It has been over 10 years since the world was introduced to the device that revolutionized mobile phones and shook up the photography industry. Since then, smartphone cameras, including Apple’s iPhone, have become so advanced that even professional photographers like Luisa Dörr, who shot the TIME FIRSTS covers last September with just her iPhone, have used them instead of a DSLR.
The iPhone Photography Awards or IPPAWARDS is the first and longest running iPhone photography competition. Since 2007, IPPAWARDS has been celebrating photographers who have used this technology and have proven that it isn’t just the equipment but the person who can take a great photo.
See the winners of the 2008 IPPAWARDS
Over thousands of images were submitted in more than 140 countries around the world. Winners and finalists of these awards used a wide range of phone models such as the recent iPhone X to the older iPhone 5.
“iPhone users have become very fluent in visual storytelling” Kenan Aktulun, founder of IPPAWARDS, said in the press release. “This year’s photos were technically impressive and many of them were very personal.”
The Grand Prize Winner Photographer of the Year Award winner receives an iPad Pro, and the first, second, and third place winners each receive an Apple Watch Sport. The first place winners in each category are awarded a Gold Bar and the second and third winners each get a Palladium or Platinum Bar from a private gold mint.
The gallery above shows the Grand Prize Winner Photographer of the Year Award winners and winning photos in each of the 18 categories.