Ice “Faces” Hidden in Frozen Lakes Win Minimalist Photographer of the Year 2026
Aug 25, 2026
Dunja Đuđić Kalinin
Dunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, concerts, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.
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The Minimalist Photography Awards has just announced the winner of its 2026 edition. This year’s title of Minimalist Photographer of the Year goes to Marcin Giba for his haunting series The Last Winter.
Overall Winner – Ice, Memory, and a Vanishing Season
Selected from over 6,200 images by photographers in more than 66 countries, Marcin’s work stood out for its blend of aerial abstraction and personal elegy. His series was also awarded first place in the Aerial Photography category.
He shot this series with a drone over frozen lakes near his hometown of Rybnik, Poland. The Last Winter turns ice, snow, and texture into something closer to portraiture. Look long enough and shapes start to surface on their own: an eye, a pair of lips, a heart, the outline of a face. Marcin didn’t stage any of it – he found it, floating above landscapes that won’t stay frozen much longer.
Marcin says that his series also carries a personal meaning for him. He remembers the winters of his childhood as cold, frosty, and white. Sadly, such winters are becoming less frequent in his hometown.
When the conditions finally allow him to fly his drone, he feels that he is documenting a beauty
that may one day exist only in memory.
There’s something fitting about photographing disappearance from directly above it. The ice holds a face for a moment, then the season changes and takes it back. It makes you feel a tad of existential dread, doesn’t it?
“Minimalism continues to remind us that an image doesn’t have to be complex to be powerful,” said Founder and jury member Milad Safabakhsh. “The 2026 edition brings together photographers from around the world who find beauty and meaning in simplicity, space, light and silence.”
Category Winners
Beyond the main award, the 2026 competition recognized talent across 12 categories. These include:
- Abstract
- Aerial Photography
- Architecture
- Conceptual
- Fine Art
- Landscape
- Long Exposure
- Night Photography
- Open
- Photomanipulation
- Portrait
- Street
“What I love about this year’s selection is how different each photographer’s approach is” Milad Safabakhsh explained. “Together, these images show how much minimalist photography has grown and how relevant and inspiring it continues to be today.”
Winners will be featured in the annual Minimalist Photography Awards book, exhibited internationally, and published across global partner platforms. We bring you the category winners below, and make sure to view all winning and shortlisted works in the official Winners Gallery on the Minimalist Photography Awards website.
More from Minimalist Photography Awards
- Ethereal forms of murmurations win 2022 Minimalist Photography Awards
- Calming view of British seaside wins Minimalist Photography Awards 2023
- Renaissance-inspired portraits win 2024 Minimalist Photography Awards
- Emotional Blend of Photography and Thread Wins Minimalist Photography Awards 2025
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Dunja Đuđić Kalinin
Dunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, concerts, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.
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