A triptych: pastel desert landscape with a setting sun, a black-and-white photo of a woman with her face scribbled over in red, and snow-covered trees beneath a bare, branching tree.

The winners of the seventh annual Minimalist Photography Awards show that less is more, sometimes much more. Over 2,600 photographers from more than 50 countries entered this year’s contest, each demonstrating the exceptional creativity in modern minimalist photography.

Minimalist Photographer of the Year 2025

This year’s Minimalist Photographer of the Year is Alexandros Othonos, who won the top title for his series, “Threads of Memory’s.” The project, which earned the photographer a €2,000 grand prize, transforms vintage family photos by carefully placing threads, thereby connecting the past to the present.

A vintage black-and-white portrait of a man in a suit and tie has a red thread sewn across his eyes, with a tangled bundle of red thread attached to the lower left corner of the photo.‘Threads of Memory’s’ by Alexandros Othonos — Minimalist Photographer of the Year 2025 A black-and-white photo of a person sitting on a rock is placed on a white surface. A red string is attached to the photo, appearing to connect to the person's chest and extending outward across the background.‘Threads of Memory’s’ by Alexandros Othonos — Minimalist Photographer of the Year 2025 A vintage black-and-white portrait of a seated couple with red embroidery over their eyes and hearts. The photograph has slightly worn edges and is set against a plain light background.‘Threads of Memory’s’ by Alexandros Othonos — Minimalist Photographer of the Year 2025 A black-and-white photo of three women is pinned to a white wall. Red threads are stitched through and around the photo, radiating outward, some passing across faces and joining at points on the image.‘Threads of Memory’s’ by Alexandros Othonos — Minimalist Photographer of the Year 2025
A black-and-white vintage photo of two boys in sweaters and ties. Red thread is stitched across their eyes and hands, with lines extending down to their feet, giving the photo an altered, surreal effect.‘Threads of Memory’s’ by Alexandros Othonos — Minimalist Photographer of the Year 2025 A black and white photo of a person sitting on a bed is pinned to a white wall. A red thread runs vertically, dividing both the image and the wall behind it in half.‘Threads of Memory’s’ by Alexandros Othonos — Minimalist Photographer of the Year 2025 A vintage black-and-white photo of a woman with long dark hair; her face is obscured by red thread tangled and stitched over the facial area, creating an abstract effect.‘Threads of Memory’s’ by Alexandros Othonos — Minimalist Photographer of the Year 2025 Category Winners

Photographers competed across a dozen total categories, the winners of which are featured below. It is worth noting that Othonos won first place in the “Conceptual,” category, so the second-place finisher in that category is featured below instead. Furthermore, some entries comprise multiple photos, although only one from each winning series is included here. Complete series are available on the Minimalist Photography Awards 2025 website.

“This year, the Minimalist Photography Awards reached a milestone, with more than 2,600 entries and over 7,000 images submitted worldwide. At a time when artificial intelligence is rapidly entering creative fields, these numbers affirm that photography remains vibrant and continues to inspire artists globally,” says competition founder Milad Safabakhsh. “The winning works of 2025 show that minimalist photography is not only alive, but has become a fundamental language of visual storytelling.”

A blurry figure of a person in a white skirt walking outside, seen through a rain-streaked window with water droplets. The background features a city street and building facade.‘When the Angels Cry’ by Tommi Viitala — Abstract Winner A person and a horse walk on white sand dunes beside a blue lagoon, creating a striking contrast between the smooth sand curves and the water.‘Laços’ by Nicolas Ferri — Aerial Winner
A tall, rectangular skyscraper with vertical white lines stands against a dark, gradient sky. The building's facade appears minimalist and symmetrical, and the image has a stark, modern feel.‘Sentinel Ghost’ by Geoffrey Goddard — Architecture Winner A red corded telephone receiver hangs in front of shiny, light-colored curtains and a fluffy white carpet.‘It’s Complicated’ by Laura Lewis — Conceptual, Second Place Sweeping white sand dunes border a tranquil, shallow turquoise lagoon under a clear blue sky, creating a serene and minimalistic desert landscape.‘Dream Land’ by Robert Bolton — Fine Art Winner A row of bare trees stands on a snow-covered field under a gray sky, with a leafless tree branch extending across the top of the image.‘Art of Winter’ by Martin Rak — Landscape Winner A small wooden house on stilts sits on a pier above calm water, flanked by fishing poles and a single streetlamp under a pale sky. The scene is minimalistic and serene.‘The Shy Fishermen’ by Nick Green — Long Exposure Winner A modern building facade with round windows, some lit from within, is shown at night. The full moon is visible in the dark sky to the left of the structure.‘Window in the Sky’ by William Shum — Night Photography Winner A person in a swimsuit and yellow swim cap stands at the edge of a calm, expansive lake with three yellow buoys floating in the water, mountains in the distance, and a cloudy sky overhead.‘Evening Peace’ by Renzo Cicillini — Open Winner
A pastel-colored desert landscape with smooth sand dunes under a hazy sky; the sun appears pale and softly glowing above the horizon.‘Lands of Transition’ by Jerad Armijo — Photomanipulation Winner A woman in a black dress stands alone against a blue building with large square windows, partially shaded by the structure’s overhead beams, creating geometric shadows on the ground.‘Past Present’ by Giuseppe Gradella — Portrait Winner Two people stand close together under an umbrella on a wet, reflective surface in a cityscape shrouded in thick fog, with tall buildings barely visible in the background.‘Together’ by Selaru Ovidiu — Street Winner

“It was a pleasure to serve as a juror for this year’s Minimalist Photography Awards. The overwhelming number of submissions from around the world not only highlights the international appeal of the competition but also, more importantly, underscores the enduring relevance of minimalist visual language in contemporary photography,” adds juror Leon Boch, Art Director of Galerie am Lindenplatz.

“I was particularly impressed by the quality of the work: clear compositions, subtle details, and powerful ideas that demonstrate just how much expressive force can be achieved through reduction. Each image had its own character and offered a fresh perspective. A big thank you to all the artists who made this inspiring exchange possible through their contributions,” Boch concludes.

There are also second- and third-place winners for each category, and all awarded images are available to view on the Minimalist Photography Awards website.

Image credits: Minimalist Photography Awards. Individual photographers are credited in the photo captions.