ColorPro Award Top 1

No.3 by Alireza Bagheri Sani, Iran

What is the breakthrough story of the photo?

The old man symbolises long life and the yellow colour in number 3 symbolises hope Minimalism, surrealism, and street photography all wrapped up into one seemingly simple image at first glance. However, the changing size of the doors, as well as the central positioning of the subject and the pop of yellow, ensures the image doesn’t become flattened. Creativity doesn’t always have to be loud.

ColorPro Award Top 10

Flair by Rhon Paolo C. Velarde, Philippines

What is the breakthrough story of the photo?

Marco is a Paralympic athlete competing for his province to join for the International Olympics representing the Philippines. The photo captures the positivity of a person in the face of adversity and the pursuit of his dreams, a breakthrough that inspires us all.

ColorPro Award Top 10

Two worlds by Viktor Lyagushkin, Georgia

What is the breakthrough story of the photo?

Diver dives into the freezing waters of the White Sea through the ice hole onto the top of the Beluga Whale Rock covered with tousle of laminaria seaweed. Support person holds a rope in her hands, to help diver to find her way home. We live on dry land which is just one third of our planet, two other thirds of the surface are covered with water. We cannot breath under the water, cannot sail without ships and boats. One of diving pioneers, Jacques-Yves Cousteau dreamed our technical development one day will help humans explore ocean depth and live on a sea floor. As for me, I hope humans will not only explore, but find sustainable way go living in harmony with environment and their own nature. This photograph is about freedom of human dream to breakthrough our own limits and about the harmony.

ColorPro Award Top 10

Above the clouds by Marleen Kuijpers, Netherlands

What is the breakthrough story of the photo?

I took this photo last year in Grindelwald, which is located in the Swiss Alps. The day before I went up the mountain by cable car, the first snow had just fallen, the weather was dreadful. I stayed at a mountain hut which is located next to the First cliff walk, a floating bridge which is build on the mountain First, 2200 meters above sea level.The women at the mountain hut assured me that I had the room with the best view. However, there was nothing to see. Only total emptiness.Disappointed that my photography plans would fall apart I fell asleep. But the next morning everything changed. I opened the curtains and suddenly they were there. The Eiger, the Jungfrau all those impressive mountains.The drone hovers just above me and what I see on my screen sums up the whole moment. I click and somehow you know this is that one shot, that breakthrough moment. A breakthrough moment because everything can change in one day. A breakthrough moment because you suddenly feel so free and small standing there above the clouds and on top of the world. Every time I look at this photo, that feeling comes back. One of the happiest moments of my life. A real breakthrough moment.

ColorPro Award Top 10

Well Of Death by Siddharth kaneria, India

What is the breakthrough story of the photo?

The ‘Well Of Death’ is a junction of life and death & breakthroughs are inevitable in the space between those two phenomena. This photograph is of Daredevil Stuntmen at a “Well Of Death'' performing in their car. Hundreds of spectators are always found crowding around a circular pit to witness daredevil drivers in cars & motorcycles performing stunts in a vertical pit. The human capacity to evolve and survive in the name of an adrenaline rush was just a fraction of what my camera and I witnessed as we captured this moment in time. A daredevil stuntman, collecting his livelihood perched on a moving car as he flirted with the idea of gravity being faithful. It was on looking back at the pictures I captured at the “Well of Death” that I had a perspective-changing breakthrough about what makes a photograph fulfilling to our multiple senses. As time stands still in photographs of moments that are hard to come by again, the essence of every photograph is that very second that is never going to happen again. Every photograph I have clicked after this one has been tinted in the light of my breakthrough.

ColorPro Award Top 10

Take Me With You by Craig Boliver, United States of America

What is the breakthrough story of the photo?

This last year, I’ve really tried to hone in this style of launch photography. This specific shot feels really great to showcase of the NASA Crew4 launch over Indialantic Beach (Melbourne, Florida). SpaceX Crew Dragon w/ a Falcon9 booster at 3:52am, capturing a full 5:00 minute exposure time. The composition has been sitting in my head for quite a while, but had been waiting for everything to line up correctly. Learning the technical side of how to keep a decent quality with these night launch shots, balancing in editing, testing out different locations and styles at different times. There was a lot that needed to come together all at once. Honestly, I was going to pick a different spot this particular morning and decided to put in some more planning work and figure out the correct trajectory path. It paid off for sure. And this was definitely a breakthrough shot from all of my previous work, that takes a step beyond my day to day shots. It makes me super excited excited to hit the trails and beaches for some more launches coming up.

ColorPro Award Top 10

Free to Love by Rita Miranda, Portugal

What is the breakthrough story of the photo?

