The 11th annual Siena Awards Festival in Italy is set to present a diverse collection of photographic works in 2025. The festival features solo exhibitions by renowned photographers such as Elliot Ross, Adrees Latif, Kiana Hayeri, Katie Orlinsky, and Muhammed Muheisen. It also includes winners from the Siena International Photo Awards, highlighting a range of global perspectives and storytelling through imagery.
Key Takeaways
- The 2025 Siena Awards Festival features solo shows by five internationally recognized photographers.
- Exhibits explore themes from Afghan women's lives under the Taliban to climate change's impact on caribou.
- Award-winning images cover events like the attempted assassination of Donald Trump and the Gaza conflict.
- Conservation efforts for endangered species, such as tapirs and Philippine crocodiles, are also highlighted.
- The festival showcases a broad spectrum of human experience and environmental issues through photography.
Solo Exhibitions Offer Deep Insights
Five prominent photographers will present solo exhibitions at the festival, each delving into significant global issues. These shows provide in-depth narratives through powerful visual storytelling.
Kiana Hayeri: No Woman's Land
Canadian-Iranian photographer Kiana Hayeri's exhibition, 'No Woman's Land,' focuses on the lives of Afghan women under the Taliban regime. Her work, displayed at Area Verde Camollia 85, captures the daily struggles and resilience of women in Afghanistan.
One image features Muska, 14, who returned to Jalalabad from Pakistan in February 2024. Muska expressed a strong desire to continue her education, stating,
"Here the restrictions are more than in Pakistan. I used to go to a Madrasa in Pakistan, but here I cannot go. I’m good at reading and writing. I’d rather live in Pakistan, there I could at least pursue my education."Her story reflects the challenges faced by many Afghan girls seeking education.
Katie Orlinsky: Vanishing Caribou
Katie Orlinsky's solo show, 'Vanishing Caribou,' documents the impact of climate change on indigenous communities and wildlife in the Arctic. For over 10 years, Orlinsky has photographed these regions, focusing on the dramatic decline in caribou populations.
Arctic Caribou Decline
Caribou populations in the Arctic have decreased significantly, from an estimated 5 million to 2 million in just a few decades. This decline is largely attributed to climate breakdown.
Her photographs include scenes from Anaktuvuk Pass, Alaska, a community named for its historical connection to caribou. The area lies along traditional migration routes for the Western Arctic and Teshekpuk caribou herds, highlighting the ecological changes affecting these animals and the communities that depend on them.
Muhammed Muheisen: Life and War
Pulitzer Prize winner Muhammed Muheisen presents 'Life and War' at the La Tenaia cultural center. The Jordanian photojournalist has dedicated half of his life to documenting the effects of conflict, particularly through the eyes of vulnerable populations.
His images show the continuation of life amidst war, featuring makeshift games in rubble, fragile smiles, and acts of courage. These photographs aim to challenge stereotypes and give a voice to those often unheard. An image from 2009 shows a child reacting as youths play with toy guns in Al-Amari Palestinian refugee camp, illustrating the daily realities of conflict zones.
Adrees Latif: Mexico Border
Adrees Latif's project at the Accademia dei Rozzi explores the US-Mexico border, capturing the tension between hope and desperation among migrants seeking a new life. His work documents the human stories along the 2,000-mile border.
One striking photograph from 2024 shows Eliana, 22, a Venezuelan migrant, holding her three-year-old daughter. She shouts towards a National Guard soldier who prevents her from crossing a razor-wire fence along the Rio Grande in El Paso, Texas. This image powerfully conveys the challenges migrants face.
Siena International Photo Awards Highlights
The festival also features a selection of award-winning photographs from the Siena International Photo Awards (SIPA). These images cover a wide array of topics, from breaking news to intricate details of nature.
Jabin Botsford: The Assassination Attempt of Donald Trump
Jabin Botsford's 'The Assassination Attempt of Donald Trump' received a SIPA award in the storytelling | general news category. The photograph captures members of the US Secret Service responding to an attempted assassination during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024. The image shows the agents scrambling towards the stage as former President Donald Trump fell while shots were fired.
Michiel van Noppen: Tales of the Forest Keepers
In the storytelling | nature, environment, and conservation issues category, Michiel van Noppen's 'Tales of the Forest Keepers: Safeguarding a Fragile Bond' highlights conservation efforts. The image shows Mamita, a GPS-collared tapir, guiding Julian in the Tapir Valley. This work underscores the local community's commitment to preserving biodiversity and the endangered symbiosis between tapirs and Jicaro Danto trees.
Tapir Valley Nature Reserve
The Tapir Valley Nature Reserve is a key example of community-led conservation. It aims to protect the region's unique biodiversity, including the tapir, a species crucial for seed dispersal and forest health.
Shane Gross: Cloud of Life
Shane Gross's 'Cloud of Life' won in the underwater life category. The photograph features Western toad (Anaxyrus boreas) tadpoles swimming among lily pads in a lake on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. This image captures a serene moment of aquatic life.
