The global winners of HUAWEI XMAGE Awards 2026, celebrating its 10th anniversary with the “A Heartwarming World” exhibition opening its doors at Paris’s iconic Grand Palais, have been announced. In the Türkiye competition, mobile photographers who stood out among 1,360 submissions received their awards. More than 820,000 entries from around the world were evaluated in the competition.
Representing Huawei’s pioneering role in mobile imaging technologies and its vision for visual culture, HUAWEI XMAGE Awards 2026 concluded with a ceremony held on November 11 at the Grand Palais in collaboration with Paris Photo, one of the world’s most prestigious photography events. The ceremony was attended by more than 150 photographers, imaging experts and members of the press from around the world. The opening of the “A Heartwarming World” exhibition, curated by the Chen Xiaobo Team and available to visitors until November 15, also took place during the event.
Celebrating its tenth anniversary, the competition once again demonstrated that mobile photography is not merely a technical achievement, but also a cultural bridge that carries human stories and emotional connections into the future.
Alex Huang, CMO of Huawei Consumer Business Group, made the following remarks at the ceremony: “Over the past decade, we have grown together with global content creators, building an open, diverse and heartwarming global community where people and stories connect through images.”
Global Winners Selected from 820,000 Entries
More than 820,000 submissions received globally this year were evaluated by an international jury comprising Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist Liu Heung Shing, Paris Photo Director Florence Bourgeois, Fisheye Editor-in-Chief Fabrice Laroche, Cao Ting, Dean of Visual Media and Communication at the Beijing Film Academy, Xinhua News Agency Editor-in-Chief Chen Xiaobo, Documentary Director Dai Xianjing, and HUAWEI XMAGE Brand Director Li Changzhu.
Three works from the “XMAGE 100” selection, determined according to technical, conceptual and artistic criteria, were awarded the Grand Prize. The creators of the Grand Prize-winning works received a USD 10,000 XMAGE Creation Fund, while the other photographers included in the XMAGE 100 list received USD 1,500 in creative funding.
The Grand Prize-winning works and the jury’s evaluations are as follows:
- Light & Shadow Across France – Ali Abdul Hamid Alarbash: Reflecting everyday life on the streets of Paris and the balance between natural light and shadow through masterful composition, the work transforms the authentic atmosphere of the streets into an impressive visual narrative.
- A Fleeting Encounter – Mai Shunxi: Highlighting the deep emotional connection and sincerity captured through a young gaze amid the fast pace of city life, the work stands out with its powerful portrait aesthetic.
- Gaze Across Time and Space – Wan Ben: Capturing the contrast between ancient stone statues in Cambodia and the trail left by an airplane in the sky, the work brings together the permanence of history and the transience of the modern age in a timeless juxtaposition.
Opening the awards ceremony, Alex Huang, CMO of Huawei Consumer Business Group, stated: “Over the past decade, we have grown together with global content creators, building an open, diverse and heartwarming global community where people and stories connect through images.”
1,360 Participants Competed in the Türkiye Competition
The Türkiye edition of HUAWEI XMAGE Awards 2026 also concluded with strong interest. In the local competition, which attracted a total of 1,360 participants, submissions were carefully evaluated through a joint voting process by photographer Hürdoğan Keskin and the Huawei Türkiye team. In the overall Türkiye rankings, Can Ceylan won first place with his work titled “Renk bağırırken gölge susar” and received a HUAWEI Mate X7. TuneBucks won second place with the nighttime photograph titled “SuperTree Grove” and received a HUAWEI Pura 80 Ultra, while Ridifree came third with the work titled “Günbatımı meclisi” and was awarded a HUAWEI Pura 80 Pro.
Creativity Recognized in 9 Different Categories
In addition to mobile photography, the competition also covered moving images, with winners selected across nine categories: Telephoto, Color and Shadow, Night Scenes, Faces, A Heartwarming World, Experimental, The Rhythm of Movement, Storytelling and Action. First-place winners in each category received a HUAWEI nova 14 Pro, second-place winners received a HUAWEI FreeClip 2, and third-place winners received a HUAWEI Watch Fit 4.
