From the Arctic to the Sahara: The 50 Best Photos from the AgoraAwards 2019 (51 photos)

After nine months of accepting entries through the free AGORA images app, during which more than 130,000 submissions were received from photographers around the world, the jury compiled a shortlist of the 50 best works.

In 2019, photographers from 21 countries are competing for the grand prize of $25,000. The competition rules stipulate that photos can be of any genre, and winning requires receiving the most likes in the voting.





Alone in the Desert



Bedouin nomads moving across the Sahara Desert. Photo taken from a high dune in Merzouga, Morocco. Author: @carlesalonsophotography (Spain), Carles Alonso.

Incense

Incense making in Vietnam. Here, it is used in rituals that connect living people with ancestors and gods. Author: @ptkhanhhvnh (Vietnam), Hanh Phan

Colors of Life



Women catch fish in West Bengal before heading to market. Author: @pranab_basak (India), Pranab Basak

Dark Disneyland



Vertical panorama of Neuschwanstein Castle. Author: @tommimatz (Germany), Tommi Matz

Reaching the Sky



Frozen Mont Saint-Michel. By @Thedronelad (UK), Conrad Paruch

Sea of ​​Ice



A professional wildlife photographer took this photo in Antarctica, where crabeater seals like to nap on the ice. By @florianledoux (France), Florian Ledoux/ AGORA

Blue Eye



The photographer captured his son running through the City of Arts and Sciences in Valencia. Author: @ajuriaguerra (Spain), photo by Pedro Luis Ajuriaguerra Saiz

Nature Always Wins



Shipwreck in Brittany, France. Some of these vessels have been there for over a century. Author: @charliieb (Monaco), Charlie Berthaume

Run And Fun



Young monks play at the Hsinbyume Paya Pagoda. Author: @lingling25 (Myanmar), Lin Ling

Sand wasp with prey



Wasp with its prey. Author: @Pokokemoto (Indonesia), Imam Primahardi

Batik



Batik making in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Batik is a wax-based dyeing technique that is applied to the entire fabric. The old woman in the photo has been practicing this art for 35 years. Author: @_bimo_ (Indonesia), Bimo Pradityo

Among the White Umbrellas



A traditional umbrella factory in Mandalay, Myanmar. Author: @aungthuya (Myanmar), Aung ThuYa

Ant



It took the photographer four hours to capture this photo of an ant carrying water droplets scattered on a piece of thread. Author: @Anadgphotography (Philippines), Analisa De Guzman

Young Men



With this image, the photographer wanted to show the equality between two people. Author: @diegocampomar (Uruguay), Diego Campomar

Dancer



Taken at the Peace and Friendship Stadium in Athens. Author: @Markellos (Greece), Markellos Plakitzis

Unknown



Tumpak Sewu Waterfall, East Java. Author: Jonathan Rogers

Retrospective



Mother's Love



A photographer captured a tender moment between a chimpanzee and her baby at the Tenerife Zoo. Author: @santiagolopezfotografia, Santiago Lopez

Best Friends



Lizard and Snail. Author: @andihalil (Indonesia)

Unknown



This photo was taken during a trip to Todos Santos, California. The photographer was lucky enough to swim with the animals afterwards! Author: @jordisark (Spain), Jordi Sark

Total Solar Eclipse



Photo of the 2017 total solar eclipse in Nebraska. Author: @edoindo (USA), Edward Panjaitan

Echoes of the Unknown



The photographer wanted to show the heartfelt relationship between man and animal. By @theeastwoodexperience (Ghana), Clement Eastwood

Eid Prayer



Eid prayer is celebrated on the first day of the Islamic month of Shawwal, after fasting during the holy month of Ramadan. By @azimronnie (Bangladesh), images by Azim Ronnie

Face



A saint in a Pakistani temple. Author: @Asimijaz (Pakistan), Asim Ijaz

Festival



Photo taken during a traditional Catalan festival, where groups dressed as devils light fireworks on the crowd. Author: @xopet1969 (Spain), Albert Castagne

Women



Women wait to be served at a salami shop in Rome's Piazza Rotonda. Author: @Paulaaranoa (Argentina), Paula Aranoa

Motherly Care



A hoopoe feeding its chicks. Author: @phyomoe (Myanmar), Phyo Moe

Zebra Eye



Photo taken on a Madrid safari. Author: @spmarin (Spain), Sara Pinto Marin

Ship



The work of the youngest participant in the competition, an 18-year-old photographer from the Channel Islands. A cruise ship docks near his hometown. Author: @above_and_beyond_visuals (UK), Cameron Aird

Rain



A powerful portrait of the photographer's father in the rain. Author: @wunderbilder (Germany), Perry Wunderlich

Songs of Freedom



More than a photograph – a silent fight for freedom inspired by Bob Marley's "Liberation Song." Author: @eighthman (Ghana), Michael Aboya

Strawberry Greenhouses



Women work in strawberry greenhouses located in the Aegean region of Turkey. Author: @leylaemektar (Turkey), Leyla Emektar

The most beautiful roundabout in the world



A vertical panorama of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, where 12 avenues converge. Author: Henry Do (USA)

Water is life



Although typhoons are quite common in the Philippines, people here still worship life-giving water. Author: @froirivera (Philippines), Froi Rivera

A Wild Look



Lynx in the Cabárceno Natural Park. Author: @saavedraphotography (Spain), Sergio Saavedra

Agriculture



A photo of rice fields in Northern Vietnam, where workers are planting rice seedlings. Author: @diepvan (Vietnam), Diep Van

Firefighters



Local residents and firefighters work together to fight a fire in Bangladesh. Author: @tanveer.rohan (Bangladesh), Tanveer Rohan

Double rainbow over the Rhine



The photographer took this photo from a bridge in the Lofoten Islands. Author: @uglefisk (Norway), Paal Lund

Six Feet Underground



A foggy morning in Ukraine, where a photographer spotted a man digging a grave in a small cemetery. Author: @davidedziegler (Spain), David Carbonell

Snow Rider



Winter in Mongolia. Author: @zayyarlin (Myanmar), Zay Yar Lin

Struggle



This photo was taken near the Nias Islands, a world-famous surfing spot. Author: @bastian_as (Indonesia), images by Bastian AS

Lights of Life



Early morning on the Sirahong Bridge, located on the border of Tasikmalaya and Ciamis provinces. The bridge was built in 1893 by Dutch colonists. Author: @dikyedarling (Indonesia), Dikye Ariani

Veins of the Earth



No, this isn't the Amazon: the photo was taken in England, in East Sussex, where the River Cuckmere divides the meadows. Author: @hugohealy (UK), Hugo Healy

Hearts on the Sea



Aerial photographs of fishing nets in Vietnam. Author: @phannguyen5285 (Vietnam), Nguyen Phan Xuan

Sunset



Long exposure sunset shot in the Groningen region, Netherlands. Author: @anskar (Germany), Anskar Lenzen

Road and farm flooded



Flooding in the city of Gorgan, Northern Iran. By @mohammadmoheimany (Iran), Mohammad Moheimani

Fishing Nets



Fisherman on Lake Situ Patengang. By @g13nnn (Indonesia), Glenna Valentino

A Thousand Plates



Three volunteers serve 1,000 plates of chicken and rice prepared for iftar, the meal Muslims have each day after sunset to break their Ramadan fast. By @dharmaku (Indonesia), Dharma Kurniawan

Rainy Day



Red-eyed tree frog in West Java. By @hendymp (Indonesia), Hendy MP

Buffaloes



Buffaloes bathing in Pleiku, Central Vietnam. By @hoangquocvinh, Hoang Quocvinh