Fleeting encounters, everyday moments and a striking contrast between past and present. These are the themes of the three grand prize-winning works at the 2026 Huawei XMAGE Awards, announced this week (11 November 2026) at the Grand Palais in Paris, France.
The winning works capture a young woman’s gaze in a crowded city and ancient statues beneath an aircraft’s vapour trail, as well as a series of Paris street scenes featuring a child surrounded by bubbles at a carnival.
A panel of professional judges selected 100 outstanding works from 820,000 entries worldwide before choosing the three winners. The announcement coincided with the opening of A Heartwarming World, a photography exhibition organised in partnership with the international art fair Paris Photo.
The competition, now in its tenth year, highlights how smartphone photography has developed from a convenient alternative to traditional cameras into a creative medium in its own right.
“Over the past decade, we have grown alongside global creators, building an open, diverse, and heartwarming global community where people and stories connect through images,” says Alex Huang, CMO of Huawei Consumer Business Group.
Light & Shadow Across France takes viewers through the streets of Paris in a series captured using a Huawei P60 Pro smartphone.
The photographs show ordinary moments from different perspectives, including a couple watching the sunset, runners making their way through the city at dawn and people sitting beside the Seine. Other scenes feature a pedestrian passing a wall poster and people gazing through a window.
The judges praised the photographer’s composition and ability to use natural light to create a distinctive portrait of Paris.
“Together, the photos form a portrait of Paris that employs the existing light to startling effect,” the judges said.
A Moment of Encounter, the second grand prize winner, focuses on the brief connections formed between strangers in a busy city.
The photograph contrasts a blurred figure with the clear, steady gaze of a young woman. Her expression becomes the focus of the image, raising questions about what has caught her attention and what she might be thinking.
The judges highlighted the emotional impact of the young woman’s expression and how even a fleeting encounter can leave an impression.
“The girl’s gaze causes a gentle flutter in one’s heart. One cannot help but wonder: What is she looking at, and what is she thinking?”
The third winner, A Gaze Across Time and Space, explores the contrast between ancient history and modern technology.
Presented in black and white, the photograph places carved stone statues on a plateau beneath an aircraft’s vapour trail. The monuments represent centuries of history, while the white streak across the sky provides a temporary reminder of modern aviation.
A Gaze Across Time and Space. Photo: Wan Ben.
The judges praised the contrast between the historic carvings and the passing aircraft trail.
“As ancient heritage and modern civilization intersect more frequently, whether mobile photography can unlock a grand, poetic power ultimately comes down to the photographer’s vision.”
A decade of mobile photography
The competition’s XMAGE 100 selection process groups outstanding entries into three categories: Order and Precision, which focuses on technical execution; Time and Reflection, which explores ideas and perspectives; and Aesthetics and Resonance, which considers artistic expression.
Huawei has also introduced a 10th Anniversary Honorary Award to recognise long-standing participants in its global photography community.
The A Heartwarming World exhibition features three themed areas exploring humanity’s relationship with nature, everyday objects and other people.
A fourth area traces the development of Huawei’s smartphone camera technology over the past decade, displaying photographs alongside imaging components and accompanying information.
The exhibition examines the company’s changing approach to mobile imaging, from its earlier NEXT-IMAGE identity to XMAGE.
Huawei’s continuing partnership with Paris Photo places smartphone photography within an international photography event established in 1997, which attracts more than 100,000 professionals and enthusiasts annually.
For this year’s exhibition, Huawei has brought together photographs and camera technology to show how the tools available to mobile photographers have changed over the past decade, while the award-winning works demonstrate the importance of the person behind the lens.
* Jason Bannier is a data analyst at World Wide Worx and deputy editor of Gadget.co.za. Follow him on Bluesky at @jas2bann.