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It's a fantastical image: A person is standing on a bench, taking in the majestic view of a neon green aurora borealis in Russia. But from another perspective, it looks as if the person could be on another planet — maybe the snowsuit is a spacesuit and the ground below and the sky above are some alien landscape.

This is one of the winning photos in this year's 

. The winners of the annual international contest were announced this week. 

The rules are simple. Anyone can submit a photo in one of 18 categories as long as the photos were taken with an iPhone or iPad and not altered by Photoshop beyond iPhone filters or lenses.

The contest's top photos are a study in contrasts. The grand prize went to Hungarian photojournalist Istvan Kerekes. His photo depicts two rugged shepherds standing in a desolate landscape in Romania. Despite the harshness all around them, they cradle soft lambs around their shoulders and in their arms. The Photographer of the Year award was granted to Sharan Shetty of India, who captures a man sharing a tender moment with his horse in Azerbaijan in an empty and lonely desert.

The selection of prize-winning images below are truly global, and all these images attest to the ability of a phone to make photographic magic.   

Photos

Arts and Culture

Adela Wu

Author

The winning images from this year's iPhone Photography Awards feature a man connecting with his horse, two rugged shepherds holding soft lambs and a figure looking into a brilliant night sky. 

iPhone Photo Award winners capture tender moments, stark contrasts and a magical sky

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