The 14th Havana Times Photo Contest Winners
By Axel Saenz & Circles Robinson
HAVANA TIMES – It’s time to bring you the winners and special mentions of our 14th Havana Times Photo Contest. The competition was very close this year with many excellent photos in each category. The 10-member jury worked hard to come up with their final selections.
For final round of jury picks we use a system of giving 10, 5, 3, 1 points to first, second, third and fourth places.
Interestingly, in the finals 24 of the 32 photos in the categories (Portraits, Bridges, Markets and Nature) received at least one First Place vote. As did six of the nine sets in Documentary.
Also, four of the five prize winners had also won in previous contests.
Here are the final contest results.
Portraits
PACO MORILLO: The winning photo is part of a series on “contextualized portraits,” taken in 2019. I positioned the child very close to the frame. The backdrop of Cienfuegos Bay and a girl diving into the water under harsh light completed the picture.
PACO MORILLO: The special mention is part of the same “contextualized portraits” series, an image taken on a street in Havana. Like the previous one, it was taken with a wide-angle lens that allowed me to get very close to the dog without losing the context. The dog caught my attention; although it appears calm in the photo, it was clearly acting as if it said, “Don’t come near my owner.” So I approached the dog, and the result… the photo.
Bridges
GABRIEL GARCIA JUAREZ: The bridge over the Canímar River in Matanzas, Cuba, and its reflection produce these geometric and harmonious shapes, creating an almost abstract visual effect. This photo was taken in the summer of 2023.
LAURA VALDIVIA: Pending
Markets
NICOLAAS KUIPERS: In a bustling market in Havana, vendors surrounded by vibrant produce share moments of laughter and quiet strength. Amid the colors and textures, life unfolds with warmth, pride, and resilience. I try to not just capture images, looking for the soul of a place — transforming ordinary moments into vivid stories of human warmth and color. Photo was taken in 2014
ALEJANDRO ARCE: Meat products. The image says it all, photo taken at a market in Havana in 2019.
Nature
ALEJANDRO ARCE: Woodpecker: They nest from February to July in cavities they make in palm trees or trees like the yagruma (Cecropia peltata) or in dead trunks. They lay five to six white eggs measuring 2.8 cm by 2.2 cm. They inhabit forests or areas with scattered trees, coastal scrubland with palms, and mangroves. They may frequent gardens and parks in cities. This image, taken in Havana, was obtained after five months of following these birds, from when they built the nest until the chicks hatched. Here, one is shown feeding its chick.
MARIO GUSTAVO FIORUCCI: The award-winning photograph shows a Great Kiskadee (Phitangus sulphuratus) eating, or about to eat, a mojarra (Gerreidae). The photo was taken in Santa Rosa, La Pampa, Argentina, at Don Giordano Lagoon in 2015. The Great Kiskadee has three or more perches where, after catching the small fish, it returns to eat it.
Documentary Sets
CLAUDIO MAMMUCARI: Let me introduce myself, my name is Claudio and I live in Italy. Photography is my great passion, it’s my travel companion, it makes me feel good. I enjoy all genres of photography, especially reportage and telling stories, even though it’s not easy. The images presented were taken this year in August and portray the Malecon de La Habana. A meeting place and leisure spot, where many couples and friends gather to drink beer and rum, chat, and have fun diving. At sunset, you meet interesting people, fishermen, musicians, all with a story to tell.
PACO MORILLO The collection is part of the series “A Part of Me.” As a child, I rode buses a lot and liked to look at the feet of people getting on and off without looking at their faces, trying to imagine whose sneakers or pants they were. To give them faces without seeing them. The photographs aim for the same thing: a game of suggestions and stories that the viewer must complete. Irony and mystery also sometimes play a part in the work.
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See the winning photos from previous years:
2024 2023 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009