© Siyuan Niu
Siyuan Niu from Xinjiang province, China, beat thousands of submissions to claim the grand prize with a photo entitled ‘Man and the Eagle’.
Commenting on the shot (above), Siyuan said: ‘The brave and wise Khalkhas live along the mountains in the south of Xinjiang and are companions with the eagles.
‘They regard eagles as their children and train them for many years to hunt. This 70 year-old-man is rigid and solemn in front of family and friends, but when he is with his beloved eagle, the corner of his mouth would curl up.
‘When the eagles reach mating age, although he is very reluctant, the man releases them back into nature so they can thrive.’
First, second and third place photographer of the year awards went to Patryk Kuleta (Poland), Robin Robertis (USA) and Carolyn Mara Borlenghi (USA), respectively.
© Robin Robertis
© Patryk Kuleta
© Carolyn Mara Borlenghi
© Fugen Xiao
The iPhone Photography Awards was set up in 2007 by Kenan Aktulun, who said: ‘This year’s entries contained thousands of excellent submissions, presenting quite a challenge for our judges.
‘It is truly amazing to have so many people from around the world share their experiences, the beauty they see and their personal moments with us.’
The Grand Prize winner is awarded an Apple iPad Pro.
To view all the winning entries visit www.ippawards.com
© Zero Lai
© Erica Wu
© Mette Lampcov
© Junfeng Wang
© Liang Huang
© Matthew Sullivan
