2025 Way Up North Awards, Photo Contest Winners
The 2025 WUN Awards · Photo Contest Winners
120 frames. 12 categories. One unforgettable night in Vienna.
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
The hands behind the verdict
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.
Shanaya & Nitin Arora, India
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.
Title sponsor
Built with Imagen
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.
See you in person.
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
The Winners
120 photographs that defined 2025
01
Best Dance Photo
How a corner of the world celebrates through movement.
Biggy Tooth Netherlands
Fabio Miglio Italy
Ida Carlsson Spain
Josefin Westin Finland
Luigi Reccia Italy
Mariah Arianna Austria
Michaela Klouda Norway
02
Best Epic Portrait
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
Best Family Photo
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
Best Group Photo
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
Best Wedding Vibe
Atmosphere you can almost smell. The room, the light, the night.
Camilla Andersen Norway
Jakob Hallaert Belgium
Jiří Šmalec Czech Republic
Karolina Ehrenpil Sweden
Luigi Reccia Italy
Martin Faltejsek Czech Republic
Nadja Endler Sweden
06
Best Non-Wedding Wedding
Wedding inspiration outside the wedding day. Day-afters, styled work, bold experiments.
Chris Ray Iceland
Fabio Miglio Italy
Kamyla Davis France
Martin Faltejsek Czech Republic.jpg
Miika Hämäläinen Finland
Tereza Hanusková Czech Republic
Tina Lindroos Finland
08
Best Analogue Photo
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
Best Flash Photo
Light made by hand. From subtle fill to dramatic night theatre.
Ambre Peyrotty France
Andrea Balzano Italy
Elaine Lilje Sweden
Rune Havn Norway
10
Best Solo Portrait
A single subject, endless story. Personality made visible.
Christin Eide Norway
Jakub Cabalka Czech Republic
Krista Ploeg Netherlands
Martina Monopoli Italy
Misha Moscovciuc Czech Republic
Pyry-Pekka Kantonen Finland
Styrmir Erwinsson Iceland
11
Best Couple Portrait
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
Best Wedding Moment
Split-second instinct meeting fleeting magic. The hunters’ category.
David Bowles USA
Fabio Miglio Italy
Fabio Miglio Italy
Harri Säynevirta Finland
Juris Zīģelis Latvia
Maria Broström Sweden
Patricia Carvalho Portugal
To Every Winner
Congratulations.
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.
