Marcin Giba Wins 2026 Minimalist Photography Awards Grand Prize

The 2026 Minimalist Photography Awards winners have been announced, with Polish photographer Marcin Giba taking the top honor as Minimalist Photographer of the Year. Giba's winning series, 'Last Winter', consists of seven drone-captured images of frozen lakes in his hometown of Rybnik, Poland, taken between 2025 and 2026. The series also secured first place in the Aerial Photography category. The awards, which celebrate simplicity across 12 categories, received over 6,200 submissions from photographers in nearly 70 countries. Other notable winners include Vlada de Nooij (Conceptual, 1st place for 'Prism of Perception'), Mihail Minkov (Night Photography, 1st place for 'The magic of the night sky over Atacama'), and Lucia Cooper (Abstract, 1st place for 'Lines and Light in Antelope Canyon'). Milad Safabakhsh, founder of the awards, commented on the diversity of approaches and the continued relevance of minimalist photography. The competition highlights the power of simplicity, with images ranging from abstract to architectural, and includes categories such as Fine Art, Landscape, Long Exposure, Open, Photomanipulation, Portrait, and Street.