A total of 14,739 photos have been submitted for the photo contest launched by free-to-use app Agora, but only one has been voted "World's Best Photo of #Landscape2020" by the global community of photography lovers: congratulations to Australian photographer @lukeylove, who won the competition's top prize of $1,000 with a gorgeous full moon shot taken during his road trip through the USA.
Global platform Agora launched the #Landscape2020 photo competition through its free-to-use mobile app on June 19th. Photographers had until July 3rd to participate for the chance to be selected among the Top 50 finalists and make it to the voting phase.
The app's global audience plays an important part in the selection of the winning image in each contest: all Agora users have the power to cast their vote for the photo that struck them the most during the final voting rounds, making the process democratic where everyone can participate, vote, and win.
Through its mobile app, Agora organizes weekly photo competitions where photographers, whether amateur or professional, can participate to promote their work, win cash prizes (from $1,000 to $25,000), and achieve international recognition for their art.
"Nature surrounds us and protects us. The #Landscape2020 photos will pass through your eyes to impact directly into your heart," says Octavi Royo, Agora's CEO and co-founder.
Discover the Top 50 finalist images and winner below, and don't forget to upvote and comment on your favorite photos!
#21 My Proudest Drone Shot To Date
Location: Padstow, Cornwall
"Hard to believe places like this exist in the UK... I had to sit and wait for almost 3 hours for the tide to go out, which was no way a negative thing! But I think the pay off was certainly worth it... “Sitting on the dock of the bay, watching the tide roll away” - is exactly what was required before this image was taken."
@perkspectivephotography (UK)
27points
#22 Ship In A Storm
Location: Thailand
@spanikar (Canada)
26points
#23 Thunderstorm
Location: Bayern, Germany
"It was my first time photographing a thunderstorm, but definitely not the last time!"
@jp.photoart (Germany)
26points
#24 Winter Setting Sun
Location: Iceland
"The north of Iceland can be harsh in the depths of winter, but in between the snowstorms come incredible sunsets and sunrises you’d only see this time of the year."
@joncleave (UK)
26points
#25 Classic Dutch Beach
Location: Vlissingen, Netherlands
@cunodebruin (Netherlands)
25points
#26 Tatacoa Desert
Location: Tatacoa Desert, Colombia
"Make sure you don't miss out on the Tatacoa Desert if you go to Colombia!"
@janreyem (Australia)
25points
#27 Lighthouse
Location: Iceland
"This lighthouse stands guard day and night through storms and through beautiful sunsets. I wanted to capture it standing strong and braving all elements."
@cannonmatt (UK)
24points
#28 Volcán Fuego
Location: Volcán de Fuego, Guatemala
"This volcano can be reached on foot. It's a 2-day hike, and it's a tough one!"
@pictures.by.lukas (Netherlands)
24points
#29 Mosque 99 Domes
Location: Sulawesi, Indonesia
@reskieq (Indonesia)
23points
#30 Sigiriya Lion Rock
Location: Sigiriya, Sri Lanka
"We got up early in the morning to catch the lion's mountain and the first rays of sunlight. The landscape was magnificent and I captured it without hesitation!"
@artempikalov (Russia)
23points
#31 Magic Sunset
Location: Valensole, Provence, France
"The best time to visit the lavender fields in southern France is during the summer, from mid-June to mid-July."
@rakia10 (Spain)
22points
#32 The Mont-Saint-Michel
Location: Mont St Michel, France
"When I took this picture, I was surrounded by sheep! I wanted to take a different picture, to show Mont's silhouette in a unique way. The wide-open spaces dominate the landscape and one can guess the silhouette and the mist!"
@pascalbiomez (France)
21points
#33 Art Of Nature
Location: Chechen Republic, Russia
"I hitchhiked the whole Caucasus region with my friend. One day, a man with a car picked up us, and during our conversation, we figured out that he was the manager of the hotel located on the shore of the mountain lake. We were so grateful for the ride that I was ready to offer him some cool shots from this lake to express our gratitude for his help. The Manager said that he loves and respects those people who prefer to hitchhike and sleep in tents under the open sky. He was so kind that he allowed us to stay for the night in their special rooms because the night was cold in the autumn season. He also gave us some food."
@inchaseofbeauty (Russia)
20points
#34 Dramatic Friday
Location: Hong Kong
"The composition of this shot is to set out the rosewood hotel development (the main subject of this shot) along with the two iconic skyscrapers next to it to create a mountain-scape-like landscape shot in the city. There may not be a natural landscape in the city but in my opinion, the man-made concrete landscape that shaped the city is a type of landscape scene itself, and the red boat sailing at sea passing by helps to set the human scale to reinforce the idea of the urban landscape."
@jsrpixel (Hong Kong)
20points
#35 Chư Đăng Ya Volcano
Location: Chư Đăng Ya, Vietnam
"This extinct volcano is one of the most beautiful destinations in Central Vietnam."
@hoacarol (Vietnam)
19points
#36 Ice Cave
Location: Lake Baikal Caves, Russia
"You can't reach the caves during summer, even by boat - the only way to get in is to wait for the winter to freeze all the water, so you can access them by foot. There was ice all around, hanging from the ceiling and streaming along the walls. It felt like there was a mirror spreading along the ground."
@poul_t (Russia)
19points
#37 In The Fields
Location: Schaffhausen, Switzerland
"I love to observe the structure of barley fields... Nature has so many colors and compositions!"
@rizzolophotography.ch (Switzerland)
19points
#38 Icelandic Landscape
Location: Iceland
"This shot shows that our planet is alive!"
@victormsf (Portugal)
18points
#39 Kirkjufell
Location: Kirkjufell, Iceland
"We were looking for the best sunset, and we eventually found it at Kirkjufell, the iconic Icelandic mountain. I didn’t have my tripod, and I couldn’t get a long exposure. I was trying to find the best angle for that reflex to get the shot right!"
@samuelemiccoli (Italy)
18points
#40 Tu Lan
Location: Tu Lan Cave, Vietnam
"The Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2003, covers 85,754 hectares. The Park’s landscape is formed by limestone plateaux and tropical forests. It features great geological diversity and offers spectacular phenomena, including a large number of caves and underground rivers."
@bscongtam (Vietnam)
18points
