IPPAWARDS Names Robyn Jensen 2026 Grand Prize Winner in 20th Annual Contest

Q: How did an iPhone 15 Pro capture a volcano and starry sky in one award-winning shot?

It was captured with the iPhone 15 Pro’s main camera, but the award announcement does not disclose the exact shooting settings or technique Robyn Jensen used. What is clear is why the shot was possible on that phone. The iPhone 15 Pro’s 48-megapixel main sensor and Apple’s computational photography are well suited to a difficult scene that mixes very bright lava with a very dark night sky. In practice, a photo like this typically depends on low-light capture, careful exposure control, and keeping the phone very steady so the camera can gather enough light for the stars without losing detail in the eruption. The broader reporting around recent iPhone astrophotography suggests the likely ingredients: Night Mode or a long-exposure workflow, a stable support such as a tripod, and a dark location with minimal light pollution. Those conditions help the sensor record faint stars while the phone’s image processing manages noise and balances highlights and shadows. There is also no indication in the available coverage that the image required the newest hardware alone. That point is reinforced by the same competition awarding its Gold “Photographer of the Year” prize to an image shot on an iPhone X. The takeaway from the winning volcano image is less about a secret trick than about combining strong timing, composition, and favorable conditions with the iPhone 15 Pro’s capable main camera.

3 articles · Updated · PetaPixel · Jul 1

Robyn Jensen of the Cayman Islands took the 2026 iPhone Photography Awards grand prize for a volcanic-eruption image shot on an iPhone 15 Pro, blending glowing lava with a starry night sky.
Thousands of photographers from more than 140 countries entered the 20th annual competition, underscoring the awards' global reach and the growing credibility of smartphone photography.
Gellert Gombai of Hungary won Gold Photographer of the Year, while Americans Arnold Plotnick and Catherine Wang took Silver and Bronze.
Gombai's winning image was shot on an iPhone X from 2017, reinforcing the awards' message that standout photos do not require the newest phone or dedicated camera gear.
The awards also named winners across categories including Abstract, Animals, Landscape, Nature, Portrait and Street, with the full gallery and hundreds of honorable mentions posted on the IPPAWARDS website.