Beauty is subjective. No one can decide what is beautiful or not. It's all in the eyes of the beholder. However, we're pretty sure that these photos will be beautiful and inspiring to most people.

The Sienna International Photo Awards are back on Bored Panda and they have announced their winners for 2021. From thousands upon thousands of submissions, they picked the best ones. The photos are not only pretty to look at, many of them grab you by the feels and do not let go. This year there's a Covid-19-themed section and let's just say it's pretty heart-wrenching.

If you wish to see the previous years, here they are: 2017, 2018 and 2020.

More info: sipacontest.com | Facebook | twitter.com | youtube.com

#1 Photo Of The Year: Hardship Of Life

"This little boy’s father Munzir lost his right leg when a bomb was dropped as he walked through a bazaar in Idlib, Syria. His son Mustafa was born without lower or upper limbs due to tetra-amelia, a congenital disorder caused by the medications his mother Zeynep had to take after being sickened by nerve gas released during the war in Syria. Mustafa will need special electronic prostheses in the future which, unfortunately, are not yet available in Turkey."

Image credits: Mehmet Aslan

We got an interview with one of the members of the Organising Committee of The Siena International Photo Awards—Maria. She told us about the main goal of SIPA: "Our goal is to create a family of photography enthusiasts and lovers and to give them the possibility to live a unique experience in a unique city like Siena."

#2 Captive, Documentary & Photojournalism: 1st Classified

"A giant panda used for breeding sits alone in a facility in Shaanxi, China. Captive breeding of endangered species can play an important role in repopulating wild habitats, but it can also be a convenient label to hide behind, much like “green,” “renewable," or “sustainable.” In this case, though there was no doubt that the staff cared deeply for their wards, the feeling nevertheless was that the pandas were economic assets. There were no plans to prepare any of the captive-born pandas for release - all animals were being habituated to humans and used as attractions for paying visitors. To me, this image represents the juxtaposition between the intentions we express and the reality on the ground: a wild animal kept in a cage in the name of conservation."

Image credits: Marcus Westberg

#3 Food For Weeks, Animals In The Environment: 1st Classified

"A camera trap placed inside of a large muskox carcass was used to take this shot of a pack of 10 wolves, the members of which returned to feed for over a month. This location became the de facto rendezvous site for the pack in the months to come."

Image credits: Ronan Donovan

Maria also told us more about what keeps them going and inspires them to keep organizing these competitions: "We are inspired by the passion of photographers participating every year from all over the world (participants from 160 countries.)"

This year The Siena International Photo Awards got over 48,000 submissions. Maria shared what was different about 2021: "Every year the contest is different and new, thanks to the strong images submitted and this year's Photo of the Year is an excellent example of it.

#4 Green Light Forest, The Beauty Of Nature: 1st Classified

"A mountain path in the middle of a forest is illuminated by a multitude of 'sparkling' fireflies that give the landscape a fairy-tale atmosphere. Their bioluminescence is part of the mating ritual, at the end of which the eggs are laid. Unfortunately, pollution hinders the reproduction of fireflies, and it is increasingly difficult to see shows like this one."

Image credits: Shirley Wung

#5 Portrait Of Humanity, Covid-19

Image credits: F. Dilek Uyar

"The winners are selected by an international jury of professional photographers and journalists. The jury is independent and we only see the final results. The winners, according to the result obtained, get a money prize, free hospitality in Siena, the Pangea Prize."We asked Maria what makes a good photo and a good photographer: "

A good photo is the most direct and powerful way to communicate a message to the world. A good photographer is capable of making good photos!"

#6 This Is My Jungle! Journeys & Adventures: 1st Classified

"A wild elephant attacks a jeep full of people. We should respect nature and care more about it, but we should also avoid taking unnecessary and reckless risks."

Image credits: Sergey Savvi

#7 Birthday, Covid-19: 1st Classified

"The workers of the San Carlos de Celanova nursing home celebrate the birthday of Elena Pérez, 98, two weeks after she survived the coronavirus. Nine residents died at this nursing home and more than 40 tested positive for COVID-19."

Image credits: Brais Lorenzo Couto

The categories in the 2021 competition were: Journeys & adventures, fascinating faces and characters, the beauty of nature, animals in their environment, architecture & urban spaces, sports in action, story-telling, documentary & photojournalism, street photography, underwater life, and short documentary film. Every single one of them had their own winner as well as the overall winner of the whole contest, who was Mehmet Aslan.

