2018 is on the verge of ending while the year has gifted us with breathtaking events, nothing beats The Travel Photographer of the Year awards (TPOTY) that most people have eagerly been waiting for. They award photographers who have done a sterling job at portraying the diversity of our multi-cultural colorful world.
This year’s award had entries from 142 photographers from nations across the globe who submitted more than 20,000 pictures to the competition in a bid to win the grand prize. However, like any competition, there could be only one winner and the judges decided it was Stefano Pensotti who was named Travel Photographer of the year. His winning portfolio had eight photographs depicting ordinary people from indigenous cultures as they engaged with their environments across several different continents.
More info: tpoty.com
#1 Travel - Special Mention, Sylvia Michel, Switzerland
Sylvia Michel
"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!"#2 Beauty Of Light, Commended, Edward Graham, United States
Edward Graham
"To capture this image, I laid prone on the surface, aligning my camera with the ice block and setting sun in the distance. The ice block lit up with golden hues, emitting a visual warmth that belied the cold of this wonderful place"#3 Faces, People, Cultures, Winner, Marinka Masséus, Netherlands
Marinka Masséus
“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.”#4 Faces, People, Cultures - Winner, Best Single Image, Danny Yen Sin Wong, Malaysia
Danny Yen Sin Wong
A boy stands among the copper bracelets worn by the Suri women.#5 Natural World - Commended, Ignacio Palacios, Spain
Ignacio Palacios
"A detail of a colorful chameleon"#6 Travel Photographer Of The Year, Overall Winner, Stefano Pensotti, Italy
Stefano Pensotti
Prayer time in one of little temples in the plain of Bagan—a young girl stops on her way to school.#7 Natural World,special Mention, Roie Galitz, Israel
Roie Galitz
"A mother Polar bear and her two young cubs are migrating north, as the sea ice melts quicker than previous years"#8 Beauty Of Light,commended, Zhenzheng Hu, China
Zhenzheng Hu
#9 Faces, People, Cultures - Special Mention, Vladimir Alekseev, Russian Federation
Vladimir Alekseev
"The ‘chum’-the Nenets’ dwelling -is as mobile as they are. It consists of long sticks, and stitched reindeer skins stretched over it"#10 Travel Portfolio, Winner, Matjaz Krivic, Slovenia
Matjaz Krivic
"When we met, the boy was carrying his shoes in his hands as he couldn't use them anymore. Traveling prepared makes a difference, and with my sewing needle and dental floss, we patched them up, so that he could follow his herd."#11 Travel - Special Mention, Marsel Van Oosten, Netherlands
Marsel van Oosten
“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.”#12 Trave, Highly Commended, Magdaléna Straková, Czech Republic
Magdaléna Straková
#13 Travel,commended, Mauro Di Bettio, Italy
Mauro di Bettio
"Verges, a small town in Catalunya, is famous all over the world for the celebrations of the "Dansa de la Mort" that is celebrated on every holy Thursday. It is probably the last dance of its kind in Europe, performed continuously since the Middle Ages"#14 Hot/Cold, Commended, Stephen King, Hong Kong
Stephen King
“Lava from the Kilauea Volcano flows into the ocean.”#15 Young Tpoty 15-18, Winner, Fardin Oyan, Bangladesh
Fardin Oyan
16 year-old Fardin Oyan lives in Bangladesh and is currently studying in 11th grade at college. He had a keen interest in technical gadgets since his early childhood, and was particularly interested in cameras because photography never grew old as computer games did. When he was in 7th grade, he convinced his father to buy him a compact camera which was worth a little above a hundred USD. He can clearly remember the first snap he took - two sparrows just outside his window: "I was so happy that I can't describe that moment in words. The camera felt like a magical box to me. After that moment, I decided to take the path of photography seriously and now photography has become the part and parcel of my life."#16 Natural World - Winner, Best Single Image, Florent Mamelle, France
Florent Mamelle
"This picture of the Fuego volcano was taken from the summit of the Acatenango volcano. At 4000m, the sky was extremely clear and the Milky Way was in the upper left corner.”#17 Natural World, Special Mention, Petar Sabol, Croatia
Petar Sabol
"The master river predator was seen by the Petar Sabol in his home village of Gorican, Croatia, fishing by a local canal. Professional photographer Petar, 36, said he was searching the area for several hours before he saw the lone kingfisher"#18 Natural World - Highly Commended, Marsel Van Oosten, Netherlands
Marsel van Oosten
"The Qinling golden snub-nosed monkey is listed as Endangered by the IUCN as only some 3,800 individuals still exist. Most people have never seen these creatures"#19 Natural World - Runner-Up, Fuyang Zhou, China
Fuyang Zhou
#20 Travel Portfolio, Winner, Matjaz Krivic, Slovenia
Matjaz Krivic
"The morning mist rises mystically from the valley towards the small town in the Haraz mountains"#21 Travel, Special Mention, Yingting Shih, Taiwan
Yingting Shih
"A red crane cleaning its own feathers looks like a taijitu. A taijitu is a symbol or diagram representing Taiji (Supreme Ultimate) which contains one circle with an inner pattern of symmetry representing yin and yang. The concept of Taiji can be traced back to the Daoism in the Dao De Jing. The oneness of the Dao implies the ideal way of existing and the perfect path of balance in our world."#22 Hot/Cold, Winner, He Jian, China
He Jian
“The local people who walked on the pilgrimage road were pious and pure.”#23 Travel - Winner, Best Single Image, Philip Lee Harvey, United Kingdom
Philip Lee Harvey
"Sand divers freedive down to the bottom of the Niger river to collect sand for the building industry. It’s an extremely dangerous job from which many don’t return.”#24 Travel Portfolio, Winner, Matjaz Krivic, Slovenia
Matjaz Krivic
“Onno, a teenage girl from the Arbore tribe.”#25 Young Travel Photographer Of The Year, Winner, Isabella Smith, United States
Isabella Smith
“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.”#26 Tranquillity, Commended, Scott Portelli, Australia
Scott Portelli
“Dusky Dolphins travel together in great numbers in the deep canyons of the Kaikoura in search of food.”#27 Travel,commended, Mauro Di Bettio, Italy
Mauro di Bettio
“Taj and Akash travel every day from station to station with their mother, begging to make a living.”#28 Hot/Cold, Runner-Up, Andrew James, United Kingdom
Andrew James
"Snowy meet-cute between an elephant seal and a Gentoo penguin"#29 Hot/Cold, Runner-Up, Philip Lee Harvey, United Kingdom
Philip Lee Harvey
"Snow seldom lays for long in London, but when it does, people make snowmen all around the city"#30 Faces, People, Culture - Special Mention, Ben Mcrae, Australia
Ben McRae
