Amid the bustle of Paris Photo, the leading photography fair, Chinese tech company HUAWEI is holding its XMAGE Awards Ceremony and annual exhibition. For the third time, Huawei and Paris Photo join forces to celebrate the art of mobile photography.
After receiving over 743,000 submissions from 78 countries, 100 outstanding works were selected and three were awarded the XMAGE 100 Grand Prize.
Among the showcased winning works, a haunting image shimmers with surreal colours: “Ethereal Lines”, by Romanian pharmacist and amateur photographer Gheorge Popa.
The photograph, shot on a HUAWEI Pura 80 Ultra, captures the otherworldly hues of a toxic lake in Geamăna, Transylvania, a village swallowed by mining waste nearly half a century ago.
“It was a very foggy morning, you know? I couldn’t fly my drone (…) too much moisture. So I tried to discover similar patterns on the surface of the lake, very close to the shore. I had my phone… I was scouting… and I found this.”
The image is both beautiful and unsettling, a poetic echo of a place where human history and nature’s resilience intertwine.
Popa smiles as he reflects on his journey.
“Until now, I didn’t have a really good phone. But this one — it has a really good sensor, you know? You can just take this phone, go outside, and take photos. I didn’t expect to be a winner… but I’m really happy.”
From the snow-covered mountains of Altay, China, comes another story “Origin of Skiing” by architect and photographer AC Chen Guanhong. His portrait of a young Altay girl radiates pride and cultural heritage.
“It’s a great honour to show my work here because Paris Photo is one of the best photo fairs in the world. This portrait lets people see the story of Altay, the birthplace of skiing. Her eyes express pride in her culture and traditions.”
As Chen speaks, his image fills the frame: raw, human, authentic.
“When skiing, it’s not convenient to carry large cameras or lenses. Using a phone is easier and lighter. I can just take it out anytime and shoot. Large cameras can make people feel pressured”.
On the balcony of the Grand Palais, Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Liu Heung Shing, one of the XMAGE 100 jury members, surveys the exhibition.
“The portrait of the young girl … from her gaze, the photographer and the photograph establish a trust... It shows through.”
“In terms of quality, I’m very impressed. For the layman, you can’t always tell how much the phone camera has helped, the AI part, right? But as photographers, we know the struggle with aperture and shutter speed. What’s amazing is how far imaging has come.”
As the day closes, the glass roof of the Grand Palais glows with evening light. Visitors drift between booths, inspired.
The 2025 Huawei XMAGE Awards mark not just a celebration of photography but a testament to connection.
17 November 2025
