The 40th AOP Photography Awards are open to all AOP Accredited Photographer and Assisting Photographer members.
© GOLD Winner – Sean Breithaupt, 2025 – 40th AOP Photography Awards
Judged by:
Congratulations to GOLD winner – Sean Breithaupt
Sponsored by @eizocolour
Patterns in a Floodzone
These images look at coastal regions in Ireland that are currently under threat from rising sea levels. Photographed from a high altitude, the images capture the strange, shifting patterns shaped by the relentless movement of the tides, offering an abstract reflection of the complex and unpredictable challenges these landscapes now face.
© Sean Breithaupt
@seanbreithaupt
Sean Breithaupt is an award-winning lifestyle, commercial, and editorial photographer based in Dublin. He creates compelling visual narratives for a wide range of national and international clients. Comfortable working solo or as part of a full production team, he brings a thoughtful and flexible approach to each brief.
His personal projects focus on environmental themes, combining aesthetics with research-led storytelling. His work on peatland restoration was a finalist at the 2024 AOP Awards, and he received the Curtin O’Donoghue Photography Award for his series on plastic waste.
Congratulations to SILVER Winner – Greg Funnell
Ratcliffe-on-Soar
This was a story I was asked to photograph on Ratcliffe-on-Soar, the last coal based power station in the UK, which was started to be decommissioned in September 2024.
* The cooling towers at Ratcliffe-on-Soar, which as of September 2024 will have been shut off and decommissioned.
* The various infrastructure that would bring the coal into the Ratcliffe-On-Soar power station
* Inside one of the main buildings at the Ratcliffe-On-Soar power station
* [no description]
* A local house sits overlooked by the cooling towers of Ratcliffe-On-Soar power station
© Greg Funnell
@gregfunnell
Greg Funnell (b.1984) studied History and War Studies at Kings College London before going on to start a career in photography. Initially pursuing documentary and photojournalism he now works for a number of global editorial and commercial clients. He has nearly two decades of photographic experience and has worked in over 70 countries worldwide. He holds a fellowship at the Royal Geographic Society.
The AOP Photography Awards are known as the ‘Oscars’ of the photography world. They celebrate excellence in the creative photography and image-making industry.
This is your chance to be seen by leading commissioners and names within the photographic industry.
Check out our 39th AOP Awards FINALISTS and WINNERS
