/ 2025 / Nature / Wildlife

• Prize
  Honorable Mention
• Photographer
  Bálint Érlaki, Germany

This alpha male orangutan waited silently in the canopy of Tanjung Puting National Park, Borneo — wild, though partially habituated to the feeding platform nearby. I captured this moment just before food arrived. His gaze feels disarmingly human: calm, powerful, and full of presence. It invites projection, reflection — and quiet awe.

Bálint Érlaki is a Germany-based psychotherapist of Hungarian origin whose photography has gained international recognition, including a Gold Award at the Prix de la Photographie Paris (PX3) 2025 and multiple Honorable Mentions across categories at major international competitions.

Awards PX3 2025 (Prix de la Photographie Paris) – Gold Award in Portraiture/Wedding (Non-Professional) for New York Stories: Happiness at Grand Central

PX3 2025 (Prix de la Photographie Paris) – Honorable Mention in 5 additional categories

International Photography Awards (IPA) 2025 – Honorable Mention, Non-Professional, in the People – Wedding category with the photo “New York Stories: Happiness at Grand Central”

ND Awards 2025 – Honorable Mention (Fine Art: Abstract, Non-Professional) for “Folded Waves”

Monovisions Black & White Photography Awards 2025 – Honorable Mention in the Fine Art category for the entry “Folded Waves”

Architecture Photography Awards 2025 Finalist in the Bridges Category with the photo "Stars, Stripe and Stone"

Architecture Photography Awards 2025 Finalist in the Windows Category with the photo "Eye of a Fly"