Picture by Chinese photographer Xiaoling Li is the overall winner, while veteran NCGM photographer takes home Outstanding Achievement Award
A heartwarming image of five elderly women eating spring rolls in Sichuan Province was the Overall Winner at the 2025 World Food Photography Awards sponsored by Tenderstem.
Taken by Chinese photographer Xiaoling Li and entitled The Elderly Having Delicious Food, the photo in Shuangliu Ancient Town also prevailed in the Food for the Family category (sponsored by The Felix Project). Li took home a £5,000 prize for her winning photo.
The winners of the competition’s 25 categories were revealed by renowned chef, restaurateur and food writer Yotam Ottolenghi at the Mall Galleries in London on Tuesday 20 May at an event that gathered stars of the food and arts worlds.
“The elderly ladies in the picture are ‘setting up a Dragon Gate formation’,” said Li. “This is an expression used in China to refer to neighbourhood friends coming together to chat, gossip and share stories. They eat the famous Sichuan snack ’spring rolls’. Food makes these people happy; they enjoy a beautiful and joyful life.”
“What a perfect winning image for our times,” commented Caroline Kenyon, founder of the World Food Photography Awards. “This beautifully framed shot captures five elderly women in Sichuan Province, revelling in good food with true friends. The joy they have in each other’s company is palpable, a powerful rebuke to those who would divide us.
“Colour, composition, the variety of expressions while one determinedly ploughs on with their food. I defy anyone not to be uplifted by this photograph.”
Closer to home, London-based photographer Clive Boursnell, who has documented the bustling fresh fruit and veg trade at both Covent Garden Market and its successor New Covent Garden Market for nearly six decades, won the Outstanding Achievement Award.
“These awards showcase the power of photography in telling incredible food stories from around the world,” said Dave Samuels, brand director for Tenderstem and headline sponsor of the awards.
“No matter how the world changes, food remains at the heart of our lives. These extraordinary images serve as a reminder of the fundamental role food plays across communities, bringing people together through growing, cooking, eating, celebrating and surviving.”
This year’s global judging panel was tasked with assessing nearly 10,000 entries submitted from 70 countries around the world. It was chaired by legendary food photographer David Loftus and included: Claire Reichenbach (CEO of The James Beard Foundation), Tom Athron (CEO of Fortnum & Mason), Max La Manna (award-winning digital creator), Rein Skullerud (senior photographer and photo editor at the United Nations World Food Programme), and Mogau Seshoene (chef and author).
A free-to-enter exhibition of all 185 finalist images premieres at The Mall Galleries running from 21-25 May. A selection of images will also be exhibited at Fortnum and Mason from 2 June, as well as Museum of the Home from 3 June to 7 September.
Entries for the 2026 edition of the competition open in September.
