TECNO Announces Winners of the 2026 Shot On CAMON Global Photography Contest

Celebrating the creativity and passion of mobile photography, the 2026 Shot On CAMON contest, co-hosted with Lonely Planet, has unveiled 16 winning photographs by photographers from around the world.

HONG KONG, Nov. 2, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- TECNO, an AI-driven technology brand, has announced the winners of its 3rd annual Shot On CAMON global photography contest, which attracted more than 13,000 entries from over 40 countries. Co-hosted with Lonely Planet under the theme "Seeing is Believing," the Shot On CAMON contest recognizes mobile photographers who use TECNO CAMON series smartphones to document moments of beauty and creativity in everyday life, from personal portraits and cultural traditions to fleeting moments. Shot On CAMON has grown into a global platform for mobile photographers to share their stories and perspectives with a wider audience.

The 2026 Shot On CAMON contest awarded a total prize pool of USD 38,000 to 16 winners, including USD 8,000 for the TECNO Photography Master and USD 3,000, USD 2,000 and USD 1,000 for Gold, Silver and Bronze Prizes respectively. Additional awards included a Lonely Planet Bespoke Trip for a number of winners and 10 CAMON 50 Series smartphones for TECNO Friend award recipients. The contest featured five categories covering Faces • Unfiltered, Culture • Unscripted, Night • Unveiled, Snapshot • Unspotted, AI • Unimagined, each recognizing 3 winners across Gold, Silver and Bronze Prizes.

TECNO Photography Master: Weightless Voyager

The contest's highest honor, TECNO Photography Master, went to Weightless Voyager by Nigerian photographer @dominic_films, with a grand prize of USD 8,000.

Shot on the CAMON 50 Pro at sunset in Lagos, the photograph uses sunset light and a carefully timed composition to convey a sense of freedom and movement. For the photographer, being weightless means letting go of past experiences, expectations and fear. The voyager represents the journey that follows. The image turns a personal reflection into a visual story about finding the freedom to move forward.

Winners of Faces • Unfiltered: Stories Behind the Faces

The Faces • Unfiltered category recognized 3 portraits exploring identity, emotion and personal stories, reflecting the CAMON series' portrait imaging capabilities.

The Gold Prize-winning Unvarnished is a portrait created at home in Nigeria. Through the staged styling and composition, the photograph draws on the creator's personal experiences to offer a thoughtful expression of identity and individuality.

A different emotion emerges in the Silver Prize-winning A Glimpse of Joy. Captured in the Philippines, the photograph shows a child's joyful expression as sunlight breaks through after the rain.

The Bronze Prize-winning The Horse Guard captures the quiet concentration of an elderly woman taking part in a traditional cultural ceremony in Indonesia. The portrait offers a glimpse into local traditions and the people who keep them alive.

Winners of Culture • Unscripted: Traditions in Motion

The Culture • Unscripted category awarded 3 photographs of local traditions, community celebrations and craftsmanship.

At a traditional festival in Cebu, the Philippines, the Gold Prize-winning A Dance of Faith captures dancers celebrating their shared faith and cultural heritage. The vibrant colors and movement capture the energy of the festival while drawing attention to its shared traditions.

A quieter rhythm unfolds in the wetlands of West Bengal, India. The Silver Prize-winning Harvesting the Lilies captures water droplets suspended in mid-air as a worker harvests water lilies.

The Bronze Prize-winning Threads of a Master documents Dominico Panela, a third-generation Ilocano weaver working with a 120-year-old wooden loom at home. The image records both a traditional craft and the person continuing it.

Behind these traditions are the people who carry them forward, each in their own way.

Winners of Night • Unveiled: After the Light Fades

The Night • Unveiled category recognized different approaches to light, shadow and movement, reflecting the possibilities of mobile photography in low-light conditions.

The Gold Prize-winning Painting Night uses long exposure to transform moving light into a circular pattern around a figure. The striking composition turns an ordinary nighttime scene into an experiment with movement and illumination.

A single beam of blue light reaches into the night sky in the Silver Prize-winning Light Beyond Darkness, captured in Bangladesh. The image finds its focus in the quiet contrast between light and shadow.

Meanwhile, the Bronze Prize-winning Theater of Shadows captures traditional shadow puppetry in Malaysia, where light and silhouettes bring stories to life.

Winners of Snapshot • Unspotted: The Moments in Between

The Snapshot • Unspotted category recognized fleeting actions and unexpected encounters, reflecting the CAMON series' ability to capture fast-moving subjects.

In Jakarta, the Gold Prize-winning The Courage to Let Go freezes a young skateboarder at the peak of his jump. Shot from an elevated angle, the photograph uses sunlight and shadows to emphasize movement, capturing both the thrill of the moment and the courage to try.

A lighter moment unfolds in the Silver Prize-winning A Playful Moment, which captures a boy and a white goose sharing a wooden seesaw.

The Bronze Prize-winning Childhoods finds joy in an equally simple scene, with children playing with motorcycle tires in the evening light.

Winners of AI • Unimagined: A Different Way to See

The AI • Unimagined category explores how photography can become a starting point for further creative interpretation.

The Gold Prize-winning Where Hope Still Perches draws on an image of small birds resting on wires surrounded by razor wire in Nigeria, exploring the contrast between freedom and restriction.

The Silver Prize-winning The Spiral Within frames two young people within the curves of a spiral staircase, using architecture and perspective to create a striking composition.

Meanwhile, the Bronze Prize-winning Onward uses TECNO's AI Art Gallery to transform an urban photograph into a Picasso-inspired composition, bringing a new perspective to a familiar city scene.

Each work begins with a moment from real life, reimagined through the creator's own perspective.

Celebrating Mobile Photography Through Creativity and Imaging Innovation

Reflecting on the entries, a representative from Lonely Planet commented: "We were consistently impressed with the creativity and quality of the images submitted for the Shot On CAMON contest. Much of travel photography isn't just a straightforward shot of a destination, but capturing a real mood and feeling of a place and people in a destination. The winning photographers brought real inspiration, feeling and a lightness to their photography that is impressive for any photographer."

"Our goal is to make imaging technology work for people's creativity, giving them the freedom to capture moments and bring their ideas to life," said Zhang Liankai, TECNO Imaging Expert.

Through Shot on CAMON, TECNO continues to provide a platform for mobile photographers to explore their creativity and share their perspectives with a wider audience. As imaging technology evolves, the contest reflects a simple idea: a photograph is shaped not only by what a camera can capture, but also by what the person behind it chooses to see.

Explore the full winning works at http://www.tecno-mobile.com/shot-on-camon-2026/.

SOURCE TECNO