Meet the winners of the Nikon Film and Photo Contest 2024-2025

Film Category winners

Super-short Film Category winners

Super-short Film Grand Prize: “The small red, big blue” by Hamed Nobari (Islamic Republic of Iran)

“This award is definitely one of the most important awards for my filmmaking in my twenty-year artistic career, and it is a great honour for me. I hope this film has a positive impact, among different cultures, to respect the environment, as it addresses environmental issues and marine life from a global perspective. Children love fish and the sea. I want to cherish those feelings and always remember to respect nature.”

Super-short Film Excellence Award: “A trace in the wind” by Soheil Masoumi (Islamic Republic of Iran)

“Women in eastern Khorasan are vital keepers of ancient Iranian culture. Many old songs and lullabies are created while weaving carpets. Preserving and sharing this timeless heritage, belonging to all humanity, has always been my passion.”

Super-short Film Excellence Award: “Shiuli - the one who still knows” by Anindya Sundar Basu (India)

“This story of a Shiuli’s quiet labour in rural Bengal is our tribute to unseen hands that rise before the sun, carrying the wisdom of the land. If it inspires even one person to see everyday lives with deeper respect, we’ve done justice to the theme.”

Super-short Film Special Encouragement Award: “Beautiful struggle” by Yutaka Maeomichi (Japan)

“Based on the theme ‘Inspire’, I discovered a common brilliance between two distinct presences: the dynamic ‘tricking’ born from the physical capabilities of human beings, and the ‘flowers’ that live their lives to the fullest in the midst of silence.”

Super-short Film Special Encouragement Award: “奔腾不息 (Keep on going)” by Deshan Zhang (China)

“What I sought to capture with my camera was the unwavering vitality that endures amidst the wind and sand and the clatter of horse hooves, the spiritual backbone forged by humans and horses across the world.”

Super-short Film Special Encouragement Award: “Desert Hours” by Tracey Taylor (Australia)

“The Empty Quarter offered an incredible backdrop to explore the relationship between time, space, and light. It’s a place that asks you to listen and I tried to translate that to film.”

5-minute Film Category winners

5-minute Film Grand Prize: “Finding Serenity” by Ademola Falomo (born in Nigeria, lives in Spain)

“I am deeply grateful for the acknowledgment of this small dream that has grown into something seen around the world. Created in Lagos, Nigeria, during the COVID-19 lockdown, when I was moved by Yimeeka’s ‘Finding Serenity’ poem. My friends and I worked together on this film, exploring peace in chaos and beauty in uncertainty. This film is a celebration for me, a testament to turning a poem into a visual artefact. What once lived only in my mind now lives on screen, and that is a gift I will always cherish.”

5-minute Film Excellence Award: “Sweet Little Girl” by Lorenzo Morandi (Italy)

“This project was born from a profound harmony with its protagonist, Kazuyo Kotaka, who talks about her relationship with the audience, not only during concerts but also in everyday life.”

5-minute Film Excellence Award: “Awaiting the Lightning Bolt” by Marco Russo (Italy)

“I made this film because I was chasing my personal lightning bolt, a journey that evolved into a reflection on loss and the lengths one would go to save a loved one.”

5-minute Film Special Encouragement Award AND General Public Award: “Fluffy Ball” by Ning Qian (China)

“Although the pandemic has gradually passed, some traces still remain on our bodies. This short film captures a certain state of mind from that time.”

5-minute Film Special Encouragement Award: “Whisper” by John Donica (born in Moldova, lives in Japan)

“This is a short conceptual and experimental film about a mother who lost her son. The red light is the only guide for her in her journey.”

5-minute Film Special Encouragement Award: “I Know Who I Am” by Tyler Hicks (USA)

“This story follows a man’s attempt to reconnect upon finding himself lost; seeking guidance from nature and his human instincts.”

