ENLIGHTED
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PrizeHonorable Mention
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PhotographerMauro De Bettio, Spain
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Date of Photograph17/10/2019
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StudioMauro De Bettio
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Website
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Instagram
Portrait of a monk in one of the numerous churches in Lalibela. Settled 2,600m high in the Lasta Mountains of Northern Ethiopia and home to eleven rock-hewn monolithic churches, Lalibela is revered as one of the world’s greatest and most magnificent architectural achievements. These churches were all carved down into the earth out of a single block of red volcanic rock. It is said in local history that after seeing Jerusalem taken by the Muslims in 1187, King Lalibela commissioned these churches to be built with the intention of having Lalibela serve as a new Jerusalem.
Mauro De Bettio is an internationally recognized photographer and storyteller capturing the heart of remote and complex worlds. His work documents acid attack survivors in Bangladesh, Manila’s prisons, life in Afghanistan, the dreams of African slum ballerinas, and Asia’s largest sex worker communities. In 2021, he founded the Malaika Foundation to support food, healthcare, and opportunities for brighter futures, giving voice to the voiceless.
Awards 2025 - Overall Winner Our Nature Photo Awards
2025 - Photographer Of The Year 1839 Awards - Storytelling category
2025 - 1st Prize Winner Istanbul Photo Awards - Single Portrait
2025 - Winner Travel Photographer of the Year: The People’s Choice Award
2024 - Winner Prix de la Photographie Paris
2024 - Winner World Water Day Photo Contest
2023 - Winner Prix de la Photographie Paris
2022 - Overall Winner American Photography Open
2022 - Overall Winner FIIPA
2021 - ND Photographer of the Year
2021 - Winner URBAN Photo Award
2020 - Winner Portrait of Humanity
2020 - Overall Winner AAP
2018 - Winner Malta International Photo Award
2018 - Winner National Geographic Italy
2018 - Winner American Photography Open
2018 - Winner LENSCULTURE Portrait Awards