Adorable grandmas sharing spring rolls take top prize at World Food Photography Awards
An image of five elderly women having a giggle while sharing spring rolls in a quiet corner of Sichuan has been crowned the world's best food photograph.
Titled simply as "The Elderly Having Delicious Food", the heartwarming photo by Chinese photographer Xiaoling Li has taken the top prize at this year's World Food Photography Awards, beating nearly 10,000 entries from 70 countries.
Shot in Shuangliu Ancient Town, the image captures what Li describes as a 'Dragon Gate formation' - a Chinese phrase for neighbours gathering to chat, gossip, and share stories over food. 'They eat the famous Sichuan snack 'spring rolls,'' says Li. 'Food makes these people happy; they enjoy a beautiful and joyful life.'
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From skater girls to climate illusions: Meet the winners of the 2025 Sony World Photography Awards
The awards, sponsored by Tenderstem® Bimi®, were announced in a glittering ceremony at London's Mall Galleries, hosted by chef and author Yotam Ottolenghi. The competition spans 25 categories - from 'Bring Home the Harvest' to 'Food in the Field' - and celebrates the many ways food weaves through our lives, cultures, and stories.
'These Awards showcase the power of photography in telling incredible food stories from around the world,' said Dave Samuels, Brand Director at Tenderstem® Bimi®. 'No matter how the world changes, food remains at the heart of our lives.'
A selection of the winning images will be on display at Fortnum & Mason from 2 June and the Museum of the Home from 3 June to 7 September.
Below, feast your eyes upon a few of our favourite winning images from this year's competition.
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China responds after Hegseth warns to prepare for war
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Dropping tactical nuclear weapons was a major strategic error. We must correct it
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China Urges U.S. to 'Stop Inciting Conflict' in Hegseth Row
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The ministry shared its stance after Hegseth addressed the Shangri-La Dialogue defense conference in Singapore on Saturday and issued a warning about China's ambitions in Asia, saying it 'hopes to dominate and control too many parts of this vibrant and vital region.' 'China seeks to intimidate you in your own waters,' Hegseth told the crowd of defense ministers and security officials. 'China's military harasses Taiwan.' 'It has to be clear to all that Beijing is credibly preparing to potentially use military force to alter the balance of power in the Indo-Pacific,' Hegseth said, arguing that the other countries in the room should be upgrading their own militaries and boost defense spending to prepare. 'We are not going to sugarcoat it—the threat China poses is real and it could be imminent.' In response, China's foreign ministry said that Taiwan is an 'internal affair" and argued that the U.S. is overstepping its bounds by 'stoking flames' in the South China Sea. 'No country in the world deserves to be called a hegemonic power other than the U.S. itself, who is also the primary factor undermining the peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific,' China said. The ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) claims that Taiwan—which has its own democratically elected government—is a breakaway territory of China that is illegally run by separatists, and they seek to annex it or carry out a 'reunification.' The U.S. does not diplomatically recognize Taiwan, but it serves as a key ally and has made 'available to Taiwan such defense articles and defense services in such quantity as may be necessary to enable Taiwan to maintain a sufficient self-defense capability,' according to Congress. Read More: Why China-Taiwan Relations Are Getting So Tense Tensions have risen between Taiwan and China in recent months, as both the U.S. and China have ramped up their military presence in the South China Sea. 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On May 30, Trump accused China of 'violating' its trade agreement with the U.S. 'Two weeks ago China was in grave economic danger! The very high tariffs I set made it virtually impossible for China to trade into the United States marketplace,' said Trump via Truth Social, claiming that there was 'civil unrest' as a result of the high levies. Read More: Trump Accuses China of 'Violating' Its Trade Agreement With the U.S., Laments Being 'Mr. Nice Guy' In response, China said that the U.S. has 'discriminatory restrictions' in its use of export controls within the chip industry. 'Recently, China has repeatedly raised concerns with the U.S. regarding its abuse of export control measures in the semiconductor sector and other related practices,' China U.S. embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu told NBC News. 'China once again urges the U.S. to immediately correct its erroneous actions, cease discriminatory restrictions against China and jointly uphold the consensus reached at the high-level talks in Geneva.' Meanwhile, JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon on Friday said that China isn't America's biggest threat, and that the U.S. should look inward. Speaking at the Reagan National Economic Forum in Simi Valley, Calif., Dimon said: 'China is a potential adversary—they're doing a lot of things well, they have a lot of problems. But what I really worry about is us. Can we get our own act together? Our own values, our own capability, our own management.' Contact us at letters@
