Cabos-Brulle said, "The number of Chinese professional photographers has burgeoned over the years, including an increasing number of Chinese students going abroad to study photography."

Behind some of the winning images are Chinese organizations that help photographers to participate in international competitions, she said.

The Yihe Media Training Workshop in Beijing, for instance, has helped Chinese photographers take part in top international competitions by offering advice to Chinese photographers on tracking international photo trends, selecting best images, writing captions and translating them into English.

Caroline Kenyon believes there is now an ecosystem for Chinese photography, which is now considered an art form.

The Pink Lady Food Photographer of the Year competition aims to tell the whole story of food and how "it touches our lives in every single way".

"The potential is vast. What I've seen in the Chinese entries is the talent in capturing a moment with perfect timing," Kenyon said.

China's photography industry has been making steady progress in recent times, with more Chinese photographers entering international competitions over the past three to four years compared with the past.

Chris Coe, who is behind the Travel Photography of the Year accolade, said the rise in the number of Chinese photography entrants could be due to the fact that more people from China are now traveling.

"Chinese people are photographing places we've never seen before, so that gives an interesting aspect and a freshness in terms of the subject matter," he said.

He added: "What I'm seeing from China is really exciting and really fresh, and I would love to see more of it. It's an interesting perspective. I would like to see people being creative in capturing images from China."