Anusha Stewart Named FPA Food Photographer of the Year 2025

Selected from a global pool of professional photographers, Stewart’s winning image was praised for its emotional depth, visual honesty and powerful storytelling.

Sri Lankan-born UK based photographer Anusha Stewart has been named Overall Winner – Professional Category and Food Photographer of the Year 2025 at the prestigious World Food Photography Awards (FPA), Japan, marking a career-defining moment in international photography.

Selected from a global pool of professional photographers, Stewart’s winning image was praised for its emotional depth, visual honesty and powerful storytelling. The judges described the photograph as one that “stands out for its narrative strength, visual honesty, and masterful use of light,” adding that it captures “a raw and powerful moment where gesture, material, and craft become the true language of the photograph.”

For Stewart, the announcement came unexpectedly and emotionally - on Boxing Day, surrounded by family. “I honestly never expected this,” she wrote. “I’ve entered competitions over the years, been shortlisted, received medals, kept learning, kept pushing myself… but this? It feels surreal.”

The moment was made even more poignant by its timing. Boxing Day marked 21 years since the devastating 2004 tsunami, which Stewart experienced firsthand while in Krabi, Thailand. “The contrast between that awful memory and this moment of joy hasn’t been lost on me,” she reflected.

What makes the win especially meaningful is that the award-winning image was taken in Sri Lanka, the country of her heritage. “A place that holds so much importance for me, creatively and personally,” she said, adding that international recognition at this level was something she “never imagined when I first picked up a camera and started photographing food simply because I loved it.”

The judges noted that the photograph’s “dramatic lighting guides the viewer’s eye with precision, highlighting texture, tension, and movement,” while its dark background intensifies the emotional weight of the scene. They also highlighted its deep connection to the origins of food and manual labour, portrayed “with respect, sensitivity, and a profoundly human gaze.”

“For its visual power, authentic storytelling, and ability to transform an everyday act into a memorable image,” the panel concluded, “this work fully deserves the title of FPA Food Photographer of the Year 2025.” 

Describing the recognition as a milestone beyond accolades, Stewart said the award represents growth “not just as a photographer, but as someone who has slowly grown in confidence, craft 

and belief.”

(TEG)