#8 Black Drag, Magicfascinating Faces & Characters: 2nd Classified

"Belinda Qaqamba Ka-Fassie, a drag artist and activist, poses at a shisanyama - a community space where women cook and sell meat - in Khayelitsha, a township near Cape Town. Belinda, the photographer, and other black, queer, gender non-conforming and transgender people collaborated in a project to reclaim public spaces in a community where they are subject to discrimination, harassment, and violence."

Image credits: Lee-ann Olwage

#9 Life In A Tear, Covid-19: 3rd Classified

"A dangerous, rare disease associated with COVID-19 led Francisco, 13, to be admitted to the ICU of D. Estefânia Hospital in Lisbon with a pathology that had already caused deaths. The symptoms began to manifest intensely, and from the initial red spots on the hands to kidney and respiratory failure, illness progressed rapidly. Days after being intubated, he responded positively to the therapy."

Image credits: Rodrigo Cabrita

#10 Dreams Of The Whales, Journeys & Adventures

Image credits: Mike Korostelev

#11 Doctor Peyo And Mister Hassen, Storyboard: 2nd Classified

Image credits: Jeremy Lempin

#12 Zor, Fascinating Faces & Characters: 1st Classified

"A young bride is preparing for her wedding on a street in the Roma ghetto of Stolipinovo. In Europe, Roma communities number more than 11 million people and Stolipinovo, with around 40,000 people, is the most populous ghetto."

Image credits: Selene Magnolia

#13 The Watching Eye, Animals In Their Environment

Image credits: Bernt Østhus

#14 Return To The Village, Journeys & Adventures

Image credits: Ahmet Fatih Sönmez

#15 Gardener Of The Forest, Animals In Their Environment

Image credits: Aneesh Sankarankutty

#16 Prairie Horsemen, Journeys & Adventures

Image credits: Jian Kang

#17 Boogli, Fascinating Faces And Characters

Image credits: Jen Guyton

#18 Welcome To The Paradise – Pardis Xiii, Architecture & Urban Spaces: 3rd Classified

"In recent years, 1.5 million housing units have been built in Iran with the main goal of reversing migration to larger cities, where living standards are deteriorating due to traffic, pollution, and the high price of housing. These communities were erected in arid, almost desertic environments (as in Pardis, located 30 minutes northeast of Tehran), often with little regard for ecological conditions on the ground."

Image credits: Manolo Espaliú

#19 Evening Stretch, Under 20: Honorable Mention

"I had to wait a while to capture an interesting pose of Ruthy, a well-known female striped hyena in Israel. The striped hyena is an endangered species as the global population is estimated to be less than 10,000 wild specimens."

Image credits: Ariel Fields

#20 Childhood, Street Photography: 1st Classified

"Even though all over the world teenagers' lives are completely absorbed by social media and the Internet, in Havana children still enjoy themselves by playing in the open air in their homes' courtyards."

Image credits: Lopamudra Talukdar

#21 Disinfection, Covid-19

Image credits: F. Dilek Uyar

#22 Lona / Biala, Architecture & Urban Spaces: 1st Classified

"The series BIALA has a geometrical guideline and its features were taken from urban architecture. The pictures don’t portray entire buildings, but just a chosen part of the facades, to accentuate the symmetry and modular geometry of the structures. By placing a selection of shapes and colors in the foreground, the artist is able to deprive the buildings of their utilitarian residential function."

Image credits: Gustav Willeit

#23 Desire For Knowledge, Journeys & Adventures: 3rd Classified

Image credits: Antonio Aragon Renuncio

#24 Loneliness, Covid-19

Image credits: Levent Ateş

#25 Two Worlds, Journeys & Adventures

Image credits: Karim Iliya

#26 The Collaborators, Journeys & Adventures

Image credits: Jen Guyton

#27 Purim In Jerusalem, Fascinating Faces And Characters

Image credits: Oren Ben Hakoon

#28 Protest Has A Woman Face, Portugal Forest Fire

Image credits: Yauhen Yerchak

#29 Sandstorm, The Beauty Of Nature: 2nd Classified

"Three hyena, a jackal, and two elephants endure a sandstorm on a hot humid late afternoon, while the wind picks up before the heavens open. The hyenas cool off in the cool water and get rid of parasites. The dry season is over and the rainy season is on the way, promising relief for every animal in dry Chobe National Park."

