How to Win – Judges’ Top Tips

Our aim with the World Food Photography Awards sponsored by Tenderstem® Bimi® Broccolini is to shine a light on this vibrant sector of photography, celebrating the talent, skill and creativity of those capturing food stories from around the world.

This wouldn’t be possible without our prestigious judging panel; we regard our judges as at the heart of the prestige and integrity of the Awards. Our panel, chaired by David Loftus - the world’s most published food photographer, is carefully crafted to maintain an outstanding wealth of knowledge and experience. It ranges from photographers and magazine editors, to food retailers and chefs, to creative directors and art consultants, and is pulled from all corners of the globe. All of the panel are touched by food and photography in their professional life and have many years, even decades, of experience.

We have been honoured over the years that so many great and illustrious names have given us their support, time and expertise. To assist you in your quest for competition success, we asked some of them to share what they look for when judging.

 

 

Our Judges' Top Tips

 

George Matthew,
Founder & Lead Photographer, Grey Image

 

What are you looking for in an image when judging?

When judging photography, I am looking for images that tell a story about origin, craft, and context. Light, composition, and styling must feel intentional and appropriate to the subject. While technical skill is important, it should never overpower the narrative. I look for the thoughtful use of light to reveal texture, styling that enhances rather than distracts, and composition that directs the viewer’s attention to the intended story. My top tip is to focus on the narrative, ask yourself what the image is really about, and remove anything that doesn’t support that central idea.

My 3 favorite images from last year are…

1. Coffee Break in the Hungarian Plains by Michela Balboni, 2nd, World of Drinks:

This image is a beautiful example of atmospheric storytelling and lighting. The photographer has effectively used a "frame-within-a-frame" composition, utilizing the window to draw the viewer’s eye directly to the subject. The use of natural window light creates high contrast that sculpts the man’s face and crucially backlights the steam rising from the glass. That wisp of steam breathes life into the static scene, suggesting a fresh, hot drink and a fleeting moment of peace. The color palette is also harmonious, the deep blues of the man's clothing complement the dark greens of the window frame and the rustic interior tones.

 

2. Farmers Bringing the Agave Back Home by Pieter D'Hoop, Shortlisted, Bring Home the Harvest:

This photograph succeeds through dynamic tension and scale. It captures a decisive moment of physical labor, showing the effort required to move the massive agave heart. The composition is excellent because it balances the human element against the natural one, the body language of the workers visibly demonstrates the weight and resistance of the object. The photographer also layered the image well, with the agave leaves in the foreground providing texture and depth, the action in the mid-ground, and the mountains in the background providing context. It feels immersive, putting the viewer right in the dirt with the workers.

 

3. Put All Your Pasta In One Basket by Costas Millas:

For me, this image is all about texture and conceptual creativity. It transforms an everyday ingredient into a piece of complex visual art. The lighting is perfectly positioned to cast tiny shadows between the strands, emphasizing the shape and dimensionality of the pasta. What makes the composition particularly engaging is the transition, the top half displays a disciplined tight geometric weave, while the bottom allows the strands to unravel organically.

 

Liz Galbraith,
Freelance Creative Director

 

What are you looking for in an image when judging?

1. I either need to understand immediately what it’s a picture of or it needs to be so striking and intriguing I want to look into it to discover more.

2. The lighting and colour balance have to work to tell the story and craft an image that’s a complete narrative.

3. I’m a stickler for composition, this needs to be tight. No more and no less than is necessary. Every pixel counts.

4. The food should look delicious.

5. Beware of current ‘fashion gimmicks’ in food photography.

6. The entire image needs to be beautiful and convincing, I need to believe it. This doesn’t mean that difficult issues can’t be tackled but all images must be well composed, well lit and well put together irrespective of their subject matter.

 

Rein Skullerud,
Senior Photographer and Photo Editor, United Nations World Food Programme

 

Since becoming head of WFP's Photography Unit in 1999, Rein SKullerud has travelled the world documenting WFP’s life-changing work responding to humanitarian emergencies and helping the world’s poorest build a future free from hunger. Rein’s work tells the story of the world’s hungry through images, capturing their dignity and perseverance as they struggle for a better life. Over the years, his photographs have been published in several international publications including TIME Magazine, Der Spiegel, the Economist, the Guardian and the BBC online. 

What are the most important things you look for when judging?

“To me three elements are most important to me when judging a photo and these are; the emotion the image gives me, the story the single frame tells and last but not least the skill the photographer has applied to produce the image.”

