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Powerful female portraits win The International Portrait Photographer of the Year 2023

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The International Portrait Photographer of the Year has announced this year’s winners. And for 2023, the overall winner is Forough Yavari of Australia. Her portraits are truly something else, inspired and focused on women and their lives and experiences. Gentle and tough at the same time, her photos brought her the first prize in this competition. But of course, the category winners are also not to miss, so we bring you the winner gallery to enjoy.

Forough is an award-winning fine art portrait and fashion photographer. She was born in Iran, and based in Melbourne, Australia as of 2011. Her work is inspired by her life experiences as a woman, focusing on portraying the narrative behind the lives of women from around the world.

“I participate in the ‘International Portrait Photographer of the Year’ competition because it offers an exceptional platform to showcase my portrait photography skills and gain international recognition,” the winner said. “By entering this prestigious competition, I am encouraged to explore diverse approaches, subjects and techniques, which enhances my creative abilities, enabling me to refine my craft further.”

International Portrait Photographer of the Year
© Forough Yavari /The International Portrait Photographer of the Year; Vanity
International Portrait Photographer of the Year
© Forough Yavari /The International Portrait Photographer of the Year; Salvation

As for the categories, we have The Character Study, The Environmental Portrait, Portrait Story, and Family Sitting. And all of the category winners and runner-ups are marvelous! But there’s more. The contest chooses the Top 101 portrait photographs of the year, which will be published in the annual book. It’s published online, but you can also buy it as a tangible, hard-cover paper publication.

On the contest’s website, you can see the preliminary Awards book as a flipbook. And I now leave you to the wonderful category winners of this contest.

Portrait Story

© Joseph Smith/The International Portrait Photographer of the Year, category winner: Alfred and Paul Beck took over the family printing business at the ages of 17 and 14 respectively. The brothers stand amongst the machinery that has passed down from generation to generation reflecting the close bond between the two men. Alfred passed on late last year.
©The International Portrait Photographer of the Year; second place: He is part of a tribe of proud people that believe the Ankole cattle are a gift from their ancestors. They have a sacred duty to protect and care for them. The entire village life revolves around these impressive creatures.
© Osama Elolemy/The International Portrait Photographer of the Year, second place: Coffee, keeping traditions, old coffee grinder, fragrance, maintaining the old techniques, dedication, matriarch figure. Keeping active until old age in order to preserve traditions. Leading by example. There is calmness and gentleness about her.
© John Sheridan/The International Portrait Photographer of the Year, third place: Wolfhound Master
© John Sheridan/The International Portrait Photographer of the Year, third place: Hound Man

The Environmental Portrait

© Jo Kearney/The International Portrait Photographer of the Year, category winner: Freddy lives in one room in a colonial house overlooking Havana’s iconic Malecon. Before the revolution 1 family would have lived in the house but now there are multiple people and families each occupying single rooms. Most of the building has collapsed and the front rooms are like a facade.
© Jo Kearney/The International Portrait Photographer of the Year, second place: I walked past Sonia’s home in Havana and she was happy to let me come in and photograph her. I loved the old furniture and decorations.
© Peter Rossi/The International Portrait Photographer of the Year, third place: Keeping a cautious eye on the consequences of the rising oceans.

The Character Study

© Frederic Aranda/The International Portrait Photographer of the Year, category winner: Actor Ian McKellen in his West End dressing room as he prepared to perform the character of Mother Goose, in a Pantomime of the same name. Duke of York’s Theatre, London, UK.
© Frederic Aranda/The International Portrait Photographer of the Year, category winner: A family portrait of the House of Gorgeous Gucci, one of the leading “Houses” of the international Ballroom/Voguing scene. A House is a chosen family and members are organised under “Mothers” and “Fathers”, providing each other with support, love and no judgement. Taken in Paris before an annual ball.
© Elena Paraskeva/The International Portrait Photographer of the Year, second place: MALEVI: Diversity in Beauty. The bugs represent all those who bullied her physcally and mentally throughout her life for her external self. In the portrait, she is undisturbed by them, almost unaware of their existence. This is Malevi conquering her demons and proudly showcasing her inner and outer beauty.
© Paul Dodd/The International Portrait Photographer of the Year, third place: A self-portrait formed by pressing my face into cloth stretched tautly across the doorway to my studio. I couldn’t believe the diabolical nature of this image when I first saw it!
© Paul Dodd/The International Portrait Photographer of the Year, third place: This image attempts to capture the gamut of emotions that I felt during Melbourne’s interminable COVID-19 lockdowns. It is a multiple exposure made up of 24 shots.

Family Sitting

© Raoul Slater/The International Portrait Photographer of the Year, category winner: As a parent, all you want is to be listened to.
© Donell Gumiran/The International Portrait Photographer of the Year, second place: The family value communal living and cooperation. They engage in collective tasks such as house construction, field preparation, and herding. Family members often come together for important events, ceremonies, and festivals, where they share food, music, dance, and stories.
© Peter Rossi/The International Portrait Photographer of the Year, third place: We all have the potential to forgive ourselves, regardless of our failings.

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Dunja Djudjic: from diyphotography.net

About Dunja Djudjic

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, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.

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