Photo Category winners

Photo Story Category winners

Photo Story Grand Prize: “Farewell-able” by Lei Yang (born in China, lives in Japan)

“When we move from one place to another, we say, ‘Goodbye’ or ‘Farewell’ to express our connection to people and places. Before leaving China, I photographed my hometown and considered what ‘Farewell’ meant to me. At that time, I parted with people, places and versions of myself. I realised that some separations are simple, while others are filled with sorrow. Farewell-able explores the emotional scale of goodbye through what I found hardest to release. I’m deeply grateful to Nikon for selecting this work. It has allowed a personal farewell to be seen by more people.”

Photo Story Excellence Award: “Nel mio sangue (In my blood)” by Nils Böddingmeier (Germany)

“This work follows shepherds of Lunigiana whose bond with their land runs deep, as one of told me: ‘It's in my head, in my blood, and in my heart.’”

Photo Story Excellence Award: “生命的舞台 (The Stage of Life)” by Yi Liu (China)

“Childbirth is one of the greatest and most painful challenges humans can endure. It shows the struggles mothers go through to bring new life to the world, and the pure joy that comes with it.”

Photo Story Special Encouragement Award: “山来水来 (Return from a  journey)” by Ximeng Tu (China)

“This photo story is a journey of self-discovery, a revisiting of my growth through photography. I began visiting every corner of Chongqing, its mountains, waters, vegetation, and even the pebbles on its banks, trying to understand the relationships between people, the city, the rivers and myself.”

Photo Story Special Encouragement Award: “Maasai Children of Malanja” by Kang-Chun Cheng (USA)

“The Maasai have long been subjected to forceful land-grabbing conducted by Tanzanian authorities. With Tanzania’s spiral into authoritarianism and media crackdown, I wanted to show the human rights abuses that would otherwise go undocumented.”

Photo Story Special Encouragement Award: “American Dreaming” by Jacek Gąsiorowski (Poland)

“Stylistically drawing on the myth of the American West, I felt a growing conviction that I had discovered a precise and atmospheric photographic language with my ideas and images.”

Single Photo Category winners

Single Photo Grand Prize: “Jonas” by Tiina Itkonen (Finland)

“I am honoured to receive the Nikon award with the image I photographed in North West Greenland. Exactly thirty years ago I travelled to Greenland for the first time and since then I have travelled regularly there to photograph the polar landscape and its people. Jonas lives in Savissivik, one of Greenland’s most isolated settlements. The Inuit of northwestern Greenland are the northernmost indigenous people in the world. However, melting sea ice poses significant challenges to the traditional Inuit way of life, and eventually, these traditions may be lost forever.”

Single Photo Excellence Award: “Kite Festival” by André Ferreira (Brazil)

“In the twilight of a radiant day, three children gather at the Kite Festival in Paraíba do Sul, in the heart of Rio de Janeiro. The image captures their silhouettes playing and having fun.”

Single Photo Excellence Award: “Hunter” by Farshid Ahmadpour (Islamic Republic of Iran)

“This photograph is part of my long-term series “At the Threshold of Silence” and shows an old man walking alone through a snow-covered landscape, searching for prey for his waiting child.”

Single Photo Special Encouragement Award: “WE SEE ANGELS” by Emmanuel Lucky (Nigeria)

“This is an editorial portrait of friends from a few years back, we wanted to convey the story of brotherhood in the most unlikely of environments.”

Single Photo Special Encouragement Award: “Evening passenger” by Stelios Tsagris (Greece)

“I feel happy that even one of my own photos leaves its mark on this great Nikon Film and Photo Contest, culminating a 35-year partnership with a Nikon always in my luggage.”

Single Photo Special Encouragement Award: “Mom's scent” by Xianhui Fang (China)

“On August 21, 2024, in Lubao Village, Licheng County, Shanxi Province, mothers were steaming yellow steamed buns. Children sat together playing with toys, their laughter mingling with the rising smoke and warmth of the kitchen fire, this is the taste of home.”

General Public Award (Photo Competition): “I am Unstoppable!” by Liew Hong Hooi (Malaysia)

“This spirit medium jumped through the blazing fire hoops as a demonstration of faith to inspire fellow devotees to follow suit as a form of ritual cleansing during the Nine Emperor Gods Festival.”