25 Award-Winning Photos Show the Power of Color in Photography

A triptych: Left, a woman with a red headwrap stands by the sea carrying a large bag; center, a person with white powder on their face covers their mouth; right, an aerial view of vibrant, multicolored land formations.

All About Photo Magazine unveiled the winners of its latest competition: Colors. The 25 prize-winning photographers demonstrate how powerful color can be in images, whether it’s vibrant, subtle, or minimal.

The overall winning image is a strong example of how impactful color can be even when it is subdued. Irish photographer Trevor Cole’s winning image, “Pastoral Peoples and Practices,” is much less colorful than some of the other awarded works, which helps tell the story of the photo.

A person covered in white powder holds both hands over their mouth, gazing intently at the camera with expressive eyes. The background is bright and minimal, emphasizing the subject's face and hands. “Pastoral Peoples and Practices,” © Trevor Cole | All About Photo Magazine #51: Colors

“The peoples of the Ilemi triangle (the Omo valley of Ethiopia, Central and Eastern Equatoria and Northern Kenya) are all pastoralists,” the photographer explains. “The Mundari gather the fresh dung each morning, dry it and use it to fuel their fires. The ash from the fires is then used to massage their Ankole Watusi cows to mitigate against bites from tsetse flies and mosquitoes. They also veneer themselves with ash for the same reasons, hence they appear ghostly as they herd their cattle and fade into the nebulous haze of smoke generated by the fires.”

“Color is everywhere — in fleeting light, in urban chaos, in the quiet balance of nature,” All About Photo says. “It can soothe or provoke, draw us in or push us away. Beyond its visual appeal, color carries emotion, memory, and meaning, shaping how we experience life itself.”

The second-place winner, Laurin Strele of Austria, employs color in a much more vibrant way. Their winning shot, “The Yellow Man of Aleppo,” comes from the series “Colors of Resilience.”

A man dressed in bright yellow clothes and hat leans against a red vintage Volkswagen Beetle parked on a street with closed metal shutters in the background. “The Yellow Man of Aleppo” from the series “Colors of Resilience,” © Laurin Strele | All About Photo Magazine #51: Colors

The third-place winner, Palestinian Abdelrahman Alkahlout, shows a large group of people praying, many wearing colorful shirts, next to the wreckage of a destroyed building.

A large group of people pray in neat rows beside rubble and collapsed concrete structures, highlighting the contrast between their orderly gathering and the surrounding destruction. “Faith Amid Genocide” from the series “Colors of Resilience,” © Abdelrahman Alkahlout | All About Photo Magazine #51: Colors

Each of these top three winners receives $1,000 cash. Alongside the three winners, 22 other photographers received Merit Awards for their submissions. These 22 photos are featured below.

Merit Award Winners

NSFW Warning: One of the awarded images below includes partial nudity and sexual innuendo.

