The submissions are in, the judging is complete, and the response has been nothing short of phenomenal. A few weeks ago, we asked you to capture the soul of Bangkok, and you delivered in your thousands. The sheer quality, creativity, and passion in every frame left our panel of expert photographers completely speechless.
In fact, the decision was so difficult that we knew we couldn't just pick one winner. The story of Bangkok that you told was too rich, too diverse, and too beautiful to be represented by a single image.
So today, we’re not only revealing the grand prize winner, but we are also celebrating 10 incredible runner-up photos that tell their own unique stories of the city. A massive thank you to every single person who participated. You have created a stunning, collective portrait of Bangkok.
The runner-ups
In no particular order, here are the 10 runner-up images that captivated our judges, along with their reasoning.
‘Urban Layers: Scenes from Bangkok’ by Puttipong Nipatutti
For Piti Amraranga, this image stood out for its welcoming quality. He saw it as more than just a picture, but as a warm and engaging moment, noting, ‘This photo is an invitation, and it's a charming one’.
‘Chinatown Chill’ by Todd Brown
Ganesh Sinkorkiat praised this photo for its powerful storytelling and ability to encapsulate a specific time and place. In his view, the image managed to ‘completely capture the story of Bangkok in that single moment’.
‘Riding a tiger to work’ by Barry Macdonald
Daniel Trujillo was drawn to this photo's strong sense of identity and its visual harmony. He selected it because it felt ‘uniquely Thai and the colours are all cohesive’, creating a balanced and authentic scene.
‘Amazing Bangkok’ by Vladimir Zubankov
This photograph was celebrated by Christian Hogue for its originality and sharp eye for detail. He noted, ‘it's not a cliche; it's a really keen observation of some typical Thai colours and bags and stacking from like a working part of Bangkok’.
‘Religion and beliefs in Bangkok’ by Pongnarin
PK Vanasirikul felt this image spoke to a deeper, more local truth. He found that the ‘quiet Buddha statue, seen contemplatively behind clothes, helps to illustrate the spiritual truth underneath all of the cinematic Bangkok that people love and share’.
‘In the Line’ by Manachit Virojtecha
The graphic quality of this composition caught the eye of Golfwashere. He appreciated the visual rhythm and structure within the frame, explaining that he ‘loved the lines and the graphic pattern, which still clearly expresses the feeling of Bangkok’.
‘A moment of Bangkok’ by Kroekit NopPhakaow
Don Amatayakul praised the photo’s ‘interesting composition’ and the photographer's patience in waiting for the cyclist to hit a perfect square of light. He felt the surrounding traffic added a ‘Bangkok story without distracting’, while the subtle reflection on the skywalk glass provided another layer of depth.
‘Bangkok After Dark’ by Chatdanai Dorkson
STYLEdeJATE selected this image for excelling in artistic beauty, technical skill, and originality. He noted that the contrast between the ‘brilliant gold of the temple’ and the ‘muted tones of the surrounding homes’ tells a rich story, while the photographer’s control of light was exceptional. Crucially, he found it to be a ‘view of a landmark I rarely see’.
‘Lives together’ by Pawarut Krupanich
Hiang Kanjinna was drawn to this image for its beautiful representation of the city’s inclusive spirit. She noted how it captures the ‘beauty of Bangkok's diversity – monks, tourists, locals, all sharing the same street, the same light, in the same moment’. For her, the photo perfectly summed up the idea of ‘different paths, one city’.
‘Life at Erawan’ by Kwang Siang Jin
The Time Out Team selected this photo for its undeniable sense of place, feeling it perfectly encapsulated the city’s dynamic energy. The team noted, ‘Set at the Erawan Shrine, it captures so many things happening at once: people praying, tourists observing, street vendors selling their goods, and cars passing by’. They felt it was a powerful snapshot where all the elements of Bangkok's chaotic heart come together in a single frame.
And the winner is…
After much deliberation, one image stood out for its raw power, emotional depth, and visceral storytelling. It’s a photo that is both timeless and immediate, capturing a feeling that is quintessentially human, yet deeply rooted in the city.
Time Out is thrilled to announce that the winner of the inaugural Capture Bangkok Photography Challenge is Lord K2 with this incredible photograph.
‘Defying the Downpour’ by Lord K2
Judge Darkle, who selected the winning image, gives his reasoning:
‘The portrait of two boys playing football in a heavy rainstorm is, in my opinion, the strongest of the images submitted. The photographer captures a moment of visceral immediacy: two young bodies in motion, soaked but undeterred, locked in a duel as the downpour blurs everything but their resolve. There is a layered tension – between the boys, and between them and the elements, as if nature itself were the adversary. It’s a scene of instinctive resistance that offers an unforced glimpse of the resilient spirit that occasionally surfaces in the capital – stoic, deeply human, and a rite of passage’.
A massive congratulations to our winner and to all ten of our runner-ups.
You can see the winning photograph displayed among the works of our 10 professional photographers at the Capture Bangkok exhibition at The Corner House, Charoen Krung, from August 7-20.
This incredible celebration of photography would not have been possible without our partners, Canon and Coca-Cola.