What was one of your favourite finalist images?

“I still believe that the 2019 winning photo is an excellent piece of work because it touches on all three elements listed above.”

 

Yasia Williams,
Art Director, Octopus Publishing

 

What are the most important things you look for when judging?

“The three things I’m looking for are:
Originality – I want to see something I’ve never seen before or a familiar image but seeing it photographed from a new and exciting perspective.

The Wow Factor – an image that instantly makes you want to know more about it and continue to look at it.

Feeling – a picture that stirs emotion.’’

What was one of your favourite finalist images?

“My favourite from 2019, which had all three, was the winner of Food for Celebration.”

 

Angela Nicholson,
Co-Founder & Director at Camera Jabber, Founder of SheClicks

 

What are the most important things you look for when judging?

I'm always looking for subjects being photographed in new and exciting ways. The way light is used in a photograph is crucial - it can either elevate the image to new heights or diminish its impact. However, what truly captivates me is the narrative conveyed through the image. This can range from a simple yet intriguing mix of ingredients that makes me want to head into the kitchen to get cooking to more profound themes like issues behind food production or ethical considerations. These elements combine to create a compelling and thought-provoking visual story.

 

Helen Lewis,
Freelance Creative Director

 

Judging for the World Food Photography Awards is such a joy. The range of images that are entered each year is huge, not only in the subject matter but in the global reach of all the photographers and food stylists who enter.

As a publisher/Art Director I am looking for images that are technically excellent but also that provoke an emotional response in me, whether that be a feeling of surprise, joy or melancholy. I like to be be engaged by not only the obvious things like the subject matter and the composition but also by their depiction of texture and colour. The images need to feel they have longevity and continuing interest for the viewer. The photographs have to tell a story and to repay a repeat viewing. If they don’t deliver a further response on subsequent viewings then I won’t select them.

 

Leanne Bracey,
Freelance Picture Editor, Waitrose Weekend

 

What images stand out to you when judging?

I look for a sense of "completeness," where all elements - shapes, colours, light, and composition - come together to create a unique image with a distinct point of view. A well-thought-out and expertly composed image is a unique skill that often holds the most power, requiring the photographer to display true expertise beyond a "point and shoot" approach.

The Hotel Art Group Food Stylist Award is also important to me, as I believe food stylists are key to making an image sing. For this category, I look beyond the photograph itself and focus on the skill displayed in preparing the food. Florencia Aguileria Toya's "Candy Burger" shot, for example, beautifully showcased the stylist's talent.

 

What was one of your favourite finalist images from last year?

My favorite categories to judge are ‘Bring Home the Harvest’ and ‘Food in the Field’ as I have a particular interest in travel photography that encompasses food. These entries offer an interesting and varied appreciation of life across the planet. The most successful images often include an element of movement.

Carp fishing before Christmas by Zdeněk Dvořák, Highly Commended, Bring Home the Harvest, 2025

For me, Zdeněk Dvořák's ‘Carp fishing before Christmas’ image truly encapsulated a moment. It used wonderful lighting to convey a sense of time and utilised the drama out on the water, looking back to the shore, to provide a unique perspective.

 

Skye Trayler,
Director, At Collective

 

What are the most important things you look for when judging?

Obviously I'm looking for stand out photography, that's a given. But what's super important for these awards and others, to me at least, is that the image accurately responds to the category description. I’m a Commercial Photography Agent, so I'm particularly interested in signing and working with photographers who can shoot to brief. This means taking the time to truly understand what's being asked of them, often calling on their knowledge and experience to build upon that ask, helping to push the idea even further and ultimately contribute to the success of the campaign. Considered and accurate placement of an image makes a big difference.

 

What was one of your favourite finalist images?

I really enjoyed the Champagne Taittinger Wedding Food Photographer category last year. Wedding photography has come a long way since the formal days of old. These days, people are looking for candid, captured moments and authentic realism - which I think is reflective of what we’re looking for in photography in general. It’s about images we can trust, so that when it evokes a feeling or a memory, you know it’s a real one.

Robin Goodlad’s humorous Seagull and Chips deserved its prize because it demonstrates wedding photography at its best - i.e. telling the whole story of a wedding, filling in the gaps on a day that can pass too quickly, turning a lens on moments that would otherwise go unnoticed and be lost forever. This way, the married couple can experience their day through their guests’ eyes, enabling them to relive out the day, time and time again.

 

 

Discover More...

Learn more about our illustrious panel and discover our previous finalist images.

You can find full competition details and how to enter here.