Photo contest prize-winning work

*This page will announce the winning entries for the Instagram category of the Gifu City Tourism Photo Contest 2025. To see the winning entries for the Print category, click "View the winning entries" at the bottom of the page.


<General comments by judge (photographer Tadayasu Ozawa)>

Overall, the quality was high and there were many interesting works. In particular, the newly launched Instagram category had many masterpieces.
I would like everyone to photograph what they like and what they find interesting, rather than thinking, "If I do it this way, I'm sure I'll get good reviews." As the saying goes, "If you love something, you'll become good at it," so if you photograph something that you "love," you'll end up with a powerful, beautiful photo.
Of course, imitating skilled artists is good practice. However, when it comes to presenting your work, it will be more powerful if you submit it with a "This is what I came up with!" or "What do you think of this idea?" We look forward to receiving a piece that captures what you "like."

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[About the exhibition of winning works]
An exhibition of winning works from the Gifu City Tourism Photo Contest 2025 will be held three times on the following dates.
We look forward to seeing you all.

① January 26th (Monday) to February 6th (Friday) Juroku Bank Head Office Lobby ② February 7th (Saturday) to February 19th (Thursday) Gifu City Hall, 1st floor, north side of the entrance mall ③ March 30th (Monday) to April 5th (Sunday) Nagoya City Sakae Mori Underground Shopping Mall Event Space "Machi no Tane"

*Unauthorized use or reproduction of all photos is prohibited.

Grand Prix

"Mid-Autumn Moon"
Junko Nakamura (@naka_junphoto)

Photographed at: Gifu Park, in front of the statue of Oda Nobunaga in his youth. Judge's comments: This photo looks as if the statue of Oda Nobunaga is piercing Gifu Castle and the full moon floating in the night sky. The composition is excellent and well thought out. Gifu Castle is in a unique position, and the position of the moon is also great. The left and right sides are well-cut, with the tail just within reach, giving the photo a three-dimensional feel and impact. This is a very cool piece of work.

Semi-Grand Prix

"All about the rain"
Masaki Takahashi (@rip_scrapers)

Location: Nagara River Review: This is a photo of cormorant fishing on the Nagara River in Gifu on a rainy day. Usually, many photos of cormorant fishing are dark, but the rain caused the water's surface to churn, creating complex reflections, and the light made it clearer, allowing the expressions of the cormorants and the fisherman to be seen clearly. Shooting in the rain is difficult and gets the adrenaline pumping, but it's clear that the photographer managed to stay calm even in the face of such circumstances and capture a masterpiece. I felt sympathy for him and thought, "Well done!"

Outstanding performance award

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  "Cherry Blossoms and Gifu Castle"
  Keishiro Sato (@grxgrsghddg)

  Picture taken at: Gifu Park

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  "Evening view from Gifu Castle"
  Yoshikazu Aizaki (@kota.papa8118)

  Location: Gifu Castle tower

Selected

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  "Nagara River Cormorant Fishing Closing Fireworks"
  Masahiro Kanamori (@makaai3)

  Location: Nagara River

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  "Clothed in the hazy moon"
  Hiroshi Sugiyama (@sugiyama.hiroshi)

  Location: Right bank of the Nagara River

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  "Gifu Castle in the Warring States Period, Clad in Pale Crimson"
  Nao Koseki (@kototisin89)

  Location: Near Chidoribashi Bridge

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  "Autumn at Nobunaga's Wall"
  Yasuko Asano (@l_photo_collection)

  Shooting location: Daichiji Temple

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  "Illuminations and the Three Brothers"
  Minori Fujii (@wakuwakuminori)

  Location: Gifu Park (Gifu Light Story)