The Biography of the World

As we come to the end of the year (already!), the Siena International Photo Awards winners are also being announced. The spotlight shone brightly on Stefano Rosselli, Mohammad Dadsetan and George Steinmetz as they were honoured as the grand prize winners on Saturday 10 October, at the Teatro dei Rinnovati in Siena during the Siena Awards 2026 ceremony. For our perusal, though, we have a selection of the finalists’ work, crossing everything from the natural world to armed conflicts across the globe.

The Barefoot Volcanologist

On the ash plains of Mount Yasur, on the remote Pacific island of Tanna, Vanuatu, Phillip stands barefoot atop a volcanic rock bomb. He wears a lava-protection suit donated by visiting scientists as the volcano smoulders behind him, sending plumes of gas and sulphur into the sky. Born and raised at the base of Mount Yasur, Phillip has spent years studying and monitoring the volcano. He trained with French volcanologist Thomas Boyer, but due to limited access to education and the high cost of tuition, he has no formal qualifications. Despite this, Phillip is now internationally recognised as a self-taught volcanologist and has progressively played an important role locally, serving as a knowledgeable observer of Yasur and as a bridge between the volcano, visiting scientists, and the communities of Tanna. He often guides researchers and tourists up the volcano – always barefoot, as he has been since childhood. This portrait captures Phillip in his element, embodying both courage and a deep familiarity with one of the world’s most active volcanoes.
Tanna (Vanuatu), Elle Leontiev

Afghan Champions League

About one hour outside the city of Mazar-i-Sharif, in the middle of the Afghan desert, these locals are playing football in their traditional Afghan clothes. It is astonishing how football unites people everywhere, played with the exact same passion and enthusiasm regardless of the setting.
Mazar-i-Sharif (Afghanistan), Marcos Sobral

Immersed in Colour

Holi, the festival of rebirth in northern India, is more than a celebration of colours – it is a sensory journey. Among thousands of people, a living storm of colour and motion takes over. As coloured powder fills the air, individual boundaries dissolve into rhythm, faith, and collective joy.
Uttar Pradesh (India), Tittu Shaji Thomas

Mothers

The end of the holy month of Ramadan, a profound spiritual journey, is marked by the communal Eid al-Fitr prayer – a unified call to a fresh beginning. For Muslims, it is a day when faith is renewed, and the diverse expressions of global Islam paint the world with unique local colours, traditions, and scents. The presence of a new generation, a child among the rows of women, highlights the theme of a fresh start.
Isfahan (Iran), Amir Hossein Kamali

Eid Morning Day

While Muslim women perform the Eid al-Fitr prayer facing the Qibla in the city’s mosque, a playful little boy, dressed in stylish new clothes, plays behind his mother.
Hamadan (Iran), Maho

Jewish holiday of Purim in Mea Shearim

Ultra-Orthodox Jews celebrate the Jewish holiday of Purim in the Mea Shearim neighbourhood of Jerusalem. Purim celebrates the Jews’ salvation from genocide in ancient Persia, as recounted in the Scroll of Esther, and it is a holiday of joyous celebration, costume-wearing, and drinking.
Mea Shearim, Jerusalem (Israel), Abir Sultan

Surfing on the Edge

Big wave surfer Martin Schricke rides a powerful wave as massive swells hit the coast on 3 December 2025 in Nazaré, Portugal.
Nazaré (Portugal), David Ramos

Explosion Over Gaza

Amid the devastation in Gaza, civilians flee through streets shattered by airstrikes as explosions tear through residential buildings. Years of conflict have turned everyday life into a struggle for survival, with entire neighbourhoods reduced to rubble and families forced to seek refuge elsewhere.
Gaza (Palestine), Ali Jadallah

The Flautist

With his enchanting melody, the flautist leads the group of bear-costumed people around him, setting the pace and guiding their movements. Known as ‘Jocul Ursului’ (the Bear Dance), this traditional Romanian custom is performed every year between Christmas and New Year’s Eve. Once considered a sacred animal deeply connected to the rhythms of nature – hibernating through winter and awakening in spring – the bear was believed to hold the power to defeat the cold season and herald renewal. Men, women and children disguised as bears with red tassels mimic the movements of the animal in a captivating ritual meant to ward off evil spirits and bring prosperity in the year to come, as they bring back to life the spirit of the bears whose skins they wear.
Blăgeşti (Romania), David-Leonardo Antal

Harvest Beside the Tank

At sunset in Afghanistan, bags of apples are sold beside a rusted tank, as men and a child move through the scene – a reminder of daily life continuing amid the lasting traces of war.
Afghanistan, Maria Semenova

The Dark Knight

A rare and fleeting alignment unfolds beneath the surface in Teahupo’o, Tahiti, French Polynesia. Captured from underwater, the surfer becomes a dark silhouette gliding along the wave’s face, framed by a luminous ribbon of light slicing through the water. The slow shutter speed softens the chaos above into a celestial texture, while the perfect alignment of wave and surfer, combined with the reflection of light, transforms the wave itself into a sculptural, dreamlike form. Suspended between motion and stillness, the scene reveals the duality of the ocean: both powerful and serene. In this instant, light, water, and human presence merge into a single, timeless vision, creating an almost surreal composition.
Teahupo’o, Tahiti (French Polynesia), Ben Thouard

El Bünker

During a nighttime climb at El Bünker – a renowned sport climbing crag in El Toro, on the island of Mallorca – Marco and a group of friends embraced the quiet intensity of the mountain, immersed in the darkness. Known for its limestone rock rich in overhangs, roofs, and natural cavities, the crag became the stage for an adventure under a sky filled with stars. When one of them reached the summit, the Milky Way appeared clearly behind him, illuminating the scene with its natural brilliance. The moment, intense and perfect, was captured to preserve the magic of that extraordinary night.
El Toro, Mallorca (Spain), Marc Marco

Childhood Dream

Pardis is a newly developed town near Tehran, a place defined by uniform, lifeless buildings – a symbol of mechanised modern living. A child was playing, then, noticing the camera, started to run.
Tehran (Iran), Alireza Bagheri Sani

Power Play

A moment of intense tension as a female puma attempts to capture a guanaco. For days, Kevin had been following the predator, a mother of two cubs who depended on her for food. At dawn, after observing the guanaco for a long time, the puma cautiously approaches and launches her attack, repeatedly trying to pull it down and bite into its neck to suffocate it. Despite the intensity of the struggle, the guanaco ultimately manages to escape.
Torres del Paine National Park, Magallanes (Chile), Kevin Shi

Farewell to Pope Francis

Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience in the San Damaso courtyard in Vatican City on 30 September 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Vatican City, Francesco Monteforte