5 min read
2025 Way Up North Awards, Photo Contest Winners
By Way Up NorthUpdated 13 October 2026
Loading...
5 min read
By Way Up NorthUpdated 13 October 2026
The 2025 WUN Awards · Photo Contest Winners
Cover image by Anna Ascari
The curtain just lifted in Vienna. After the most competitive year the WUN Awards have ever seen, the room fell silent and then erupted as the 2025 winners filled the screen one by one. Some are seeing their names here for the first time.
120 frames across 12 categories. Each one rose out of a global field that grew larger and stronger than any year before it. Below is the full set, in the order they were unveiled. The photographers, the countries, the work that defined a year.
The 2025 Photography Jury
Six photographers, four jury teams. Two solo voices and two duos. Every one of them an Imagen ambassador. Hundreds of hours of careful looking went into the 120 frames below. Thank you.
Award-winning fine art and editorial wedding photographer known for her cinematic eye and signature blend of digital and film. As one half of the Hastings & King duo, her work has been featured in Vogue India and celebrated by Rangefinder.
Fully nomadic wedding photographer and educator with weddings and workshops from the tropics to deserts. Documentary honesty meets refined aesthetics. Story-driven work that embraces the chaos, the closeness, and the joy.
Award-winning duo and the founders of WedFM, a creative studio and podcast celebrating love, art, and storytelling. Vibrant, emotive work captured across hundreds of weddings worldwide.
Husband and wife duo behind The Padillas Studio in Sacramento. Since 2019 they've told stories through quinceañera and wedding photography that feels personal, emotional, and timeless.
Title sponsor
Imagen has been the title sponsor of the WUN Awards since they joined our community in Copenhagen in 2021. The awards as you see them today exist because of their support. They bring the judges too. Year after year, quietly, they've kept this whole thing running. Thank you.
Before the winners.
The community below didn't show up by accident. Twice a year, photographers from across Europe and beyond gather in one room to push each other forward. Fall 2026 is the next one. The early-bird ticket is below at €145 instead of €395.
València Fall 2026
€295.00 +VAT
View details
The Winners
01 Dance02 Epic03 Family04 Group05 Vibe06 Non-Wedding07 Maternity08 Analogue09 Flash10 Solo11 Couple12 Moment
01
How a corner of the world celebrates through movement.
Anni Tapio Finland
Christine Eckardt Luxembourg
Dalibora Bijelić Croatia
Biggy Tooth Netherlands
Fabio Miglio Italy
Ida Carlsson Spain
Josefin Westin Finland
Luigi Reccia Italy
Mariah Arianna Austria
Michaela Klouda Norway
02
Couples meeting nature's grandeur. The frames that stop the scroll.
Anna Ascari Italy
Ieva Marija UK
Juris Zīģelis Latvia
Mati Machner Austria
Michael Keplinger Austria
Miika Hämäläinen Finland
Natallia Nikolaichik Poland
Tereza Hanusková Czech Republic
03
Multi-generational connection caught the way it really happens.
Andrea Gallucci Italy
Dalibora Bijelić Croatia
Ekaterina Surzhok Germany
Dan Calderwood Denmark
Delphine Otte Belgium
Denise Sant Sweden
Emma Lindegren Finland
Niki Strbian Finland
Nadia Deland Storm Sweden
Tina Lindroos Finland
04
Family formals reimagined. The bridal party at full volume.
Elaine Lilje Sweden
Ellinor Niland Sweden
Josefin Westin Finland
Maria Broström Sweden
Mariah Arianna Austria
Mario Ruiz Netherlands
Natallia Nikolaichik Poland
Piotr Dynarski Poland
Tereza Hanusková Czech Republic
Victoria Hörtnagl Austria
05
Atmosphere you can almost smell. The room, the light, the night.
Camilla Andersen Norway
In Bianco e Nero Italy
Josefin Westin Finland
Karmen Poznic Bozic Croatia
Jakob Hallaert Belgium
Jiří Šmalec Czech Republic
Karolina Ehrenpil Sweden
Luigi Reccia Italy
Martin Faltejsek Czech Republic
Nadja Endler Sweden
06
Wedding inspiration outside the wedding day. Day-afters, styled work, bold experiments.
Chris Ray Iceland
Dan Calderwood Denmark
Georgiana Acostandei Italy
Mariah Arianna Austria
Fabio Miglio Italy
Kamyla Davis France
Martin Faltejsek Czech Republic.jpg
Miika Hämäläinen Finland
Tereza Hanusková Czech Republic
Tina Lindroos Finland
07
An ode to motherhood. Vulnerability, power, new life.
Chiara Simons Belgium
Denise Sant Sweden
Elīna Vuškāne Latvia
Karmen Poznic Bozic Croatia
Maja Slabe Slovenia
Nadia Deland Storm Sweden
Nadja Endler Sweden
Paula Springe Spain
Tina Lindroos Finland
Niki Strbian Finland
08
Film, intention, and the discipline of waiting for the frame.
Anna Ascari Italy
Dalibora Bijelić Croatia
Daniela Haupt Austria
Josefin Westin Finland
Julia Jardim Netherlands
Katarina Harsanyova Slovakia
Luigi Reccia Italy
Ricardo Catarro Portugal
Rita Félix Portugal
Rudy Signorini Italy
09
Light made by hand. From subtle fill to dramatic night theatre.
Alexandra Gelfgren Sweden
Anne De Geyter Belgium
Fabio Miglio Italy
Ambre Peyrotty France
Andrea Balzano Italy
Elaine Lilje Sweden
Kaat De Malsche Belgium
Lenka Řimsová Czech Republic
Michael Frano Czech Republic
Rune Havn Norway
10
A single subject, endless story. Personality made visible.
Christin Eide Norway
Elke Van den Ende Belgium
Georgiana Acostandei Italy
Ifeta Ibracevic Austria
Jakub Cabalka Czech Republic
Krista Ploeg Netherlands
Martina Monopoli Italy
Misha Moscovciuc Czech Republic
Pyry-Pekka Kantonen Finland
Styrmir Erwinsson Iceland
11
Two people, one day, and the kind of frame that ages well.
Chris Ray Iceland
Daniela Haupt Austria
Ifeta Ibracevic Austria
Jelena Kononova Latvia
Pyry-Pekka Kantonen Finland
Sandra Daniłowicz Poland
Raini Rowell UK
Raïs De Weirdt Belgium
Sarah Babcock USA
12
Split-second instinct meeting fleeting magic. The hunters' category.
David Bowles USA
Fabio Miglio Italy
Fabio Miglio Italy
Harri Säynevirta Finland
Juris Zīģelis Latvia
Linn Wintherquist Sweden
Raïs De Weirdt Belgium
Rebecca Lundh Sweden
Maria Broström Sweden
Patricia Carvalho Portugal
To Every Winner
Every photograph above is what stayed standing after thousands of others were left behind. Late edits, hard cuts, the long quiet between submission and tonight. To the 84 photographers who made the 120: thank you. The community is better because of you.
We'll see you back in this room next year. Submissions for the 2026 awards open in the autumn.