Ali Jadallah: Situation in Gaza
Ali Jadallah's 'Situation in Gaza Amid Ongoing Israeli Attacks' received a SIPA award for storytelling | general news. The powerful image, taken on June 6, 2024, shows Palestinians on a road as black smoke and flames rise over a building after Israeli attacks in Deir al-Balah, Gaza. It provides a stark look at the ongoing conflict.
Giacomo d’Orlando: Crocodile Keepers
Giacomo d’Orlando's 'Crocodile Keepers: The Guardian of the Sierra Madre Rainforest' was recognized in the storytelling | nature, environment, and conservation issues category. The photograph depicts the community of Dunoy releasing a juvenile Philippine crocodile into a small creek. This action is part of a 'Head Start' program designed to increase hatchling survival rates and aid the recovery of the Philippine crocodile population, a keystone species in freshwater ecosystems.
Jana Margarete Schuler: Between Blood and Glitter
Jana Margarete Schuler's 'Between Blood and Glitter' explores daily life and contemporary issues through storytelling. Her image from Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, shows Atziry, 9, with one of her seven security dogs. Atziry is the daughter of Baby Star, a former Juárez wrestling champion, and is pictured in costume, potentially continuing her family's wrestling legacy in an environment where women face persistent threats.
Diverse Perspectives on Human Experience
The Siena Awards Festival consistently brings together photographs that reflect a wide range of human experiences, from personal struggles to collective actions and cultural traditions.
Levi Goldbaum: Plane Overload
Levi Goldbaum's 'Plane Overload' is a winner in the street photography category, offering a unique glimpse into everyday life through an unexpected composition.
Santi Palacios: No One Arrived in Time
Santi Palacios's 'No One Arrived in Time' received a SIPA award for storytelling | general news. This photograph from November 4, 2024, shows Pablo Mendoza, a 21-year-old biology student, resting on mud after six days of helping clean flood-ravaged streets in Paiporta, Spain. The image captures the exhaustion and dedication of volunteers during natural disasters.
David Lombeida: The Silent Displacement
David Lombeida's 'The Silent Displacement' won in the documentary | photojournalism category. The image shows Abdu-Rahnan's child sleeping outdoors. The family, along with 31 others, was displaced from Wadi al-Seeq after an online threat led to attacks by settlers on October 12, 2024. This photograph highlights the human cost of displacement and conflict.
Kiliii Yuyan: The Kayak and the Dogsled
In the storytelling | daily life and contemporary issues category, Kiliii Yuyan's 'The Kayak and the Dogsled' presents a scene from Greenland. On May 24, 2023, a dog team carrying hunters and narwhal mattak crosses sea ice near Qaanaaq. Dogsleds remain the primary mode of transport in northern Greenland, reflecting a desire to avoid disturbing calving narwhals and to preserve traditional culture.
Beniamino Pisati: Up There
Beniamino Pisati's 'Up There' explores daily life and contemporary issues in mountain pastures. The photograph shows women of the mountain pastures within primitive stone structures called 'calécc.' These structures are used as temporary shelters when herds are moved to higher altitudes during summer, illustrating traditional alpine lifestyles.
Capturing Nature's Beauty and Challenges
Nature photography remains a central theme, showcasing both the awe-inspiring beauty of the natural world and the critical environmental challenges it faces.
Shirley Wung: Glowing Luminous Elf in the Forest
Shirley Wung's 'Glowing Luminous Elf in the Forest' is a winner in 'the beauty of nature' category, capturing an enchanting moment in the natural environment.
Javier Aznar Gonzàlez de Rueda: Love, Hate and Rattlesnakes
Javier Aznar Gonzàlez de Rueda's 'Love, Hate and Rattlesnakes' won in the storytelling | nature, environment, and conservation issues category. This image from March 2020 shows children watching Western diamondback rattlesnakes accumulated in a pit during the annual Jaycee’s Rattlesnake Round-Up in Sweetwater, Texas. The event, started in 1958, involves capturing hundreds of snakes for venom extraction, skin, and meat, raising questions about wildlife conservation and traditional practices.
Amit Eshel: Life on the Edge
Amit Eshel's 'Life on the Edge' received a SIPA award in the animals in their environment category, capturing a compelling moment of wildlife in its natural habitat.
Sports and Youth Photography
The festival also celebrates the energy of sports and the fresh perspectives of young photographers.
Dean Mouhtaropoulos: Six Sided Dice
Dean Mouhtaropoulos's 'Six Sided Dice' won in the sports in action category. The photograph captures Kazakhstan, Belgium, and Japan competing in the men’s 5000m relay final B during the ISU World Short Track Speed Skating Championships in Rotterdam, Netherlands, on March 17, 2024. The image conveys the speed and intensity of short track speed skating.
Dian Ji Wu: Eclipse of Motion
Dian Ji Wu's 'Eclipse of Motion' is a winning entry in the 'under 20' category, showcasing emerging talent and a unique artistic vision from a young photographer.
The 2025 Siena Awards Festival continues its tradition of presenting powerful, thought-provoking photography that spans various genres and global narratives. From environmental concerns to human resilience, the festival offers a comprehensive look at the world through the lens of talented photographers.