The HUAWEI XMAGE Awards 2024 smartphone photographers of the year have been announced — and you need to see their stunning works

Photography can be a powerful tool for showcasing our emotions. Providing much more than a striking image, a great photograph can represent a moment in time, an exchange between two people with layers of emotion, a national mood or simply a feeling many of us can identify with. The HUAWEI XMAGE Awards has honed on storytelling through smartphone photography with its theme this year — ‘A Heartwarming World’ — championing those warm, sacred everyday moments and what they show us about being human, regardless of region, culture, and language.

The three winners, from China, the Philippines, and Poland, perfectly encapsulate this theme in their entries that explore emotional themes while being technically impressive. The HUAWEI XMAGE AWARDS 2024 Ceremony & Annual Exhibition crowned its 2024 winners in a prestigious ceremony held at the Shenzhen Sea World Culture and Art Centre in Shenzhen, China. Here, artistic photographers, media, and creators gathered for a showcase of rising photography stars and their inspiring works. Chen Yong, an engineer from China, Justin Mendoza, an account manager from the Philippines, and Kinga Choińska, an office worker from Poland were crowned the winners on the night. These three talented photographers were awarded the Grand Prize and received a $10,000 Huawei Creation Fund.

Tech advancements have meant that the smartphone photography landscape is transforming rapidly — making it an increasingly exciting space. Photographs taken on smartphones can now rival those taken by more traditional methods. Acting as part smartphone and part compact camera, devices such as the Huawei Pura 70 Ultra make advanced photography more accessible for everybody with standout features like a retractable lens, adjustable aperture, and a huge 1-inch sensor. Gone are the days when you needed to invest in a heft and expensive DSLR camera to be taken seriously as a photographer.

HUAWIE’s ethos has long been to build a community around photography. The tech brand has organised community-based activities and global educational classes around smartphone photography to create a more inclusive space where anyone can express their creativity.

The HUAWEI XMAGE Awards has been championing smartphone photography since 2017, running for eight consecutive years. During this time, the globally recognised competition has received five million entries from more than 170 countries, showing the diversity and creativity of the smartphone camera space. At the ceremony, the brand unveiled 69 winning works from more than 650,000 entries, including the three Grand Prize Winners, 18 Best-in-Category Winners, 38 Runner-up Winners, three Honourable Mentions, two Best of Pura Series Awards, and two Best of Mate Series Award (‘Pura’ and ‘Mate’ are Huawei’s two flagship smartphone brands).

The theme for 2024’s HUAWEI XMAGE Awards 2024 Ceremony & Annual Exhibition was ‘A Heartwarming World’, focusing on the bonds between people and how technology can allow us to capture the quiet moments that can mean the most.. He Gang, CEO of Huawei Consumer Business Group, said in his speech at the awards: “I would like to extend my warm congratulations to the winners tonight and pay tribute to creators of the mobile imaging era. I would also like to express my sincere gratitude to HUAWEI XMAGE users– each of you has made HUAWEI XMAGE go beyond being a tool for documenting life, evolving it into a bridge for emotional communication between people.”

300 powerful pieces of photography, selected from millions of applications, were displayed at the Shenzhen Sea World Culture and Art Center. The exhibition showed the power of technology to amplify connection rather than inhibit it, with pictures that show the depth of the photographs we take on our phones. Chen Xiaobo, 9th Vice President of China Photographers Association, echoed this sentiment, saying of the campaign: "Mobile Imaging is not just about documenting daily life but should be integrated with deeper observations and more personal philosophical thoughts. Each photograph becomes a part of your own intimate dialogue with the world."

Introducing the HUAWEI XMAGE Awards winners — Photographer of the Year

Chen Yong | "Catching a Cloud"丨shot on HUAWEI Pura 70 Pro+

This striking image symbolises hope and strength. It shows a young woman dressed in everyday clothes climbing a ladder towards the sky, conjuring up ideas about the potential we all hold within us.

What the judges said: "The girl ascending the ladder is a symbol of strength, movement, beauty, vitality, and uniqueness. She rises like a bird in flight, witnessing the sun piercing the clouds. Each of us holds the power to make the world better." - 9th Vice President of China Photographers Association Chen Xiaobo.

Justin Mendoza | "Pick a Beak"丨shot on HUAWEI P30 Pro

This playful photograph captures a chance moment in time, playing with perception and ambiguity.

What the judges said: "When a photograph asks questions, it's an immediate success. This photograph embodies both humour and a great sense of scale, allowing us to consider how big the bird is, and whether or not it's been caught by the fisherman's pole. Its power lies within the serendipity of the moment, a well-considered composition, and unique low perspective." - National Geographic Photographer and Emmy-Nominated Director Keith Ladzinski.

Kinga Choińska | "Sisters"丨shot on HUAWEI P60 Pro

This emotive photograph captures the warmth and softness between two sisters, sharing a quiet moment. Truly embodying the theme of ‘A Heartwarming World, ’ this elegant portrayal of a sisterly bond is reflected in their matching accessories and the facing sister’s warm expression.

What the judges said: "The warm tones, matching hair accessories, and soft lighting come together nicely in this image to create a calm moment between the sisters. The cosy colour palette gives the scene a friendly and inviting feel, making it easy for viewers to sense the connection they share. It's a nice reminder of the little moments that bring us together" - Fashion Photographer and Director James Perolls.