounded by trees in black and white

First place in 'Nature', by Shinya Itahana (shot on an iPhone 15 Pro) (Image credit: IPPA Awards / Shinya Itahana)
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A close-up of a moth on a leaf

Second place in 'Nature', by Scott Galloway (shot on an iPhone 12 Pro Max) (Image credit: IPPA Awards / Scott Galloway)
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A group of trees on a white background reflected in a lake

Third place in 'Nature', by Linda Repasky (shot on an iPhone 15 Pro Max) (Image credit: IPPA Awards / Linda Repasky)

Other

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A side-on photo of a woman leaning towards a horse's head

First place in 'Other', by Jun Hu (shot on an iPhone 7) (Image credit: IPPA Awards / Jun Hu)
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A giant, furry pink bunny sitting in front of a building

Second place in 'Other', by Shuo Li (shot on an iPhone 15 Pro Max) (Image credit: IPPA Awards / Shuo Li)
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A window framed by curtains with a view of a plane taking off

Third place in 'Other', by Chan Nyein Aung (shot on an iPhone 14 Pro Max) (Image credit: IPPA Awards / Chan Nyein Aung)

People

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Two men in white overalls working on a white building next to white ladders

First place in 'People', by Brooke Wilen (shot on an iPhone 6S) (Image credit: IPPA Awards / Brooke Wilen)
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A girl in a hoody standing in front of some red steps

Second place in 'People', by George Allen (shot on an iPhone 12 Pro) (Image credit: IPPA Awards / George Allen)
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A silhouette of a man kicking a ball with a child looking on behind a fence

Third place in 'People', by Chi Zhang (shot on an iPhone XS) (Image credit: IPPA Awards / Chi Zhang)

Portrait

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A woman standing with her hands on her hips with eyes obscured by an umbrella

First place in 'People', by Artem-Koleganov (shot on an iPhone X) (Image credit: IPPA Awards / Artem-Koleganov)
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A man in a yellow turban

Second place in 'People', by Enhua Ni (shot on an iPhone X) (Image credit: IPPA Awards / Enhua Ni)
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A child in the mountains holding a goat

Third place in 'Portrait', by Manush Kalwari (shot on an iPhone SE) (Image credit: IPPA Awards / Manush Kalwari)

Series

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Children jumping in the air on the side of a swimming pool

First place in 'Series', by Xingping Zhou (shot on an iPhone 13) (Image credit: IPPA Awards / Xingping Zhou)
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A crane payload hanging in the air on a green background

Second place in 'Series', by Wang WeiChao (shot on an iPhone 8 Plus) (Image credit: IPPA Awards / Wang WeiChao)
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Three side-on shots of colorful Beetle cars on a street

Third place in 'Series', shot on an iPhone 13 Pro (Image credit: IPPA Awards / Philip Parsons)

Still Life

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Four slices of watermelon in a bowl in front of a blue wall

First place in 'Still life', by Dai Fushun (shot on an iPhone 15 Pro Max) (Image credit: IPPA Awards / Dai Fushun)
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A pink hose pipe on a patch of grass

Second place in 'Still life', by Yu Jiang (shot on an iPhone 15 Pro Max) (Image credit: IPPA Awards / Yu Jiang)
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A yellow chair sitting on a yellow-striped path

Third place in 'still life', by David Fish (shot on an iPhone 12 Pro) (Image credit: IPPA Awards / David Fish)

Travel

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Camels riding through sand dunes in the Moroccan desert

First place in 'Travel', by Khalid Mahmood (shot on an iPhone 13 Pro) (Image credit: IPPA Awards / Khalid Mahmood)
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Second place in 'Travel', by Hao Wen (shot on an iPhone 13 Pro)

Second place in 'Travel', by Hao Wen (shot on an iPhone 13 Pro) (Image credit: IPPA Awards / Hao Wen)
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A red and white striped hot air balloon in front of a blue sky

Third place in 'Travel', by Gyula Somogyi (shot on an iPhone 15 Pro Max) (Image credit: IPPA Awards / Gyula Somogyi)

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