We are proud to share with you the award-winning photographs from our 4th international competition celebrating the very best in documentary family photography.
Guest judges for the category Nothing Is Better Than Real Life were documentary photographers Khalilah Hall and Kholood Eid along with photo editor Parker Eshelman. Each judge evaluated every single submission received and selected thirty or less of their favourite photographs to move forward to the final round.
Award-winners were then chosen during our live stream of the final round with judges Kirsten Bethmann, Jenna Shouldice and Kholood Eid. Throughout the live stream, viewers had the opportunity to watch the unfiltered discussions and constructive feedback from the judges as they collectively chose the awards given in each category.
In this gallery, the first 10 photos have received awards and are ranked from 1st to 10th place. Honorable Mentions (if selected by the judges) are given equal weight in no particular order.
(click or tap an image to see more details)
1st Place in the “Nothing Is Better Than Real Life” category. Photo by Hezy Holzman, Israel.
2nd Place in the “Nothing Is Better Than Real Life” category. Photo by Monica Lozano, United States.
3rd Place in the “Nothing Is Better Than Real Life” category. Photo by Sara Easter, United States.
4th Place in the “Nothing Is Better Than Real Life” category. Photo by Liqi Jia, China.
5th Place in the “Nothing Is Better Than Real Life” category. Photo by Bobbi Barbarich, Canada.
6th Place in the “Nothing Is Better Than Real Life” category. Photo by Patricia Solano, United States.
7th Place in the “Nothing Is Better Than Real Life” category. Photo by Rowena Meadows, Australia.
8th Place in the “Nothing Is Better Than Real Life” category. Photo by Noga Shadmi Van De Reep, Israel.
9th Place in the “Nothing Is Better Than Real Life” category. Photo by Aimee Hobbs, Canada.
10th Place in the “Nothing Is Better Than Real Life” category. Photo by Rebecca Coursey-Rugh, United States.
Honorable Mention in the “Nothing Is Better Than Real Life” category. Photo by Angela Ramsey, United States.
Honorable Mention in the “Nothing Is Better Than Real Life” category. Photo by Hank Gans, United States.
Honorable Mention in the “Nothing Is Better Than Real Life” category. Photo by Heidi Harf, Colombia.
Honorable Mention in the “Nothing Is Better Than Real Life” category. Photo by Hezy Holzman, Israel.
Honorable Mention in the “Nothing Is Better Than Real Life” category. Photo by Jason Vinson, United States.
Honorable Mention in the “Nothing Is Better Than Real Life” category. Photo by Kristine Nyborg, Canada.
Honorable Mention in the “Nothing Is Better Than Real Life” category. Photo by Liesbeth Parlevliet, Netherlands.
Honorable Mention in the “Nothing Is Better Than Real Life” category. Photo by Linsey Davis, United States.
Honorable Mention in the “Nothing Is Better Than Real Life” category. Photo by Rowena Meadows, Australia.
Honorable Mention in the “Nothing Is Better Than Real Life” category. Photo by Susan Gibbs, United States.
This award cycle was made possible with the support of the following sponsors:
The Documentary Family Awards is an international competition in search of the insightful and meaningful ways that documentary photographers explore the interpretation of family.