Turkish Photographer Climbs to World’s Second Best in Huawei XMAGE Awards 2025

Earlier this month, the winners of the prestigious Huawei XMAGE Mobile Photography Awards were announced at a grand ceremony held in Paris. Among the global entrants, Mehmet Emin Coruş from Tokat, Turkey, emerged as the runner-up in the world category and was honored with the title of ‘Photographer of the Year.’ The photograph that earned him this accolade captures an intimate moment between a farmer carrying a newborn lamb to safety from the cold and its protective mother sheep.

Since 2017, Huawei has been organizing these awards which have become a benchmark in the mobile photography arena. This year’s edition attracted over a hundred thousand entries from more than 170 countries around the globe. Coruş’s photo stands out for its simple yet powerful portrayal of the bond between humans, animals, and nature.

Coruş began his journey into photography with a Huawei smartphone gifted to him while working as a baker in Tokat. In previous years, he won first place in Turkey’s XMAGE awards during 2021 and 2022, before scaling up globally this year to achieve runner-up status.

In an address recorded for the ceremony, Coruş expressed his gratitude towards Huawei for enabling him to share his vision with a global audience through their mobile technology. ‘When I was kneading dough or walking around my village,’ he said, ‘I would dream of capturing life’s little wonders and sharing them with the world. Now, that’s exactly what I do with a Huawei camera, reaching out to everyone.’

The 2025 XMAGE awards also recognized other talented individuals from Turkey in its ‘XMAGE 100’ list which acknowledges top entries worldwide.