AAP Magazine 53: Travels Winners – Photographic Stories From the World’s Quiet Corners

Travel photography is often our passport to places we’ve never been, and the winners of AAP Magazine #53: TRAVELS take us on unforgettable journeys. The winning photographers and runner-ups in this year’s edition explore devotion, heritage, and introspective stillness through powerful visual storytelling.

[Related Reading: Extraordinary Moments in Ordinary Places: AAP Street Winners Announced]

First Place: Andrea Bettancini, The Background Noise

The first prize goes to Andrea Bettancini from Italy for his poetic series The Background Noise, a meditation on the quieter, often overlooked moments in India.

“The image was taken in Kolkata, in the vast Maidan Park, an open space that in the early morning is often wrapped in a dense fog,” Bettancini explains. “At the center of the scene, a mounted soldier of the Indian Army stands still in silence.”

The soldier is stationed at Fort William, the historic fortress located on the edge of the park and owned by the Indian Army. It houses the headquarters of the Eastern Command, one of the country’s main strategic structures, with the capacity to accommodate up to 10,000 troops.

The fog softens the urban context and transforms the scene into a rarefied vision, where the everyday gesture of surveillance takes on an intimate and almost dreamlike dimension.

In Bettancini’s hands, silence becomes a character of its own.

It is a journey into the echo of things, where the gaze rests not on what reveals itself, but on what remains. In this suspended dimension, where the everyday transforms into vision, a dreamlike India is revealed — made of light, almost unreal presences that vibrate in what is left unsaid.

Second Place: Callie Eh, A Journey of Heart and Heritage

Callie Eh from Malaysia earns second place for A Journey of Heart and Heritage, a loving and insightful series documenting Kyrgyz traditions.

The Kyrgyz mother, Meikin, is breastfeeding her child in a traditional cradle called a Beshik. This rocking cradle, crafted from juniper wood—symbolic of longevity—has been an important part of Kyrgyz traditions for many generations.

“My trip to Kyrgyzstan was truly remarkable,” the photographer recalls. “The locals’ warm hospitality made me feel at home, and the harmonious relationship between animals, nature, and humanity was inspiring. Interaction with the spirited nomadic traditions of the Kyrgyz people made my journey unforgettable.”

Eh’s work is rooted in personal warmth and cultural reverence. Her images capture not only rituals but also the spirit of nomadic hospitality and harmony with nature. It’s both a photographic and emotional journey, revealing the beauty of intimate, everyday practices in this fast-paced and rapidly changing world.

Third Place: Andrea Peruzzi, Devotion in Mazar-I Sharif

Andrea Peruzzi from Italy claims third place with Devotion in Mazar-I Sharif, a beautiful portrait that reflects on faith and presence.

“At sunset, in front of the majestic Blue Mosque in Mazar-i-Sharif, a Taliban approaches to understand the reason for my presence in the sacred courtyard of the mosques, asking me if I wish to pray and if I am a Muslim,” Peruzzi explains. “His penetrating gaze embodies faith and authority, a dual sense of protection and control.”

Behind him, the turquoise tiles shimmer in the twilight, silent witnesses to the devotion of believers and the power of the Taliban, intertwined with their faith.”

Peruzzi’s series captures the quiet reverence of Afghanistan’s Blue Mosque, where geometry, color, and devotion intersect. His images are not just documents of place but invitations to witness the spiritual tension and beauty alive in every step and shadow.

These top winners each receive a $1,000 prize and publication in the printed issue of AAP Magazine #53: Travels, alongside 22 other photographers from around the world. But in addition to the first three places, the contest also recognizes and shares runner-ups that haven’t won top prizes, but are definitely worth mentioning. Just keep scrolling to enjoy and admire them, and make sure to visit the contest website for more information and the complete gallery.

---