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Recognising the most outstanding images captured through in-game photography by digital artists around the globe, here are the winners of The Virtual Photography Awards for 2025.
 

A total of 3.2K entries – captured in more than 330 software titles – were submitted across 7 thematic categories designed to challenge and inspire creators, with the winners chosen by an experienced Judging Panel of game industry professionals, real-world photographers, and digital capture artists.

OVERALL WINNER
VIRTUAL PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR – 'HARY G'

ACT 1st Place by _Virtualtourism.webp

ACTION WINNER
_VIRTUALTOURISM

ACT 1st Place by _Virtualtourism.webp

This shot was one that I actually only spent a few minutes on as I quickly realised I had something cool to work with. I entered it because I thought it might stand out from the entries of other participants in the action category and appeal to the judges. Never did I expect to win! Thank you to the judges for choosing my capture.

 

by _VIRTUALTOURISM

COL 1st Place by pmi_plotnikov.webp

COLLECTION WINNER
MAKSIM PLOTNIKOV

COL 1st Place by pmi_plotnikov.webp

"Virtual photography continues to evolve as a serious artistic practice, and initiatives such as The VP Awards play a defining role in shaping how the medium is perceived, discussed, and developed within a broader artistic context. The consistency and quality of the selected works reflect the growing maturity of the field and its potential as a meaningful, sustainable form of visual expression.”

 

by MAKSIM PLOTNIKOV

ENV 1st Place by MurphyVP.webp

ENVIRONMENT WINNER
YIĞIT KARAKULAK

ENV 1st Place by MurphyVP.webp

My primary inspiration was the work of artist Aydın Büyüktaş; I wanted to adapt his "Flatland" style into the natural landscapes of Red Dead Redemption 2. I spent 12 hours scouting the perfect train tracks to serve as leading lines. Using precise camera positioning, I captured 11 shots – ranging from a 0° horizontal to a 90° top-down perspective – and manually stitched and aligned each frame in Photoshop using warp and transform tools to create this unique curvature. The final piece is a result of meticulous manual work and colour grading.

 

by YIĞIT KARAKULAK

LOFI 1st Place by Pip.webp

LO-FI WINNER
OSCAR LUNDIN

LOFI 1st Place by Pip.webp

When I go for this type of shot, I’ll usually scout a location that I like and wait for something to happen or just open the photo mode and see what I can find. I think this helps when trying to capture moment that feels spontaneous. 
It’s a fun little way for me to combine my love for playing video games and street photography
.

 

by OSCAR LUNDIN

VP of the Year 5 by Hary1495g.webp

OPEN WINNER
HARY G

OPN 1st Place by Hary1495g.webp

I love experimenting with shadows and had a story in mind about the Human lending a hand to nature. I feel like AI is creating chaos and deteriorating nature while humans have lost track, so this image tries to give a short narrative on that idea of protecting nature. It may not change much, but it speaks of what I had in mind at the time, which is how I work with storytelling in my shots.

 

by HARY G

PPL 1st Place by uyscuti10.webp

PEOPLE WINNER
HAJER HAJ

PPL 1st Place by uyscuti10.webp

“This image captures the quiet moment just before change. It focuses on the space between two people, where emotion exists without action. That sense of uncertainty is what gives the image its meaning.”

 

by HAJER HAJ

VP of the Year 7 by Hary1495g.webp

STORYTELLING WINNER
HARY G

VP of the Year 7 by Hary1495g.webp

“Games with good raytracing – or even path tracing like in Cyberpunk 2077 – enable me to tell stories from different perspectives with more depth and layers. Reflections and shadows can be a more subtle way to tell a story, like someone is looking away from what’s happening instead of directly facing it, leaving the ending open to whatever the viewer thinks of.”

 

by HARY G

WATCH THE RESULTS SHOW...

THE VP AWARDS PARTNERS

3DClouds_Black.webp
Bethesda Logo.webp
Critical Hit PR Black.webp
Dead Good Black.webp
Focus Entertainment Black.webp
Frame-A-Game Black.webp
Future PLC Black.webp
Lushfoil Logo.webp
Mundfish Logo Black.webp
Pirate PR Black.webp
Rebellion.webp
Remedy Entertainment Black.webp
Team Clout Black.webp
Ubisoft Black.webp
DEATH STRANDING DIRECTOR'S CUT_20210923103406.jpg

CREATOR & CONTACT

Mik Bromley_NY-2839.webp

MIK BROMLEY

Creator of TheFourthFocus and The Virtual Photography Awards, Mik is a game capture artist, real-world photographer, and published author. If you might be interested in becoming a future partner of The Virtual Photography Awards, or any other form of collaboration, please do get in touch...

 

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