Apple's iPhone has long been known for offering a great camera. These flagship smartphones are capable of some incredible photography, so much so that many modern photographers often ditch their DSLR cameras in favour of the ultra-portable iPhone.
The results are often spectacular too. To honour the efforts, the iPhone Photography Awards were born in 2007 and have been choosing award-winning photos every year since. Apple also encouraged iPhone photographers to share their best works for the Shot on iPhone Challenge and in 2022, a Shot on iPhone Macro Challenge launched.
As you can imagine, the images submitted to both these competitions are nothing short of fantastic. We've combed through them to bring you a collection of our favourite photos taken over the last few years. Incredible images you won't believe were shot on a smartphone.
Sea Glass
This beautiful shot by Guido Cassanelli from Italy was one of the Shot on iPhone Macro Challenge 2022 winners.
Titled Sea Glass, it was taken on an iPhone 13 Pro Max.
The Cave
This stunning photo called The Cave was taken by Italian photographer Marco Colletta on his iPhone 13 Pro.
It was one of the ten winners of the Shot on iPhone Macro Challenge 2022.
Hidden Gem
Taken by Jirasak Panpiansin from Thailand, this photo is called Hidden Gem and it was taken on an iPhone 13 Pro Max.
It was one of ten winners of the Shot on iPhone Macro Challenge 2022.
Volcanic Lava
This lovely picture of a sunflower was taken by Abhik Mondal from the US on his iPhone 13 Pro.
Called Volcanic Lava, the image was one of the ten winning pictures from the Shot on iPhone Macro Challenge 2022.
The Final Bloom
Taken by Hojisan from China, this image was taken on an iPhone 13 Pro Max and it's of a tulip.
It was one of the ten winners of the Shot on iPhone Macro Challenge 2022.
Art in Nature
Prajwal Chougule from India took this lovely shot on an iPhone 13 Pro.
One of the ten winners of the Shot on iPhone Macro Challenge 2022 is this photo called Art in Nature.
It was taken by Prajwal Chougule from India on an iPhone 13 Pro.
Honeycomb
Photographer Tom Reeves from New York took this image in Riverside Park in Manhattan.
It's titled Honeycomb and it was taken on an iPhone 13 Pro.
Leaf Illumination
Taken by Trevor Collins from Boston, this shot was taken on an iPhone 13 Pro.
Another one of the 10 winners from the Shot on iPhone Macro Challenge 2022 is this shot by Trevor Collins from Boston.
Called Leaf Illumination, this image was taken on an iPhone 13 Pro.
A Drop of Freedom
This photo - titled A Drop of Freedom - was taken on an iPhone 13 Pro Max by Daniel Olah from Hungary.
His intention was to highlight the tiny drop of water in comparison to the lily.
Strawberry in Soda
Taken by Ashley Lee from San Francisco, the Strawberry in Soda image was one of the ten winners of the Shot on iPhone Macro Challenge 2022.
This photo was taken on an iPhone 13 Pro.
A Walk on Mars
Second place for Photographer of the Year in the IPPA 2021 awards went to this beautiful image by Dan Liu from China, titled 'A Walk on Mars'.
It was shot on an iPhone 11 Pro Max in Qinghai, China.
Side-Walking on Air
Taken by Jeff Rayner, this image won third place for Photographer of the Year in the IPPA 2021 awards.
It was shot on an iPhone X in Los Feliz, Los Angeles and we love it.
Frozen Lines
Matteo Kava shot this stunning image named 'Frozen Lines' on Lake St.Moritz in Switzerland. It was taken on an iPhone 7 Plus and it won third place in the Abstract category for the IPPA 2021 awards.
Strike a Pose
This stunning image was taken on an iPhone X by Laila Bakker from the Netherlands. It won first place in the Animals category in the IPPA 2021 awards.
Candy
Yuexiang Wang won first place in the Architecture category with this beautiful image called 'Candy' at the IPPA 2021 awards.
It was shot on an iPhone 8 Plus.
Untitled
Liz Huang from the United States took this image in Manhattan, New York with an iPhone X. It won first place in the City Life category at the IPPA 2021 awards.
PR_CTICE S___AL DI_TANCE
Third Place in the City Life category at the IPPA 2021 awards is this lovely shot. Taken by Ann Ghory-Goodman in Orleans, Massachusetts, it was shot on an iPhone 11 Pro.
Untitled
Second place in the Environment category of the IPPA 2021 awards went to this image of stacked cups, which we adore. It was taken by Glenn Homann on an iPhone 11 Pro.
Flight from Iguazu
Lizhi Wang from the United States won first place in the Landscape category of the IPPA 2021 awards with this image of the Paraná River in Argentina.
