We are proud to share with you the award-winning photographs from our 7th international competition celebrating the very best in documentary family photography.
Award winners were chosen during the final round of live-judging filmed in Denver (USA), Hawaii (USA) and Victoria (Canada) and subsequently streamed online around the world on May 11-12, 2020. Viewers had the opportunity to watch the unfiltered discussions and constructive feedback as winners were collectively chosen by esteemed judges Kirsten Lewis Bethamn (United States), Jenna Shouldice (Canada) and Nancy Borowick (United States).

These award-winning photographs have been through two rounds of critical review and selection. Congratulations to the winners!
1st Place Award
“The Nostalgia Show”
Photo Series by Enrico Genovesi, Italy.
Photographer’s description: A very unusual Italian family, a travelling show of some old-world charm. Cley and Estrelita, husband and wife, him coming from a circus tradition, her of gypsy origins, have been performing for years with their five children in their itinerant show, which is simple but truly overwhelming. They move across the country with an old caravan; they are sort of unique in Italy in as much as they use these ancient transportation means. Their lives and performances follow a single thread that ties the attachment to traditions to our contemporary living. It is not a coincidence that their home is a traditional wooden cart, in perfect analogy with the performance they present: “The Nostalgia Show”.
2nd Place Award
“Lazy Sunday”
Photo Series by Heather Whitten, United States.
Photographer’s description: A series of moments from a lazy Sunday at home in April 2016.
3rd Place Award
“Staying Home Together“
Photo Series by Magdalena Adamczak, Poland.
Photographer’s description: One of the many days spent at home during COVID-19 social distancing. We have the luck of having an old wooden house in the countryside to which we could escape from the city. We are trying to give our three daughters as much freedom as possible staying safe and far from anyone at the same time.
4th Place Award
“Swimmingly Simple“
Photo Series by Kirsty Sycz, Australia.
Photographer’s description: The girls had been asking for a pet. The house is small and not suitable for bigger animals, plus there are allergies to consider. A fish was the best option, but also seemed like a mundane choice; a poor substitute for something fluffier and fun. We were so wrong.
5th Place Award
“Quarantine“
Photo Series by Jason Vinson, United States.
Photographer’s description: Due to the pandemic, everyone is stuck at home and craving interaction from the outside world. But this time at home has reminded me that our children constantly yearn for that same type of attention from us. As we move through our day to day, occupied by routines and priorities, they crave to be seen and noticed. So while they may not fully grasp the severity of our current circumstance, they can relate to the feelings of isolation and quarantine.

Our preliminary round guest judges evaluated every single submission we received and selected thirty or less of their favourite photographs per category to move forward to the live-judging round as finalists. Our deepest thanks to talented photographers Aniya Legnaro (Barbados), Rocio Vega (Spain) and Taras Bychko (Ukraine) for their hours of dedication during this process. Congratulations to these photographers who were nominated as finalists for consideration during the final round of live judging.
Finalist photographs by Allyson Klein, Amanda Dalby, Amy Mellow Panucci, Ariane Audet, Bobbi Barbarich, Carlos Porfírio, Corrina Holburn, Desiree Walters, Frederikke Brostrup, Gloria Salgado Gispert, Ivan Mityushev, Johanna King, Jordan Lyall, Karen Velleman, Karyn Novakowski, Kateryna Levchenko, Khoi Le, Kris Moya, Lauren Walker, Lianna Nielsen, Liesbeth Parlevliet, Lillian Heredia, Magdalena Adamczak, Margaret Albaugh, Meital Dor, Mikaela Martin, Mo Qi, Raz Moss, Sara Johnson, Kölcsey-Gyurkó Sàra, Shannon Christy, Sophie Callewaert and Yaroslav Zharkovsky.
(click or tap an image to view award details)
Watch the judging for this category
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This award cycle was made possible with the support of the following sponsors: