Incredible image of great balls of fire wins world's richest photo competition

Photograph titled Edna's Paroxysm, taken by Gianluca Gianferrari and the Grand Prize winner of the Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Award (HIPA) 2025. Description reads: Above Sicily's Etna Volcano, glowing lapilli erupt against a snowy backdrop, and thus creating a striking contrast. The fiery bursts settle on fresh snow, forming a kaleidoscope of colors under the night sky. This is a testament to the unpredictable beauty of nature, where destructive power merges with serenity in a fleeting embrace that is eternally captured by the lens of the camera. .

Italian photographer Gianluca Gianferrari has won the grand prize in the world's richest photography competition – the Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Award (HIPA).

His photo is titled 'Etna's Paroxysm' and shows glowing volcanic rock being ejected from Sicily's Mount Etna volcano during an eruption.

The prize pot of this prestigious international competition is an incredible US$1 million and Gianluca will go home with US$200,000 [£152,000/AU$307,000] for this stunning picture.

The judges, who included landscape photographer Filip Hrebenda, nature photographer Armand Sarlangue and Ethiopian photographer Aida Muluneh, decided his photo best met the brief of 2025's edition of HIPA, themed 'Power'.

The winner of the 'Power' category was cited for showing "the strength of the human spirit in the face of adversity" and was a photo captured in the aftermath of an airstrike in Syria's Idlib province by Hashem Dardowra of the Syrian Arab Republic.

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'Rise of the Phoenix', winner of the Power category. Image description: Amidst airstrike wreckage, 14-year-old Khaled emerges as Syria Civil Defence (the White Helmets) frees him from the rubble. Rescue teams used power drills, hand winches and acoustic probes to pinpoint the boy's position and reduce the chance of secondary collapse, as warplanes circle above. Despite noticeable head wounds, and a bloodstained bandage, Khaled manages a faint smile that signals he is responsive and defiant. (Image credit: © Hashem Dardowra )

HIPA held the annual awards ceremony for its fourteenth competition season at Dubai's Museum of the Future, one of the city's many iconic landmarks, and Digital Camera World was there.

Attended by leading figures in the international photography community, the event also bestowed the Photography Appreciation Award on American photographer Rick Smolan, accompanied by a cash prize of US$100,000 [£76,000/A$153,000].

His work "exemplifies excellence, innovation, and a profound ability to tell the human story through the art of photography," said HIPA.

The 'Power' winners get to share a cut of the competition's staggering US$1,000,000 prize fund – £760,000/A$1,533,000.

While other international photo awards might be bigger in terms of the number of images submitted – more than 87,000 photographs with a theme of 'Power' were entered by 50,000 photographers from around the world – HIPA's prize pot tops them all.

View the winners of 'Power', the 14th season of HIPA

'Jungle Keeper', winner of the General (color) category. Image description: In Yasuni National Park, a majestic male jaguar prowls through a clay lick in the lush Amazon depths, its muddy paws leaving soft imprints on the mossy bank. In the humid gloom, the jaguar's spotted coat gleams against rugged rocks and shallow, rippling water. Even from over 100 feet away, its piercing gaze commands awe, a rare public appearance before quietly slipping back into the dense forest. (Image credit: © Karine Aigner)

'Exploding Swell', winner of the General (black and white) category. Image description: On a Pacific reef, a massive swell surges, its waves crashing with unrelenting force. Spray erupts upward, curling in wild arcs before collapsing into the churning sea. The ocean's raw power is vividly displayed through this magnificent wave, a dream for surfers and a captivating subject for photographers. (Image credit: © Ted Grambeau )

Photos from the 'Burden of Survival' series, winner of the Portfolio (story-telling) category. Series description: For two years, the Gaza Strip has been engulfed by relentless destruction and death, with its people bearing the heavy burden of survival. Yet during the sacred month of Ramadan, they choose life, coming together to break their fast amidst the rubble. They hold on to a dream of a final photograph, one captured after the war, when homes are rebuilt and loved ones are reunited once again. (Image credit: © Ali Jadallah)

'Victory and Defeat', winner of the Sports category. Image description: In a boxing ring, a referee grips the wrists of two teenage girls, one of them about to be declared the winner. As the referee raises the victor's arm, she bursts into a moment of pure euphoria, her face lit with joy and triumph, realising that months of training, sacrifice and termination have led to this achievement. Beside her, the defeated opponent is overwhelmed by disappointment. Her body language speaks volumes, a mix of exhaustion, heartbreak and the sting of coming so close. Yet in that contrast between joy and sorrow lies the essence of competitive sport. (Image credit: © Vladimir Tadic)

Karim Iliya of the USA, winner of the Drone (video) category, collects his trophy from His Excellency Abdulrahman bin Mohammed Al Owais, the Minister of Federal National Council Affairs and the Chairman of the HIPA Board of Trustees. (Image credit: Niall Hampton / Future)

HIPA offers a wide range of categories for photographers to enter, and submitting images to the competition is free.

Categories include color and black and white (these are sub-categories within the popular ‘general’ category), portfolio (story-telling) and sports, while a new category to celebrate excellence in video captured on a camera drone was introduced for this 14th season of the awards.

The winners of 'Power' in full:

General, color: Karine Aigner (USA)

General, black and white: Ted Grambeau (Australia)

Portfolio (story-telling): Ali Jadallah (Palestinian Territory)

Sports: Vladimir Tadic (Bosnia and Herzegovina)

Drone (video): Karim Iliya (USA)

Power: Hashem Dardowra (Syrian Arab Republic)

Grand prize: Gianluca Gianferrari (Italy)

Etna's Paroxysm, the Grand Prize winner of the 14th season of HIPA, was captured on a Sony A7R IV with a Sony FE 200-600mm F5.6-6.3 G OSS lens. Image description: Above Sicily's Etna Volcano, glowing lapilli erupt against a snowy backdrop, thus creating a striking contrast. The fiery bursts settle on fresh snow, forming a kaleidoscope of colors under the night sky. This is a testament to the unpredictable beauty of nature, where destructive power merges with serenity in a fleeting embrace that is eternally captured by the lens of the camera. (Image credit: © Gianluca Gianferrari)

Other award winners announced at the ceremony in Dubai included:

Photography Appreciation Award: Rick Smolan (USA)

Top Content Creator Award: Mark Smith (USA)

HIPA Photographer of the Year: Salim Al Hajri (Oman)

The category winners and special awards winners take to the stage at the conclusion of the ceremony, in the company of the HIPA Board of Trustees (Image credit: Niall Hampton / Future)

See the previous HIPA winners

Photo of a wind farm wins $200,000 grand prize in HIPA 2024

Fantastic jellyfish photo wins $120,000 grand prize in HIPA 2023

Malaysian photographer grabs 2019 $120,000 HIPA grand prize

$120,000 photo: bird shot wins big bucks in HIPA 2022

$120,000 grand prize winner announced for HIPA 2018

Winners of world's richest photographic awards 2021

Amazing image of whales $120,000 HIPA 2020 prize