UK photographer Jon Enoch has won the top award at the Pink Lady® Food Photographer of the Year 2023 competition with his photo “The Candy Man”. The photograph was taken in the streets of western Mumbai near the candy-floss-selling grounds of the beaches and fairs. It is part of a wider series of images of the sellers, which capture the unique ways used to display the candy goods in the hope of attracting a buyer.
“This is a magnificent picture,” says Caroline Kenyon, Founder Pink Lady® Food Photographer of the Year. “For me, it evokes the great late 18th and early 19th century portraits of Reynolds and Gainsborough – the gaze, the full-length figure, the subject’s position in the frame. The man in the picture may have a humble way of life, touting his wares of toxically-coloured candy floss, but he himself is splendid. This image shows us beautifully the universal truth, we are all the same.”
The competition received thousands of entries from 65 different countries. Here is a selection of the winning images.
Pink Lady® Food Photographer of the Year 2023
“The Candy Man” – John Enoch

Pappu Jaiswal – a candyfloss seller in Mumbai, India holds his display of brightly coloured confectionery on the streets near to Versova Beach. Never more popular than in the age of social media for some eye-catching likes, the pink sugar clouds are popular for those looking for an affordable treat.
Bring Home the Harvest
“In the Storm”- Khanh Phan Thi

Lap An Lagoon in Hue province in the dry season. When the water recedes, the fish are stuck in puddles and when the tide is low, people often go fishing here. When I arrived at Lap An Lagoon, the storm came. The people who were with me were very afraid of lightning, but I stayed to witness the change of the storm when Heaven and Earth seemed to be connected by wind and water. I tried to stay calm, to forget my fear and shoot this moment. I think things that survive in harsh conditions are always great.
Champagne Taittinger Food for Celebration
“Dinner with the King and Queen of Sweden”- Jonas Borg

Sverigemiddagen (the Dinner of Sweden), an annual event held at the Royal Castle in Stockholm, celebrates individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to their local communities. Invited guests are honoured for their achievements and are hosted by the King and Queen of Sweden at a grand dinner.
Champagne Taittinger Wedding Food Photographer
“Stories During Dinner”- Isabelle Hattink
Claire Aho Award for Women Photographers
“Adua’s Kitchen” – Carla Sutera Sardo

Adua’s kitchen is part of a journey down memory lane of an 86-year-old woman who had to leave her lifelong home during the covid pandemic.
Errazuriz Wine Photographer of the Year – Produce
“The Eye” – Adrian Chitty
Food for the Family
“Slurping Spaghetti” – Catherine Falls

Spag bol is always a winner in our house and the leftovers are enjoyed for lunch the next day, as my youngest daughter demonstrates in this image.
Food in the Field
“Dinner is Ready” – Felipe Pizano

Sow taking a nap in a hole, meanwhile her piglets feed themselves in the hot weather of Palenque, close to Cartagena, Colombia.
Food Influencer
“Lost Love – Grandfather” – Indu Vishwanath Singh

Grandfather with his love’s favourite fruit, still unable to take off his ring after her death. Food connects us emotionally and this is a true example.
Food Stylist Award
“Let them Eat Cake…” – Keiron George
(Photographer: Frankie Turner)
Hotel Art Group Cream of the Crop
“Mushrooms in Seville Market” – Susan Astor-Smith

The mushrooms at Mercado de Triana in Seville immediately caught my eye with their strong shapes, lines and textures. Black and white perfectly suited the graphic detail of this image.
Marks & Spencer Food Portraiture
“Fritto Misto” – Cara Cormack
(Stylist: Alice Ostan)
MPB Award for Innovation
“Flowing Still Life: Greengrocery Project” – Elisa Villa
On the Phone
“Bonnet Delights” – Hein van Tonder
Pink Lady® Moments of Joy
“Hanging Up Persimmons” – Zhonghua Yang

Autumn on the loess slopes of Shanxi Province, China. The mountainous region located in the Taihang Mountains, is so cold and dry that making hanging persimmon cakes is the main source of income for local farmers. This year’s persimmons are harvested, peeled and dressed, and hung under the eaves in bunches, waiting for the persimmons to soften and freeze, hoping they will bring a good price in the New Year.
Politics of Food
“Ramadan Meals Among the Ruins in Idlib, Syria” – Mouneb Taim

After the campaign of the Syrian regime on Idlib and the departure of the Syrian forces from the city of Nayrab, the people of the city found all its houses destroyed. That was in the month of Ramadan in the year 2020. Neither the war nor the destruction prevented the people from holding a group breakfast, an important tradition for them during Ramadan.
Production Paradise Previously Published
“The New Pigs in Blanket” – Kris Kirkham
(Stylist: Lola Faura)
The Philip Harben Award for Food in Action
“Anchang Sugar Dance Artist” – Zhonghua Yang

Taken in Anchang, Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province. The process of pulling sugar is a local specialty. This process is very skillful and the master appears to be dancing when pulling the white sugar.
unearthed® Food For Sale
“Selling Fish” – Md Mahabub Hossain Khan

Naya Bazaar is one of the oldest weekly fish markets in Dhaka, Bangladesh. We can see rare and expensive species of fish here that cannot usually be seen in other markets.
World Food Programme Food for Life
“Hungry Tears” – Al-Nasim Talukdar Rajib

“Sustenance is unfortunately not available to everyone. Humiliation, sadly not unknown to the starving children living in the hostile street environment, is often something to which they have to become accustomed”
Young – 10 and under
“Peaches” – Maja Kowalczyk
Young – 11 – 14
“Flaming Lamb Skewers” – Jacqueline Tsang

At a bustling night market in Pakuranga, stands line the aisles of a once-dull car park, bringing it back to life. A chef works passionately in his stall, and curious customers watch as he fetches bundles of skewers – evidently prepared earlier – and lays them neatly along the edge of the grill before sprinkling them generously with seasoning. After waiting for the meat to cook, he flips each set over, summoning a blazing tower of flames, much to the spectators’ delight.
Young – 15 – 17
“Spices of Indian Household” – Amitha A R

This image is my depiction of the ruling spices in Indian cuisine, showcasing the vibrant colours of powdered turmeric and chilli exploding in the hands.
Food Film Shorts
“Mango Curry” – Nikithaa Kumaran
Summer is the season for mangoes and my amma makes this Kerala-styled mango curry every year for me. Summer is synonymous with mangoes and I look forward to every summer just so that I can eat this curry that my amma makes. Her secret ingredient in this is her love for me and for her family that loves her back unconditionally.

The exhibition of the 2023 Finalists will be premiering at The Royal Photographic Society, one of the world’s oldest photographic societies, in Bristol. The exhibition runs from Saturday 20th May – Sunday 11th June and forms part of Bristol’s ‘World Photography in Focus’. To view the online gallery of all the 2023 finalists, visit the website or Instagram.
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