Spectacular Mountain & Nature Photos From The 2026 Memorial Maria Luisa Awards

Absolute Prize Winner: “Fearless” by Christoph Fischer, Canada

The winners of the 2026 Memorial Maria Luisa Awards have been revealed, and the collection is breathtaking.

Now in its 36th edition, this prestigious global competition continues to celebrate the raw magnificence of mountains, nature, and adventure through extraordinary photography. This year’s event attracted an impressive 18,059 photos and 182 videos from 1,450 photographers spanning 78 countries. After a meticulous selection process, only the most powerful and visually striking works were chosen. Among them, Canadian photographer Christoph Fischer earned the Absolute Prize for his dramatic image “Fearless,” depicting two antelopes braving a violent desert storm. The Young Photographer Award went to France’s Lubin Godin for “Dermoeres Lueurs,” a poetic shot of a lone mountain goat illuminated by gentle light. With 15 major awards and many honorable mentions, the competition once again proves that nature photography is as immersive as it is inspiring. These images don’t just document the natural world; they transform our perception of it. Spend some time with this year’s winning works, and you may find they stay with you long after you’ve looked away.

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Young Photographer Winner: “Dermoeres Lueurs” by Lubin Godin, France

Mountain Landscapes – Winner: “Thunderstorm” by Filip Hrebenda

Mountain Landscapes – Honorable Mention: “Alpamayo” by Harry Lichtman

Alpinism – Winner: “Colin Haley Soloing Cerro Torre” by Tyler Lekki

Alpinism – Honorable Mention: “Mordor” by Julia Roger-Veyer

Climbing – Winner: “Ridge” by Sam Bie

Climbing – Honorable Mention: “Perfect Climb” by Sam Bie

Adventure and extreme sports – Winner: “Vuelo Faraonico” by Marc Marco Ripoll

Adventure and extreme sports – Honorable Mention: “Magic in Motion” by Dileep SS

Man in the Mountain and/or Nature – Winner: “Praying with Fire” by Azim Khan Ronnie

Man in the Mountain and/or Nature – Honorable Mention: “Local Bus-Uyuni Salt Lake, Bolivia” by Gary Latham

Animal World – Honorable Mention: “Nose Up” by Michelle Valberg

Animal World – Honorable Mention: “In Mother Arms” by Dvir Barkay

The world of birds – Winner: “Angel of Death” by Andy Parkinson

The world of birds – Honorable Mention: “Golden Waves” by Zakariya Omran

Vegetal world – Winner: “Trasnparencias Otonales” by José Luis Gigirey González

Vegetal world – Honorable Mention: “Chosen One” by Andrey Kuznetsov

Submerged World – Winner: “Neon Lights” by Pietro Formis

Submerged World – Winner: “Neon Lights” by Pietro Formis

Biodiversity and Geodiversity – Winner: “Moonlight” by Imre Potyó

Biodiversity and Geodiversity – Honorable Mention: “Animal World” by Shengfu Jiao

Nature Landscapes – Winner: “Beings of Light” by Maxime Daviron

Nature Landscapes – Honorable Mention: “Olas Contra El Acantilado” by Luis Manuel Vilariño López

Creative Photo – Winner: “Eclipse Outlaw Chase” by Noah Wetzel

Creative Photo – Honorable Mention: “La Volpe” by Stanislao Basileo

Macro Picture – Winner: “The Flying Engineer” by Bidyut Kalita

Macro Picture – Honorable Mention: “Snail Enjoying Sporulation” by Anirban Dutta

Topic of the year: Rural World – Winner: “Vietnam” by Juan Zas

Topic of the year: Rural World – Honorable Mention: “Monsoon Moods in Rural Bengal” by Pranab Basak

Young Photographers – Honorable Mention: “Peleas En Las Atlas Cumbres” by Diego Moreno Carballo

Young Photographers – Honorable Mention: “Woodbird” by Andrés Luis Domínguez Blanco