It was taken on an iPhone XR.
Black Summer Blue Montaigne
Winning first place in the People category of the IPPA 2021 awards is this shot called 'Black Summer Blue Montaigne', taken by Christian Horgan.
It was taken in Sydney, Australia on an iPhone X.
Untitled
Winning first place in the Portrait category of the IPPA 2021 awards is this lovely shot from Krysten Crabtree. It was shot in Ohio on an iPhone 12 Pro.
A Dutch Morning
This stunning sunset picture taken in Kinderdijk in the Netherlands was shot by Claire Droppert and it won first place in the Sunset category of the IPPA 2021 awards.
It was taken on an iPhone 11 Pro Max.
Sunrise Over Our Pond
Another beautiful sunset picture is this one from Danette Spriggs taken in Angleton, Texas. It won third place in the Sunset category at the IPPA 2021 awards and it was shot on an iPhone 12 Pro Max.
Magic of Aurora Borealis
Winning first place in the travel category is this stunning shot of the Aurora lights taken in Teriberka, Russia. Tatiana Merzlyakova took it on an iPhone 12 Pro Max.
Bonding
Shot by Sharan Shetty from India on an iPhone X, this image titled 'Bonding' won first place for Photographer of the Year in the IPPA 2021 awards.
It was taken in Yanar Dag, Baku, Azerbaijan.
Transylvanian Shepherds
Taken by Istvan Kerekes in Targu Mures, Transylvania, this stunning image of two shepherds won the grand prize for Photographer of the Year in the IPPA 2021 awards.
It was shot on the iPhone 7.
Yellowstone
Matt Charlton snapped this shot on his iPhone called Yellowstone. It's such a beautiful photo and there are plenty of others on his Instagram - @mattsee.
Untitled
This amazing shot was taken by Sarah M Lee on her iPhone. We love everything about it - the colours especially. You can see more shots taken by Sarah on her website - www.sarahmlee.com.
West Thumb Basin
Another fabulous shot taken by Matt Charlton on his iPhone. We absolutely adore this one. Matt's Instagram has plenty more great shots to have a look through.
Free from the past
This beautiful shot was taken in Varanasi, India on an iPhone X by Kristian Cruz from the United States.
We love the colours, the detail and everything that's happening in the image. We aren't surprised at all that it won first place in the travel category for the iPhone Photography Awards 2020.
Beach Chair
Taken on Westhampton Beach, New York with an iPhone 6, this picture of a beach chair is one of our favourites from the 2020 winners of the iPhone Photography Awards.
The atmospheric image was taken by Danielle Moir from the United States and it won first place in the other category.
Flying Boys
This fabulous image taken by Dimpy Bhalotia from the United Kingdom in Banaras, India won her the grand prize for Photographer of the Year in the iPhone Photography Awards 2020.
Bhalotia said: "I see the world in monochrome and I find art in the extraordinary details of the seemingly ordinary life on streets. I believe the universe is a piece of art and so is every soul and street."
This image was taken on an iPhone X.
Beauty in everyday
Winning second place in the abstract category of the iPhone Photography Awards 2020 is this beautifully symmetrical shot taken in Irvine, California.
Beauty in everyday was taken on an iPhone 8 Plus by Veronica Yoo from the United States.
Waterfall
Winner of the first place in the nature category of the iPhone Photography Awards 2020 is this beautiful picture of a waterfall.
The picture was taken on an iPhone 7 Plus by Lisi Li from China.
No walls
Winner of the first place for photographer of the year in the iPhone Photography Awards 2020, this image shows an annoyingly unfinished but brilliant painted wall.
Taken by Artyom Baryshau from Russia in India, the image titled No walls was taken on an iPhone 6.
Immersion
Now this is what we call a panoramic shot. What a beautiful photo of Meteora, Greece.
Taken by Garrine Tsang from Canada on an iPhone XS, this image titled Immersion won third place in the panorama category of the iPhone Photography Awards 2020.
Kea at Mount Luxmore
Avishai Futerman from Isreal took this beautiful image in Fiordland National Park, New Zealand on an iPhone XR.
The image won second place in the nature category of the iPhone Photography Awards 2020.
Duomo Di Milano
Shot on an iPhone X, this image of the magnificent Duomo Di Milano cathedral in Milan, Italy won first place in the architecture category of the iPhone Photography Awards 2020.
It was taken by Haiyin Lin from China.
Flamingos
We absolutely love this image of two beautiful pink flamingos shot on an iPhone 6S. The dark green leaves and lovely mirrored water make the animals really pop.
