A surrealistic image: on a crosswalk, there is a paper boat, fish coming our of the tarmac and a lady looking down.

Our Favourite TIFA Honorable Mentions from 2020

October 21, 2021

Each year, the Tokyo International Foto Awards jury panel receives thousands of stunning images from photographers, making the selection process harder than ever. While they weren't chosen as category winners, they are victorious in their own right: our favourite TIFA Honorable Mentions from 2020 show us unique perspectives in all the categories. 

The Berlin Cyclist - Fabio Galvez

A dream-like scape, a cyclist and a famous house in Berlin, the Marie-Elisabeth-Lüders Haus. The composition of this photo is a testament to perfect geometry, a sharp-sighted discovery form the Spain-based photographer.

A cyclist on his bike in front of a building and a perfectly round vent.
Two women in front of a red-coloured lake in tribal outfits

One Tribe I Kozii Campaign Aw2020 - Irene Sekulic

A photo shoot for a sustainable contemporary fashion brand, One Tribe. The main mission was to bring out the feeling of empathy from the viewers and potential customers. 

Reflexion - Jma

A photograph, immensely powerful: the tree stands alone in the middle of the galaxy, it seems. A minimalist, surrealist way to view nature, it makes us think of deeper human emotions like loneliness and self-determination. 

A sole tree in a black-and-white photo, in the middle of a lake, its reflection showing along with the milkyway.
A shark's mouth up close, shot from inside a cage. We can see the shark's teeth, on the top jawline, some of its teeth are gone.

Face to Face With The Man In The Grey Suit - Sam Cahir

Wildlife photography is not for the faint-hearted: the photographer was underwater when this 3.5 metre shark forced him to retreat into the cage. He wasn't in safety, however: the shark followed him into the cage, an unexpected turn of events, leading to a chilling shot. 

Nighthat - Stephen Spartana

A celebration of patterns that repeat in nature, paired with vast colours, shadows and light, all layered on top of each other to give this special effect. 

Pink, purple silhouettes of trees and a forest, a dream-like scape.
A mother and son in their dingy, leaving their house that was build on poles in the middle of water.

Journey of Life - Zon Hisham Zainal Abidin

Known as Sea Nomads, the Bajau have led a nomadic life on sea. This photograph shows us a mother and her son leave their house on the water. 

A Sliver of Light - Jonas Borg

Stockholm, Sweden: the Norra Tornen, or Northern Towers are visible in the autumn light, painting the building into a completely different colour. 

A building's facade, lit up in yellow, orange, purple and blue, possibly reflecting the sunset.
A ship tranded in the icy, blue weather in the distance.

The Ship of Stranded - Peng-Gang Fang

Typhoon season means the death of many ships at sea. The more our climate changes, the more we will experience weather extremities and the more ships will be in danger. 

Hommage Á Gilbert Garcin - Ileana Montaño

An homage to an artist lost and a photographer locked in during Covid-times. The end result is an inspired, surrealistic photo series that makes us ponder upon our very own ideas and creativity. 

A surrealistic image: on a crosswalk, there is a paper boat, fish coming our of the tarmac and a lady looking down.
A Hong Kong building, large, with trees in the bottom, amazing geometrical shapes and blue slivers.

Xiqu Center, Hong Kong - William Shum

A beautiful capture of a futuristic building in Hong Kong, small glimpses to other landscapes and geometry perfectly balance each other out. 

READ MORE: 

Soulful People Photography at Tokyo International Foto Awards 2020

Dreamy Fine Art Photography at Tokyo International Foto Awards 2020

Riveting Event Photographs from the 2020 Tokyo International Foto Awards