Image credits: Johannes Lochner

#30 Flying To Rescue From The Pandemic, Covid-19

Image credits: Raphael Alves

#31 Buffalo Herds, Journeys & Adventures

Image credits: Nese Ari

#32 Portugal Forest Fire, Documentary & Photojournalism: 3rd Classified

"A child sits inside a car nearby a forest fire that began in Oliveira de Frades, about 100 kilometers from Porto, and spread west to Sever do Vouga, and southwest to Águeda. Hundreds of firefighters were mobilized to fight this fire. Every year the country is plagued by fires and thousands of hectares of forest burn out of control."

Image credits: Nuno André Ferreira

#33 Boarding School, Fascinating Faces And Characters

Image credits: Alessandra Meniconzi

#34 My Mind, A Shining Guillotine, Fascinating Faces And Characters

Image credits: Arjun Kamath

#35 North Pole, Journeys & Adventures

Image credits: Sergey Gorshkov

#36 Flying In The Rain, Animals In The Environment: 3rd Classified

"With a very complicated setup, I was able to trigger 2 sets of flashes during a single exposure of only 1/25 second. This photo is the result of three days shooting, trying to get a single picture with an intense atmosphere, of a Brown inca hummingbird (Coeligena wilsoni)."

Image credits: Nicolas Reusens Bodén

#37 Savannah Storm, Animals In Their Environment

Image credits: Maymoni Maya

#38 Lessons For Life, Animals In Their Environment

Image credits: Amit Eshel

#39 Jen Guyton, Journeys & Adventures

Image credits: Touhid Parvez

#40 Life Goes On, Journeys & Adventures

Image credits: Riksa Dewantara

#41 Fly To Be Free, Fascinating Faces & Characters: 3rd Classified

"Gil is an 11-year-old who has the soul of a 90-year-old. He is filled with boundless energy and is always ready to work and play equally hard. He and his neighbors who live on a nearby ranch often spend time together, and it usually involves working with or playing with animals. You will never see these kids playing on computers or watching television."

Image credits: Audrey Jeane

#42 Aerobatic Flight, Sports In Action

Image credits: Alessandro Barteletti

#43 The Last Look, Covid-19

Image credits: Shibasish Saha

#44 Their Lunch, Journeys & Adventures

Image credits: Jijian Yu

#45 Child Plays In A Tannery, Fascinating Faces And Characters

Image credits: Andrew Biraj

#46 Saving Chimpanzees, Documentary & Photojournalism: 2nd Classified

"Itsazo Velez and caregiver Ephraim Ngiribwa give medicine to two new rescued baby chimps as they quarantine. Rescuing and saving baby chimps is difficult. When they are taken by poachers, they are subject to tremendous trauma and abuse, and cannot access the nutrition they need to survive."

Image credits: Brent Stirton

#47 Tae Jung And Ha Ru, Fascinating Faces And Characters

Image credits: Heun Jung Kim

#48 Peyo, Portugal Forest Fire

Image credits: Jeremy Lempin

#49 Eye-Balling! Sports In Action

Image credits: Clive Brunskill

#50 Falling At The Last, Sports In Action: 2nd Classified

"'Copperhead' ridden by Harry Cobden and "Easy Game" ridden by Danny Mullins fall during the RSA Insurance Novices' Chase at Cheltenham Racecourse on March 11, 2020, in Cheltenham."

Image credits: Daniel Mullan

#51 Out For Prayers, Journeys & Adventures

Image credits: France Leclerc

#52 The Girl Of 2020, Fascinating Faces And Characters

Image credits: Kaat Stieber

#53 The Heart Of Kashmir, Portugal Forest Fire

Image credits: Gabriele Torsello

#54 The Grizzly Bear, Under 20: Honorable Mention

"In Alaska there are plenty of fish available and these grizzly bears happily enjoy feasting on salmon in this area. Most of them are quite satisfied. Hence, it is possible to get a variety of shots of the bears in different happy moods."