Winning second place in the animals category for the iPhone Photography Awards 2020, Flamingos was taken by Ji Li from China.
Cotton Candy
This image of a child sitting on a bench with cotton candy in front of their face brings a smile to ours.
Taken in Vorontsovsky Park, Moscow by Ekaterina Varzar from the United States on an iPhone 6, Cotton Candy won first place in the children category of the iPhone Photography Awards 2020.
Marble Canyon
This stunning image of the Marble Canyon in Arizona was taken by Kaiwen Jiang from China and it won first place in the landscape category of the iPhone Photography Awards 2020.
Jiang took the image on one XS Max.
Nightfall at the Dolomites
There's nothing quite like a sunset and this photo has so much beauty to admire. Taken by Leo Chan from Hong Kong on an iPhone 11 Pro, Nightfall at the Dolomites was captured in Auronzo di Cadore, Italy.
This stunning shot won first place in the sunset category of the iPhone Photography Awards 2020.
The Cloud
This appropriately named, perfectly framed image was taken by Dominic Dähncke from Spain in Tenerife, Canary Islands.
The Cloud won third place in the landscape category of the iPhone Photography Awards 2020. It was taken on an iPhone 8 Plus.
Dreams in the basket
A small baby takes a casual and relaxing nap in the middle of a field in China. In the background, workers can be seen busying themselves with the daily grind. We only hope this child's parents are nearby.
An incredible photo of life shot on an iPhone 5S. This image was chosen as the second place winner in the iPhone Photography Awards lifestyle category in 2018.
Jasper the Raptor
From the 2019 winners of the iPhone Photography Awards (children's category) comes this image snapped using an iPhone XS. A simple photo of a small boy in a raptor mask appears to show a dinosaur child in the shadow.
The wonky one
Sometimes great photos are just a matter of perspective. Other times, they're just fantastic snaps of weird and wonderful locations.
This shot was captured by Cocu Liu in the wonderfully sloping streets of San Fransisco. The building isn't actually wonky, it's the camera that is.
I want to play
Just a simple photo of boys doing what boys do best - getting muddy and having a great time. This image was shot on an iPhone 7 Plus in Yangon, Myanmar and was given third place for Photographer of the Year 2018 in the iPhone Photography Awards.
"A young boy who lost his leg was watching his friends play soccer, and he said he wanted to play soccer if he could."
The one with the long neck
This incredibly moody, atmospheric and perfectly timed photo was snapped by Shuo Li using an iPhone 7 Plus.
This image was selected for third place in the animal's category in iPhone Photography Awards 2017.
"It was taken in Maasai Mara National Reserve, on October 6, 2016. It was the last safari that day, my friend and I were leaving Maasai Mara. The sky was pure blue with beautiful clouds, I noticed a giraffe was eating Kigelia Africana leaves. We drove our SUV around the giraffe, and then I found the best angle to took this photo."
Lilly pad lake
A beautiful view of nature shot on an iPhone 6S. A lone tree stands in the centre of the frame surrounded by still waters and masses of Lilly pads.
"I took this photo in late June of 2016 while in Sigtuna, Sweden. I used my old iPhone 6s (native camera) then did some light post-processing with Snapseed, Photoshop Fix, and VSCO. This photo didn't need too much editing at all unlike some of my others - nature did most of the work here. This was the best shot out of maybe a dozen or so captures."
A virtual view of another planet?
We'll be honest, we're not sure we know what's going on with this photo, but we love it. A man in almost full astronaut gear sits near a biodome wearing what appears to be an Oculus VR headset. Perhaps he's experiencing a virtual view of outer space and trying to make it as convincing as possible.
A smattering of foxes
This photo makes it look like the photographer had been chased up a tree by the foxes.
The iPhone Photography Awards 2016's winning photograph from the animal category shows a smattering of foxes gathering around the photographer. The angle of the image almost makes it look like the snapper was stuck up a tree.
What's going on through here?
Bruno Militelli snapped this brilliant photo of his dog on his iPhone. We love a hilarious dog photo and this one is great too. We wonder what was so interesting.
One cool cat
This guy, what a dude. We're impressed that this snapper managed to get their cat to sit still for long enough to take a photo. Nevermind doing so while wearing accessories.
Someone is going to need a bath
The joys of parenthood and childhood summed up in one wonderfully messy photo. A small child caught on iPhone in the midst of tumbling into a mass of mud and madness.
A floral close up
This brilliant close-up view of some poppies won Lone Bjørn the first place award in the iPhone Photography Awards flowers category in 2016.
Chained to the water
Xia Zhenkai captured this image in China using an iPhone. The photo then went on to win the first place prize in the iPhone Photography Awards people category in 2016.