A sunny patio with green artificial grass, white plastic chairs, a green umbrella over a table, and two cats—one orange, one gray—sitting on the ground. Shadows of trees and plants create a dappled effect. “One Eyed Cat,” © Benjamin Littler | All About Photo Magazine #51: Colors A dimly lit building at night with glowing yellow windows; two people stand on a balcony under soft light, surrounded by shadows and dark structures. “Nuit Indienne,” © Xavier Blondeau | All About Photo Magazine #51: Colors
A bright red telephone booth stands in deep snow in front of a white building with a window, creating a striking contrast in a wintry, minimalist scene. “Telephone, Iowa,” © Fabien Dendiével | All About Photo Magazine #51: Colors A person wearing a patterned dress, red headscarf, and black shoes stands in profile on grassy ground, holding a large plaid bag, with the ocean and blue sky in the background. “Somewhere In Between — A Portrait Series of Ladé,” © Mayowa Akande | All About Photo Magazine #51: Colors Two people wearing matching red baseball uniforms with "Catcher 69" on the back stand facing a closed black garage door and a red-and-white brick wall on a wet sidewalk. Their heads are not visible in the image. “69,” © Eric Davidove | All About Photo Magazine #51: Colors A grid of identical blue-toned windows on a building at night, with one window illuminated and covered by bright red curtains, standing out from the rest. “Lights On,” © Vitaly Golovatyuk | All About Photo Magazine #51: Colors A man in a straw hat, colorful sunglasses, red shirt, and patterned scarf stands in front of a teal window and yellow wall, while a woman in a gray shirt stands in shadow on the right. “Shades of Style,” © Erhan Coral | All About Photo Magazine #51: Colors Bare tree branches stretch upward against a vibrant, textured sky filled with warm tones of yellow, orange, and purple, creating an abstract and atmospheric autumn scene. “Bizarre Branches,” © Thaddäus Biberauer | All About Photo Magazine #51: Colors Colorful laundry hangs on a line in the foreground. A dog and a person walk past underneath, while another person sits on steps in sunlight, reading a newspaper. Urban buildings and haze appear in the background. “Colors of Life,” © Neşe Ari | All About Photo Magazine #51: Colors
Two elderly men in orange robes sit on a boat surrounded by flying seagulls, with ritual vessels in front of them and a river and cityscape visible in the hazy background. “A Ganges Tales,” © Thibault Gerbaldi | All About Photo Magazine #51: Colors A single orange-brown leaf covered with frost lies on green and yellow ground plants, also edged with frost, creating a contrast of colors and textures in a cold outdoor setting. “Brocade,” © Oana Daian | All About Photo Magazine #51: Colors Two people with short, blonde mullet hairstyles and light skin pose in front of a red background. One has braids, and both are wearing nose rings. One rests their hand on the other's shoulder. They both look calmly at the camera. “Alba y Zazzu,” © Jesús Umbría Brito | All About Photo Magazine #51: Colors A vivid aerial view of a landscape divided by a winding barrier, with deep red water on the left and swirling yellow, orange, and gray tones on the right, creating an abstract, colorful pattern. “Color of Death,” © Olivier Jarry-Lacombe | All About Photo Magazine #51: Colors An elderly person stands in front of a small, rustic green house with a slanted roof covered in tarps. A white cat sits in the open doorway, and colorful laundry hangs on a fence nearby. Lush greenery surrounds the scene. “Chore,” © Jan Janssen | All About Photo Magazine #51: Colors A softly focused flower with green, pink, and blueish petals and leaves stands against a pale, cream background, creating a delicate and dreamy appearance. “Lily,” © Oksana Omelchuk | All About Photo Magazine #51: Colors View of a volcanic landscape at sunrise, with smoke rising from two volcanoes surrounded by rugged hills and valleys, framed by tree branches in the foreground. “Crater,” © Yuan Su | All About Photo Magazine #51: Colors
A person in a patterned dress stands against a blue wall, holding an oval mirror that obscures their face. Two white shelves with decor items, including vases, a ceramic owl, and horse figurines, are on the wall behind them. “Lingering Shadows,” © Nazanin Alipour Jeddi | All About Photo Magazine #51: Colors Aerial view of dark, swirling patterns in a blue-gray landscape, resembling water currents or tree branches spreading over a textured surface. “Anger,” © Alejandra Nowiczewski | All About Photo Magazine #51: Colors Children hold hands in a circle outdoors near colorful murals about autism, one reading "Love someone with autism." Some children crouch, while others stand and watch in a yard surrounded by trees and a painted wall. “Hands of Belonging,” © Marijn Fidder | All About Photo Magazine #51: Colors A person draped in a gray cloth, facing away, sits beside a small table with a gray cover. A dark vase holding two yellow flowers is on the table. The background is a muted, grayish tone, and the person wears a yellow headband. “The Girl in the Painting,” © Anna Matysiak | All About Photo Magazine #51: Colors A deep-space image shows a nebula with red and gray wispy clouds resembling a witch's face, set against a background of numerous stars and a bright star in the upper right corner. “The Witch’s Gaze,” © Simone Curzi | All About Photo Magazine #51: Colors A yellow security camera with two round lenses and a central black lens appears to have a face-like expression, set against a dark blue background. “Beholders No. 1,” © Li Sun | All About Photo Magazine #51: Colors