Image credits: Hannah Grace Vijayan

#55 Log Pile Bouldering, Sports In Action

Image credits: Adam Pretty

#56 The Dangerous Toy, Portugal Forest Fire

Image credits: Celia Kujala

#57 El Mar, Covid-19

Image credits: David Ramos

#58 Coronavirus Confinement In Spain, Covid-19

Image credits: Santiago Martinez De Septien

#59 Liling Ceramic Art City, Architecture & Urban Spaces: 2nd Classified

"Liling Ceramic Art City is the first phase of Liling Porcelain Valley. It is a large-scale industrial development project with the theme of promoting ceramic culture in Liling. It covers an area of 180 acres and a construction area of about 70,000 square meters. It was fully completed in 2014."

Image credits: Tianming Zhang

#60 Fire Show On The Snowy Volcano, The Beauty Of Nature

Image credits: Dario Lo Scavo

#61 Paradise Lost, Storyboard: 3rd Classified

Image credits: Valery Melnikov

#62 Saving Chimpanzees In Congo, Storyboard: 1st Classified

Image credits: Brent Stirton

#63 Jellyfish Lake, The Beauty Of Nature

Image credits: Henley Spiers

#64 De Young Museum, Architecture & Urban Spaces

Image credits: Swee Choo Oh

#65 Spring Festival Celebrations, Journeys & Adventures

Image credits: Xingqi Wei

#66 An Honourable Life, Fascinating Faces And Characters

Image credits: Robert Piccoli

#67 Prime Real Estate , Sports In Action: 3rd Classified

"Antti Aalto of Finland gets a great view as he seemingly flies over the town of Oberstdorf during his first competition jump of the Four Hills Ski Jumping Tournament 2020 in Oberstdorf, Germany."

Image credits: Adam Pretty

#68 Aliens, The Beauty Of Nature: 3rd Classified

"During a spring dive at a depth of about 6 meters, I immortalized this small hydromedusa of the Pandea conica genus, among an infinity of tiny tunicates carried by the current of the Calabrian side of the Strait of Messina."

Image credits: Domenico Tripodi

#69 Quarantine, Portugal Forest Fire

Image credits: Renato Granieri

#70 Buzzard At Dusk, Under 20: 1st Classified

"I was out photographing the sunset when I noticed the clouds were beginning to become really atmospheric and moody. A buzzard was originally on a post but it saw me and flew off into a tree. I positioned the buzzard in the light patch of the cloud, and underexposed to keep the rest of the image darker to draw your eye into the buzzard."

Image credits: Ben Pulletz

#71 What Lurks Below, Journeys & Adventures

Image credits: Grant Thomas

#72 Rainbow Colors, The Beauty Of Nature

Image credits: Bence Mate

#73 Coney Work-Out Bars, Street Photography: 2nd Classified

"A group of athletes exercise on the bars while at the Coney Island beach at the start of summer on Memorial Day. The work-out bars on the beach are free for the community of Brooklyn to use and are a destination for many."

Image credits: Aristide Economopoulos

#74 Light Rider, Sports In Action

Image credits: Adam Pretty

#75 Snowman, Sports In Action

Image credits: David Ramos

#76 Night In Pandemic Time, Covid-19: 2nd Classified

"On a late afternoon in October, at the Public Cemetery Pondok Ranggon, several funeral officers are taking a break by watching their smartphones or having a chat with their families. During this pandemic time, they have buried at least 30-40 victims of COVID-19 every day."

Image credits: Ares Jonekson

#77 Come High Water, Animals In Their Environment

Image credits: Mac Stone

#78 Praying Parents, The Beauty Of Nature

Image credits: Suk Eun Kim

#79 Elephant’s Last Embrace, Animals In The Environment: 2nd Classified

"An elephant that died of natural causes became a big opportunity for a young lion. A lion's daily meat requirement can reach 5 kg for adult females and 7 kg for males, but the animals can eat much more when more food is available."

Image credits: Roie Galitz

#80 The Crash, Street Photography

Image credits: Laura Pierangeli

#81 Swamp Motel, Journeys & Adventures: 2nd Classified

Image credits: Mac Stone

#82 Shadow Highlight, Street Photography: 3rd Classified

"A couple of Iranian women are passing in front of graffiti along Enqelab street, when one of them tries to hide her face from the photographer."

Image credits: Mohammad Mohsenifar

#83 Street Fighting, Sports In Action: 1st Classified

"Local wrestlers fight in a match within the Raja Katra market area in the Burrabazar neighborhood. The tournament is organized every year by the Burrabazar Bayam Samity on the occasion of Diwali, one of the most important festivals in India. Hundreds of people gathered to participate in the sporting event."