Smartphone or $10k camera rig? Mobile Photography Awards unbelievable winners

Obstacle Course - iPhoneXR. Elliot Fergusan, MPA 13

“It’s not the size. It’s how you use it,” so said fictional fashion photographer and sometime spy Austin Powers.

This cheeky adage might as well be the catchphrase for the annual Mobile Photography Awards, who have just unveiled their 2024 winners.

It’s an award that began as a gimmick 13 years ago - it was designed as a challenge for photographers pushing the technology to its limit.

However, in the decade and a half since, the difference between a professional camera rig and a smartphone has been rapidly shrinking.

With handsets today boasting 48 Megapixels a pop, many are comparable to the top-of-the-range cameras from 2011.

Playground - Xiaomi13Pro. Photo / Chang Nianzu

You no longer have to be an international man of mystery to have access to these Bond-eque bits of gadgetry.

This year, the Mobile Photography Awards say they received entries from over 85 different countries. All of which showed an enthusiasm and mastery of pocket-sized bits of kit. (“Yeah baby!”)

Shanghai-based photographer Yajun Hu claimed the Grand Prize and US$3000 ($4975) in prize money.

His portfolio of street photography was captured using a Xiaomi Ultra 13.

Broken Portrait- Xiaomi13Ultra. Photo / Yajun Hu, MPA 13

“Each photograph serves as a piece of a larger narrative, contributing to a rich tapestry of urban storytelling,” said judge and awards founder Danel Berman.

The awards also recognised 12 separate category winners - ranging from black and white to portraits. Each category winner took a $414 cash prize.

A separate $830 award was given to the best ‘Photo Essay’ portfolio, which was picked up by Victor Tan KH of Thailand for his essay Firecracker Symphony.

All the winning photos of the Toronto-based photography award will be featured on the MPA website for the next year.

The Void - Xiaomi13Ultra1. Photo / Wei Wei, MPA 13

The Violinist Returning Home at Night - VivoX90ProPlus. Photo / Queenie Cheen, MPA 13

Silhouette Tetris - iPhone13Pro. Photo / Roy Pan, MPA 13

Golden Mountains - OppoS6Pro. Photo/ Di Lu, MPA 13

The Forge - iPhone14Pro. Photo / Melissa Johnston, MPA 13

The Falls - iPhone12Pro. Photo / Ryan Cardone, MPA 13

Kelingking Beach - iPhone14ProMax. Photo / Yuepeng Bao, MPA 13

The Darkness Noir - Samsung Galaxy S23. Photo / Wai Ying Kwok, MPA 13

Beyond the Green - SamsungS22Ultra. Photo / Hollyn Johnson, MPA 13