Inspirations

Amazing Photos That Won The 2018 Travel Photographer Of The Year Awards

The jury of the Travel Photographer of the Year awards (TPOTY) have just announced their winners, and they perfectly portray the beautiful diversity of our colorful world. Photographers from 142 countries submitted more than 20,000 entrants to the competition, but only one took home the grand prize. Stefano Pensottias was named the Travel Photographer of the Year for his stunning portfolio of eight photographs, depicting how ordinary citizens engaged with their surroundings across several different continents. Scroll down to check out the rest of the winners.

“The Grand Tsingys are a rare geological phenomena. The rocks are razor sharp. I climbed up during the night to be able to photograph this climber in the early morning.” (Travel – Special Mention, Marsel Van Oosten, Netherlands)

More: Travel Photographer of the Year h/t: boredpanda

“This really grabbed my attention! I thought this local boy using oranges as balls, was the opposite of kids in my country playing with expensive toys.” (Young Travel Photographer Of The Year, Winner, Isabella Smith, United States)

A boy stands among the copper bracelets worn by the Suri women. (Faces, People, Cultures – Winner, Best Single Image, Danny Yen Sin Wong, Malaysia)

“When I created this picture – a lot of people asking me if this is a wolf. And of course a swiss white shepherd has a lot of wolf in it. It was the reason for me to buy me a dog like this. He’s not a typical pet, he has the majesty of a wolf and of course he has a lot of it’s character!” (Travel – Special Mention, Sylvia Michel, Switzerland)

Prayer time in one of little temples in the plain of Bagan—a young girl stops on her way to school. (Travel Photographer Of The Year, Overall Winner, Stefano Pensotti, Italy)

“Albinism is more common in sub- Saharan Africa than in other parts of the world. Education about the disorder is needed to break through centuries of superstitions, especially in rural areas.” (Faces, People, Cultures, Winner, Marinka Masséus, Netherlands)

“The ‘chum’-the Nenets’ dwelling -is as mobile as they are. It consists of long sticks, and stitched reindeer skins stretched over it” (Faces, People, Cultures – Special Mention, Vladimir Alekseev, Russian Federation)

“Taj and Akash travel every day from station to station with their mother, begging to make a living.” (Travel, Highly Commended, Mauro Di Bettio, Italy)

“Széchenyi Baths, built in 1913, is the most popular the inhabitants of Budapest who come here to relax with friends” (Travel Photographer Of The Year, Overall Winner, Stefano Pensotti, Italy)

“Snow seldom lays for long in London, but when it does, people make snowmen all around the city” (Hot/Cold, Runner-Up, Philip Lee Harvey, United Kingdom)

“This photo was taken on a stormy day when a father threw a towel toward his son to see how hard the wind was blowing.” (Smart Shot, Commended, Josien Van Geffen, Netherlands)

Natural World, special Mention, Roie Galitz, Israel

Travel Portfolio, Winner, Matjaz Krivic, Slovenia

Travel, Highly Commended, Magdaléna Straková, Czech Republic

Travel, Special Mention, Yingting Shih, Taiwan

Hot/Cold, Runner-Up, Andrew James, United Kingdom

“Lava from the Kilauea Volcano flows into the ocean.” (Hot/Cold, Commended, Stephen King, Hong Kong)

“Dusky Dolphins travel together in great numbers in the deep canyons of the Kaikoura in search of food.” (Tranquillity, Highly Commended, Scott Portelli, Australia)

Natural World – Commended, Ignacio Palacios, Spain

Travel Portfolio, Winner, Matjaz Krivic, Slovenia

Travel, Highly Commended, Mauro Di Bettio, Italy

New Talent, Festivals & Events, Runner-Up, Diana Buzioanu, Romania

“Our trip to Mauritius in was accompanied by Cyclone Berguitta, causing stress and drama to everyone on the island. We escaped from the stormy beaches to explore the markets of Port Louis, including the Fish Market.” (Smart Shot, Winner, Nicola Young, United Kingdom)

Young TPOTY 15-18, Winner, Fardin Oyan, 16yo, Bangladesh

Faces, People, Cultures – Special Mention, Adriaan Devillé, Belgium

Natural World, Special Mention, Petar Sabol, Croatia

Travel Portfolio, Winner, Matjaz Krivic, Slovenia

Travel, Highly Commended, Magdaléna Straková, Czech Republic

Travel, Highly Commended, Mauro Di Bettio, Italy

Travel – Special Mention, Paul Sansome, United Kingdom

Beauty Of Light, Highly Commended, Zhenzheng Hu, China

Beauty Of Light, Highly Commended, Edward Graham, United States

Hot/Cold, Highly Commended, Souvik Dutta, India

Hot/Cold, Highly Commended, Joshua Holko, Australia

New Talent, Festivals & Events – Winner, Jose Antonio Rosas, Peru

Travel Photographer Of The Year, Overall Winner, Stefano Pensotti, Italy

“Elie, 45, struts his stuff in the streets of Brazzaville. He has been a Sapeur for 35 years and his elaborate outfits bring joy to himself and his community.” (Faces, People, Cultures, Highly Commended, Tariq Zaidi, United Kingdom)

Faces, People, Culture – Special Mention, Ben Mcrae, Australia

Natural World – Highly Commended, Marsel Van Oosten, Netherlands

“Onno, a teenage girl from the Arbore tribe.” (Matjaz Krivic)

Trave, Highly Commended, Magdaléna Straková, Czech Republic

“Char Kaliganj in Dhaka, slum and home to one of the largest shipyards of Asia. A city made by giant skeletons of old ships which employ around 15 thousands souls that work to both break down massive shipping vessels as well as create new ships from the parts. The age of laborers ranges from 8 to 80 and they all work together. The work is hard, crude, dirty and dangerous but it gives thousands of them employment and wages to feed their families.” (Travel, Highly Commended, Mauro Di Bettio, Italy)

Faces, People, Cultures, Highly Commended, Sue O’connell, United Kingdom

Faces, People, Cultures – Special Mention, Robin Yong, Malaysia

Natural World – Runner-Up, Fuyang Zhou, China

Natural World, Special Mention, Antwan Janssen, Netherlands

Travel Portfolio, Winner, Matjaz Krivic, Slovenia

Travel, Highly Commended, Mauro Di Bettio, Italy

Travel, Special Mention, Louis Montrose, United States

Travel Photographer Of The Year, Overall Winner, Stefano Pensotti, Italy

Faces, People, Cultures – Special Mention, Edmond Terakopian, United Kingdom

“A moray eel that found a night shelter inside the shell of what used to be a giant clam. While I was diving at night, I have encountered numerous moray eels. This specific one was particularly intriguing since it found a surprising temporary home for a few nights. This photo is part of an ongoing project documenting the nocturnal behavior of many coral reef dwellers.” (Natural World, Special Mention, Tom Schlesinger, Israel)