The struggle for LGBT rights is old and far from over. People continue to die for simply having a different sexual orientation from the norm imposed by society or for identifying with another gender.These LGBT pride marches need to keep happening, so that these people are not afraid to express their love freely.Modern societies have seen great developments over the past few years, but there is still much to be done, especially in poorer societies and those with oppressive regimes.My intention with this picture is to pay homage to all those who risk their lives daily for a world free of preconceptions, where loving is not a crime.

ColorPro Award Top 10

Abyss by Dominic Beaven, United Kingdom

What is the breakthrough story of the photo?

The entire world was on lockdown during the covid pandemic, studios closed their doors to non commercial shoots and models were unable to work. For a lot of Amateur photographers such as myself the ability to do any kind of studio portrait photography came to a grinding halt.Remote photography changed this and has been a massive ‘breakthrough’ in the world of portrait and studio photography, it meant that even during strict lockdown rules photographers could continue to shoot with models from around the world.My shot ‘Abyss’ was taken during the lockdown period. It was shot at a venue called Tankspace which itself is a ‘breakthrough’ in underwater photography. During the shoot I had full control of both camera and lighting settings via screen sharing using video conference or similar software and was able to communicate face to face with the model via webcams to give directions when she surfaced, in essence this was no different to actually being there in person.If I wanted any lights moving, camera moved or lens changed this would be done by the on hand assistant. Once directions were given the model could not hear me when underwater so was a case of just keep shooting and hope I get the shot I was after which I feel I have done here.

ColorPro Award Top 1

I am the pacific by Jairo Dealba, United States of America

What is the breakthrough story of the photo?

A breakthrough is not something easy to talk about with you. It is hard to deal with, and even harder to achieve sometimes. Our own breakthrough happens because it is meant to, not because we have anything to do with it. Perhaps a breakthrough in itself has always possessed those kinds of mysteries that I have never been able to understand, nor comprehend. But, it does not matter, a breakthrough like mine is good enough to talk about and express through words and artistic endeavors Change began with books, with the pages of encyclopedias, and history books. I would see the examples of heroes from the past, their struggles, their fights, not only with others, but with themselves. It made so much sense to me, it felt as though no one in this world would be able to make a difference in other’s lives unless they started their own journey to find meaning in this world. Then at the age of sixteen I discovered that love held the answer to this. I saw that kindness invites us to see things clearly.. Gradually I began to be kind to myself and it is still the force that guides me today. So, now it unfolds in front of me. I know that this is what expression is about, this is how truth blossoms.
Long before my breakthrough I saw it. It was distant, but I knew somehow that I would reach forth and grasp it. The reason I knew this was thanks to my grandmother, and now my wife. She showed me that I was worthy of being loved, that I was worthy of being a true friend.
Now, I possess the power to bring about my own breakthrough. Everyone, and every experience, relates to that. Throughout the last year or so I told myself many times over that overthinking and shattering my own hopes was the last thing I needed. Building courage and self-awareness is paramount. I understood who the enemy was, it was myself. I knew that this was my breakthrough.

ColorPro Award Top 2

Submerged by Varun Mehra, India

What is the breakthrough story of the photo?

According to a BBC article, the city of Venice could be submerged by 2100 due to rising sea levels. Then there are numerous articles by DesignBoom that examine the rise in water levels and how it may affect major cities such as Mumbai, New York, Tokyo, and Istanbul, among others. As I was thinking about the rise in water levels all over our planet as a result of climate change and other effects, I began creating my artwork with the help of my tools, and the outputs worked perfectly according to the image I had in mind. This is how most of the major cities will be ""Submerged by the Future"" if we do not take control of the current situation.

ColorPro Award Top 3

Growing rice on planet B by Dwi Januartanto

What is the breakthrough story of the photo?

In the "Growing rice on planet B" I try to express the message sarcastically and ironically, it depicts imperfect human figures on other planets, the image of vast agriculture with a small number of humans. Basically the number of people on earth will continue to increase, currently almost 8 billion and is predicted to increase to 10 billion in 2050. We need to think about how best to meet the needs of food, considering it is a basic human need. The latest innovation breakthroughs that are able to make human life better clearly need to be developed, but we must also be wise and balanced in utilizing this intelligence so that it does not become a disaster in the future.

ColorPro Award Top 10

Mysterious Worlds by Oleksandr Chornyi, Ukraine

Macro photography is my favorite direction in photography, unlike many genres of photography, macro can be shot anywhere - you just have to sit down in the grass, look under a green leaf or look at dry twigs, you can open a whole photo universe, hear the rustles of numerous insects and other forest inhabitants that suddenly appear and also unexpectedly they disappear, at such moments the feeling of silence intensifies, everything takes on mysterious unearthly forms...
I love exploring nature and revealing its secrets with the camera. Each of my trips to nature for new stories is like a journey to a fairyland full of magic and amazing life...
A small red dot flashed by-it was a Ladybug. Deftly making her way among mosses, mushrooms and thick grass, she was so attracted by the unknown, the mystery that enveloped the mysterious forest... When I manage to press the shutter release in time and catch an interesting moment, I feel as if magic has touched me... Merging with nature helps me think creatively and instills perseverance, allowing me to create interesting stories filled with meaning and some mystery.

