See 25 Incredible Award-Winning Photos Taken on iPhone

If modern smartphones have proven anything, it’s that you don’t need a fancy and expensive camera to take amazing photos. And in the history of the smartphone, Apple’s iPhone has long been ahead of the curve.

As long as iPhones have existed, the iPhone Photography Awards have highlighted and honored some of the best photographs taken on Apple handsets and this year’s awards are no different. Use the right arrow to view 25 incredible award-winning photos taken on iPhone.

25 Grand Prize Winner

This picture, which was shot by Jashim Salam, shows Rohingya children watching a health and sanitation awareness film at a refugee camp in Ukhia, Bangladesh. Salam reportedly used an iPhone 7 to take the picture.

24 Photographer of the Year - First Place

Shot by Alexandre Weber on an iPhone 6s, this photo shows a woman in traditional clothing standing in a doorway in Salvador de Bahia, Brazil. The woman was on her work break and was watching a truck as it passed by.

23 Photographer of the Year - Second Place

Huapeng Zhao was walking along the seaside in YanTai ShanDong Province, China when he decided to use his iPhone 6 to take a picture of a boy who was fishing. The young fisherman promptly put one of his catches in front of his eye.

22 Photographer of the Year - Third Place

The third place for Photographer of the Year went to Zarni Myo Win, who took this photo of children playing soccer in Myanmar on his iPhone 7 Plus. One of the boys, who had lost his leg, was watching his friends play — and said he would like to join in if he could.

21 Animals - First Place

Robin Robertis took this amazingly detailed photo with an iPhone 7 Plus in Carlsbad, California. The dog in the picture is named Django, and he was apparently raised in a Buddhist monastery in China. “Django likes long walks on the beach and Miles Davis,” Robertis said.

20 Animals - Second Place

It was a windy day on a nearly empty beach when photographer Katie Wall snapped this shot on an iPhone 7 near New Brighton, UK. Wall said her dogs were enjoying the wide open spaces — and, in particular, chasing elusive seagulls.

19 Animals - Third Place

This picture of an extremely content-looking fox was snapped by Erica Wu at the Miyagi Zao Fox Village in Japan. The little fox in the photo had been taking a nap, but poked his head out to “enjoy the sunshine during the snowing season.” Wu used an iPhone X to take the image.

18 Architecture - First Place

This picture, taken by Massimo Graziani in Rome, Italy, is titled “Rampage.” Shot on an iPhone 7 Plus, the picture is an artful take on a stair ramp near Via Allegri in the ancient and historic city.

17 Architecture - Second Place

Taken on an iPhone 7 by KuangLong Zhang, this photo shows off one of the oldest mosques in Iran. According to Zhang, the mosque is a result of “continual construction, reconstruction, additions and renovations” for hundreds of years.

16 Architecture - Third Place

Nasra Al Sharji of Oman took this photo on a cloudy morning around 7 a.m. in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Using an iPhone 6, the photographer was able to capture the grandeur of the Burj Khalifa (on the right) — currently the tallest building in the world.

15 Landscape - First Place

Commercial airline flights are a golden opportunity to see the world from another perspective. That’s something Charles Thomas, who took this photo of the Nevada and Arizona border on an iPhone 8 Plus while on a flight back from Las Vegas, is probably well aware of.

14 Landscape - Second Place

This picture was shot on a “typical moody day” in the North East of England. The photographer, Asuman Robson of Turkey, was hiking along Hadrian’s Wall when he took this dramatic photo with an iPhone 7.

13 Landscape - Third Place

Iceland is known for its stunning natural beauty, and photographer Naian Feng was able to capture a glimpse of it. Using an iPhone X, Feng took this shot of Kerid Mount in Iceland — a dead volcano that’s now home to a blue volcanic lake. Taken in the winter, the photo shows the lake frozen over.

12 Nature - First Place

This beautifully moody and dramatic black-and-white photo of grazing sheep was taken on a foggy morning near Toulouse, France. The photographer, Sukru Mehmet Omur, took the photo using an iPhone 6s.

11 Nature - Second Place

Photographer Anton Kruglov was able to capture this amazing and weird natural phenomenon in Sochi, Russia. The picture, taken with an iPhone SE, shows a previously snow-covered mountain that was drenched in sand from a passing storm.

10 Nature - Third Place

Chinese photographer Peng Ju Tang took this photo of icebergs near Illulissat, Greenland with an iPhone 7 Plus. Tang notes that the photo shows off the icebergs of Qaasuitsup, a municipality occupying much of the western half of Greenland.

9 News & Events - First Place

Mohammed Badra captured this amazing shot in Douma, Syria. In the photo, taken on an iPhone 7, Syrians set up tables and gather “during a lull in the bombings” to take part in a public Iftar — an evening meal meant to break the daily fast during Ramadan.

8 News & Events - Second Place

This photo, simply titled “The Heat,” appears to show a large fire. It was taken by Moises Silva on an iPhone 5s near Betim, Brazil — a city in the Brazilian state of Misas Gerais, located in the southeastern portion of the country.

7 News & Events - Third Place

Verónica G. Cárdenas was able to capture this photo near Tijuana, Mexico on an iPhone 6s. It shows members of the 2017 Refugee Caravan climb the border fence separating Mexico and the U.S. to “celebrate their arrival in Tijuana.”

6 Travel - First Place

This picture, titled “Silk Road,” was taken by Anna Aiko during a trip to Mongolia with an iPhone 6s. It was snapped during the first day of her departure through the Gobi Desert — which is, notably, know for being the place where some of the very first traces of dinosaurs were discovered.

5 Travel - Second Place

“The Sculptor” is a work of art that shows another work of art being created. Taken with an iPhone 7 Plus by Zarni Myo Win near Ayeryarwady River in Myanmar, the photographer notes that the man in the picture is sculpting a Buddha statue near the river bank.

4 Travel - Third Place

It’s not just newer iPhones that can take great pictures. Soha Ghandour shot this photo with an iPhone 5. It shows off people tanning at the coast on a hot summer day near Tyre, Lebanon.

3 Sunset - First Place

In an era dominated by digital filters, sometimes an analog solution can inspire amazing results. Sara Ronkainen probably knows this, seeing as she shot this picture on an iPhone 5s while walking by a lake near Jyväskylä, Finland one evening.

2 Sunset - Second Place

Sometimes a sunset doesn’t even need to be seen to make for a great photo. This picture, taken by Cocu Lui on an iPhone 7 Plus, proves that. It shows commuters and vehicles on a busy city street near sunset in San Francisco.

1 Sunset - Third Place

This photo, titled “Sunset Vibes,” depicts a group of children and others having fun in fountains in Kiev, Ukraine. According to photographer Ruslan Zabulonov, who took the picture with an iPhone 6, it was the end of a hot summer day.

We’ve selected just a few categories to show off the prowess and skill of these iPhone photography masters, but we strongly recommend that you head over to the IPPA website to check out the rest of the categories (and some amazing honorable mentions in each).