A huge thank you to all that participated in our World Photography Day Contest! After receiving more than 25,000 amazing submissions for our second multi-category photo contest (including our brand new Virtual Photography content category) we’re thrilled to announce the winners! :

And if you missed the live announcement, where our judges discuss each of the winning entries, head to the SmugMug Youtube channel to re-watch it.

Category winner: Nature
Ruby Throated Hummingbird, by Virginia Mitchell

About Virginia: “I am an amateur photographer from Birmingham, AL. I have had a DSLR for a few years but really didn’t start getting serious with it until 2020 so I guess some good things do come out of the pandemic. I love the outdoors so, naturally, nature photography is my favorite. This is all relatively new for me.”

About the photo: “I planted huge patch of Zinnias this spring but didn’t have any idea that the hummingbirds would love them so much. Through a process of watching them, I picked up on some of their behaviors and how they feed and they also got used to me being there quite often. This photo is of a juvenile Ruby-Throated Hummingbird. Although they just left for their migration to Mexico and Central America, I am already anticipating their return in April.”

Category winner: People
Two lives OR Watching the parade, by Rockugraphy

About Rockugraphy: “My name is Ravi Raja Madan, and I am based in Gurugram, Haryana, India, with my wife and son. I am a mechanical engineer working with the Indian office of a German engineering company. Photography is my right-brain passion as this allows me to create art I can call my own. I post exclusively on Flickr as the atmosphere at Flickr is always relaxed, unassuming, unarming, and de-stressing. I believe in slow photography, and Flickr suits my taste completely.”

About the photo: “The photo was taken during the 2018 Delhi Pride Parade in New Delhi. Interestingly this was the year when the Indian government decriminalized same-sex relationships, hence the excitement of the parade was at another level. I attended the parade with my wife, my trusted Leica M9 (now retired after 11 years of use), with the lens type Summarit 50 mm / f2.5”

Category winner: Animals
Allie, by Derek

About Derek: “I am an accountant based in Memphis. I have a wife, two dogs, and three cats in my family, and all provide inspiration for my photos. This particular photo is of my 14-year-old rescue pup, Allie.”

Category winner: Objects and structures
Pink Paper Tricks, by Bernie Emmons

About Bernie: “I’ve been a member of Flickr since 2008, however didn’t post much until 2015. A few years ago, I started shooting mainly macro, which allows me to express a creative side that I never knew I had. I especially love images that are somewhat abstract and minimal. Close-up paper photography is currently my favorite obsession. Paper is such a simple, everyday item, and can be viewed in many ways through a macro lens. If you haven’t tried it, a macro lens or extension tubes can possibly open a new world for you. It’s not all bugs and flowers; there are thousands of subjects all around you – just waiting for your close-up adventure.”

Category winner: Virtual photography
Look, I, I’m not just what you see, by Angelika Corral

About Angelika: “Second Life photography began during the early period of my virtual existence as a student and a researcher […] As it was a partially long-distance course, students and teachers could meet at the Second Life virtual campus to attend classes and chat. I got fascinated by Second Life and started conducting small qualitative studies, using it as a research field. I needed visual material to support my findings, and I think, by snapping photos, I could observe and reflect better upon the virtual world that was under study. So, I started posting these photos in my Second Life feed, and one day, a stranger said: ‘Hey Angelika, your photos in your Second Life feed are really nice; why don’t you create a Flickr account and post them there. Everyone in Second Life is posting photos in Flickr’. So, in 2013, I created my Flickr account, and this is how ‘photography’ in Second Life started for me.”

Thank you again to everyone that joined the contest. You can celebrate everyone that participated, including the winners, by leaving a comment of appreciation on the photos that speak to you.