iPhone photos taken in Vietnam win 2023 IPPAwards

"Soy Sauce Village," shot in the northern province of Hung Yen on an iPhone 12 Pro Max, helped German photographer Thea Mihu earn the first place in the Photographer of the Year category.

The photo portrays a local resident stirring giant soy sauce containers.

Another winning photo this year was "Viet Memories," taken by Indonesian photographer Robert Lie in Hoi An Ancient Town. The photo was shot with an iPhone 14 Pro Max and won the highest honor in the Still Life category.

The photo captures one of the old town’s iconic yellow walls adorned with the Vietnamese national flag. Other household items are also featured in the frame, including paintings of women in ao dai, an old TV, a vase with pomegranate branches, a kerosene lantern, an aloe vera pot, and a tea set.

First held in 2007, the IPPAs are an annual competition that chooses the best photos taken by iPhones from submissions worldwide. The awards honor photographs and photographers in 16 categories.

This year’s contest winners came from Germany, Mexico, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the U.S., Australia, Sweden, China, the Netherlands, Turkey, France, and Indonesia.