ColorPro Award Top 10

The Divine Wind by Ebru Konal, Turkey

What is the breakthrough story of the photo?

We all look for outer spaces when we desire change, but the real change is inside. The Divine Wind is about pushing our own limits and destroying our own “shape”. It’s about breaking the seperations within ourselves in order to grow. To change the world, we must be the change without considering what others do or not. Lots of people believe they are small but we are not. Our body contains elements from all around the universe, so that makes us big as the whole universe. That makes us as free as anything we can imagine. If we break our own seperations, and see the further, we shall become anything we like. We can be free like a butterfly who move the mountain, or we may become the move itself.

ColorPro Award Top 10

Untitled by Unlimited Dream Co., United Kingdom

My Breakthrough I’ve been creating art for as long as I can remember, but my real breakthrough happened during the Covid lockdown last summer, when I discovered I could load my drawings into an advanced artificial intelligence model, transforming them into something new and unexpected. It has taken hours of experimentation and a lot of trial and error, but I finally have the means to try and capture a hint of what is in my imagination.
What I love about the process is that even though it’s very technological, using artificial intelligences running on powerful supercomputers, it’s also organic – no two images are ever alike, even when using the same starting drawing and prompts, so it's constantly surprising and evolving.
This piece is part of a series that explores what it feels like to have a breakthrough - I have tried to capture the sense of joy, growth and movement that comes when you have that moment of inspiration, whilst also combining it with a symmetry that reflects the structure and hard work that comes before every great breakthrough.
I truly believe that AI will be this century’s defining breakthrough movement in art and it’s really exciting to be a small part of it.

ColorPro Award Top 10

The journey by Agaba Solomon Peabo, Uganda

Photography is a language that speaks to the heart. It is one that heals many wounds and bruises, especially those that are not in areas you can easily scratch away the itch.
When you lose someone dear to you, you spend a lifetime looking for them in every stranger you find, and, sometimes, you try to recreate their memories inside your own stories. Photography for me means a safety net, a place where I can go and be peacefully in control of my own little world, a sort of sanctuary.
I have loved and created art since 2018 and over the last four years, I have watched what started as a distraction for me morph into passion, into something I want to do full time. As an artist, my art deserves to be seen by people who have the same vision as I do.
When I got discovered by CNN and Photoshop, watching my work be exhibited in Florida, Zurich and at different UN Youth Art and Innovation Fairs was a dream come true. I started to see my journey clearly, like my purpose on this earth is exactly what I’m doing right now. I strongly believe I was created to create and what better way than to be the best at it?.

ColorPro Award Top 10

Inca Robot Babies - Murals in the Valley of the Royals by 鳥巢, Taiwan

2022, the world starts to recover from Covid. Meanwhile, A.I. art also surged and prospered with its introduction to mankind. It's definitely a singularity in the development of human arts.
This June, I started to engage in A.I. art creation. This involvement inspired my life and helped me to open a new chapter in my life. Formally, a designer and photographer, now moving on to start my slash career in A.I. art creation!

ColorPro Award Top 10

Hush by Jerod Barker, United States of America

This piece was a major expansion of my skillset and a step forward in my process development. In that way and others, it is a breakthrough piece for me. The subject matter being birds taking flight, I hoped the artwork would give viewers a sense of ascension or release, while the layered and close-quarter composition is meant to further drive that sense of release with its transition from a state of crowded stillness to liberating motion. If you look long enough at the piece, you may see a face within the image. The look of heavy burden upon this face should similarly emphasize the relief of breaking through intrusive thoughts and pointless patterns of thinking — hushing the negativity in the mind and moving beyond the past to live in the present.

ColorPro Award Top 10

Hidden Discovery by Ankush Kamboj, India

The man was on a routine exploration trip in the desert. He passes through a hazy sandstorm and he appears standing in front of the entrance of a mysterious cave. The entrance to the cave was obscured by haze with the wind blowing, and the sandstorm obscuring his visibility. Therefore, it was impossible to make out anything but the vague outline of this cave.
Curious as to why this storm has been happening for so long, he decided to investigate what is beyond the cave. He continued and noticed an opening in front of the cave that had a strange pattern. The only light he has is from the storm, which makes it difficult to see what's ahead of him. Fighting against the winds and the sands that are now hitting him in any direction, he eventually finds himself able to see what's inside the cave - and it is nothing but darkness. He wanders around in there for a while before finally emerging back out into the storm once more