"I would lie if I said the award does not mean anything. I am glad and honoured, but more than anything I can say that I seem to be doing something right," she told the STA.

She said street photography is her favourite kind of photography, and that is precisely what the awarded photo is.

"But is also has another layer of meaning for me, for in the photo I see my view of the world and religion, which makes people small and helpless, just like they appear on the photo."

A total of over 21,000 photographers from 170 countries submitted over 76,000 photos for what is one of the oldest photo competitions in the world.

Bidovec currently has a major exhibition on show at Ljubljana Castle. She created a series called Vanishing Cultures with Arne Hodalič, one of Slovenia's most acclaimed photographers, dedicated to members of cultures that are on the brink of extinction.