Overall winner: On the River by Vladimir Proshin. The photo depicts Chinese fishermen on a river near the city of Lishui in Zhejiang province. [Photo/SIPA Contest]

A photograph portraying Chinese fishermen basking in the mist on a river near Lishui, taken by Vladimir Proshin was awarded the top prize of Siena International Photography Awards. The image was taken in 2013 when Vladimir Proshin was invited on a photo tour of the "15th China International Photographic Art Exhibition" in China, and he was also awarded the gold medal during the tour.

Another three photographs depicting China's Great Wall, Li River and a Chinese fisherman braving the storm were also among the winning photos.

Siena International Photography Awards, held for the first time this year, is supported and promoted by many Italian and international photography magazines.

More than 15,000 photographs from over 100 countries were submitted for the contest. The winning photos and top judges' picks will be exhibited later in the Italian city of Siena from October 31 to November 30. Next year's competition will be open to submissions from December 15 to May 2016.