The competition attracted thousands of submissions from photographers worldwide, revealing a remarkable range of perspectives—from expansive landscapes and intimate cultural moments to striking wildlife encounters and portraits of everyday life. The selected winners represent 13 countries across four continents, underscoring the truly global reach of contemporary travel photography. Notably, 12 of the 25 winning photographers are women, highlighting the diversity of voices shaping today’s photographic landscape.
For this issue, AAP Magazine sought cohesive bodies of work capable of transporting viewers into lived experiences—projects that speak to devotion, labor, identity, and belonging. The winning series explore sacred spaces in Afghanistan, ancestral rituals in Ethiopia and Borneo, and disappearing ways of life in Papua New Guinea and the Amazon, alongside intimate narratives of childhood, migration, and work across different cultures. Individually distinct yet collectively resonant, these projects form a layered portrait of a world shaped by history, belief, environment, and human connection.
Published monthly, AAP Magazine showcases both emerging and established photographers whose work pushes the boundaries of visual storytelling. Issue #53: Travels honors the creativity, vision, and technical excellence of these artists, offering audiences new ways to engage with the world through photography.
The Winner is Andrea Bettancini (Italy) with the series The Background Noise.
The Second Place Winner is Callie Eh (Malaysia) with the series A Journey of Heart and Heritage.
T\he Third Place Winner is Andrea Peruzzi (Italy) with the series Devotion in Mazar-I Sharif.
The other winners featured in the Merit Award’s Gallery are: Artem Postelnikov (Ukraine), Kristyn Taylor (Australia), Andrea Torrei (Italy), Guillaume Petermann (France), Somenath Mukhopadhyay (India), Indranil Sengupta (India), Vitaly Golovatyuk (Russia), Thibault Gerbaldi (France/United States), Fiorella Baldisserri (Italy), Brigitte Bourger (France), Lise Leino (Finland/United Kingdom), Ryan Kost (United States), Prescott Lassman (United States), Mogli Maureal (Philippines/United States), Costanza Rossi (Italy), Carole Mills Noronha (Australia), Orna Naor (Israel), TJ Vissing (United States), Emilie Favier (France), Mariqua Poquet (France), Sanghamitra Sarkar (India), and Laura Jean Zito (Ireland).
