10+1 photographs that tell the story of Sirmione and the lake (and why it’s your turn to take the next one)

The 17th edition of the Sirmione Photography Award enters the final two competitions scheduled for 2026, both still open for registration. Two events with different formats, deadlines, and entry requirements, but united by the same goal: to tell the story of Sirmione and Lake Garda through a personal lens.

Sirmione Photo Marathon

Sunday, October 11
Registration deadline: October 4
8 hours, 4 themes
First prize: €1,500

Lake Garda Photo Challenge

Registration deadline: October 31
First prize: €1,500

To inspire you, we’ve collected a selection of images from previous editions of the two competitions. These very different photographs are born from different ways of observing, interpreting, and describing Sirmione and Lake Garda, places capable of sparking the imagination and offering new insights to those who view them through a camera.

The 10+1 photographs we present here are just a small selection of the many images collected over the years, all equally beautiful and capable of offering ideas and inspiration.

1.
Bruno Barcellan
Lake Garda Photo Challenge 2025

An aerial view of Jamaica Beach becomes a reflection on the graphic and chromatic values ​​of the rocks. An almost abstract painting, except for a small human presence in an introspective atmosphere.

2.
Carlo Secondo Coco
Lake Garda Photo Challenge 2025

A suggestive sunset over the lake, with warm colors and reflections creating a relaxing atmosphere. A chromatic emphasis that unites the pedal boat and the landscape in a pictorial chromatic harmony.

3.
Valerio Francesco Di Mauro
Sirmione Photo Marathon 2025

A figure from behind blends in among hydrangeas and lush greenery. The body merges with the place that welcomes it. The use of reflections confuses the planes and amplifies the interpenetration between figure and environment.

4.
Stefano Mani
Sirmione Photo Marathon 2025

The sky and the Scaligero Castle, reflected in the water, merge with the submerged vegetation. A suspended and almost surreal composition is created, in which the surface becomes a sort of inverted landscape.

5.
Ambra Mariani
Sirmione Photo Marathon 2022

A circle of clarity emerges from the blurred background: a reflective object becomes a portal through which a portrait can be glimpsed, nestled against the calm, vaporous backdrop of Jamaica Beach.

6.
Augusto Veronesi
Lake Garda Photo Challenge 2022

A paraglider floats over an expanse of liquid gold, a diagonal line of shadow cuts across the figure. The raking light transforms the water into molten metal and the man into a point of freedom.

7.
Marco Carè
Sirmione Photo Marathon 2025

Two figures immersed in the emerald green water, while the Scaligero Castle looms above the surface like a theatrical backdrop. An unusual and ambitious point of view.

8.
Nikolay Kalugerov
Lake Garda Photo Challenge 2021

The famous marsh cypress tree on the Lugana lakefront in still, pastel-colored water where everything seems suspended.

9.
Antonio Comencini
Sirmione Photo Marathon 2025

The body bends in an arch over the rocks of Jamaica Beach, until it itself becomes a line of landscape.

10.
Mihai Daniel Rosca
Sirmione Photo Marathon 2025

In this double exposure, a hand overlaps the vegetation, blurring the lines between human detail and natural landscape. A way to “read the place” through the body.