This year’s EISA Maestro competition theme was Street Life. Entrants could submit either a single image or a portfolio of 5-8 photographs. This broad and popular genre prompted an astonishing response, with a high standard of submissions. After much passionate debate, we selected Rebecca Elliott as the UK winner of the Single Image category and Adam Ramjean for the UK winner of the Series.
Rebecca and Adam each win a one-year digital subscription to Amateur Photographer, and they progress to the international round of the contest. The winning entries from the 15 participating EISA countries were judged together at the Association’s General Meeting in June. The final results of the international Maestro contest will be revealed online and celebrated at the EISA Awards Gala on 26 September 2025.
The international winners will receive €1,000 for the best Single Image and €2,000 for the best Series, each accompanied by the EISA Maestro 2025 trophy.
All national 1st-place winners will also be featured on the EISA website for the Public’s Choice Award, with voting open until 10 August 2025. An additional prize of €500 will be awarded both for the best single picture and best picture series as voted by the public. Visit www.eisa.eu to vote.
Winner, single image: Rebecca Elliott
Rebecca won the Single category with her image above. She didn’t speak to anyone in the frame here, but spent a good amount of time working the Leadenhall Market area with her Nikon Z8 and 24-120mm f/4 lens. As someone who doesn’t often get the chance to visit London, she’s always keen to make the most of it when she does – particularly with her street photography. She enjoys the city’s energy and the fact that Londoners are so used to being photographed, they barely notice when someone’s pointing a camera in their direction. It meant she could bide her time, wait for the right moment when the frame cleared, and capture the scene without drawing attention to herself.
Although she originally considered herself more of a landscape and wildlife photographer – and still enjoys both – street photography has become her biggest passion. She thrives on the spontaneity and unpredictability of it. More recently, she’s started to build a small but growing collection of images featuring street performers and vendors, and how they interact with the urban environment.
Instagram: @becky.elliott.photography
Winner, series: Adam Ramjean
Adam is based in London, shooting mainly street and documentary photography using a Leica M11-P, Fujifilm X-T3 with XF 23mm f/2 R WR lens, Fujifilm X100F, or Ricoh GR III. He is a member of the Urban Photographers Club and a recent winner at the Ricoh GR Photo Festival 2024 photo contest.
Adam is known for his work capturing London’s dynamic streets and diverse culture, with a particular focus on the Notting Hill Carnival, which has held a special place in his heart – he’s attended every year since 2010. His winning series was taken there, between 2022 and 2024.
For more on Adam’s photography and his debut zine, Carnival, visit www.adamramjean.com or follow him on Instagram: @checkmybadself
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