2016 and 2017 treated us with quite a few breathtaking travel photography shots, and 2018 is no exception. The jury of the Travel Photographer of the Year photo contest (TPOTY) have just announced their winners, and they perfectly portray the beautiful diversity of our colorful world and exotic places. The best photographers from 142 countries submitted more than 20,000 beautiful pictures to the competition, but only one took home the grand prize. Stefano Pensotti was named the Travel Photographer of the Year in this photography contest 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 best photos of the rest of the winners.
More info: tpoty.com
#1 Travel - Special Mention, Sylvia Michel, Switzerland
"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!"
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257points
#2 Beauty Of Light, Commended, Edward Graham, United States
"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"
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217points
#3 Faces, People, Cultures, Winner, Marinka Masséus, Netherlands
“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.”
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208points
#4 Faces, People, Cultures - Winner, Best Single Image, Danny Yen Sin Wong, Malaysia
A boy stands among the copper bracelets worn by the Suri women.
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187points
#5 Natural World,special Mention, Roie Galitz, Israel
"A mother Polar bear and her two young cubs are migrating north, as the sea ice melts quicker than previous years"
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165points
#6 Travel Photographer Of The Year, Overall Winner, Stefano Pensotti, Italy
Prayer time in one of little temples in the plain of Bagan—a young girl stops on her way to school.
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162points
#7 Natural World - Commended, Ignacio Palacios, Spain
"A detail of a colorful chameleon"
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162points
#9 Faces, People, Cultures - Special Mention, Vladimir Alekseev, Russian Federation
"The ‘chum’-the Nenets’ dwelling -is as mobile as they are. It consists of long sticks, and stitched reindeer skins stretched over it"
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152points
#10 Travel Portfolio, Winner, Matjaz Krivic, Slovenia
"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."
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152points
#11 Travel - Special Mention, Marsel Van Oosten, Netherlands
“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.”
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145points
#13 Hot/Cold, Commended, Stephen King, Hong Kong
“Lava from the Kilauea Volcano flows into the ocean.”
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141points
#14 Travel,commended, Mauro Di Bettio, Italy
"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"
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139points
#15 Natural World, Special Mention, Petar Sabol, Croatia
"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"
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137points
#16 Natural World - Winner, Best Single Image, Florent Mamelle, France
"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.”
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.”
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136points
#18 Natural World - Highly Commended, Marsel Van Oosten, Netherlands
"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"
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125points
#19 Young Tpoty 15-18, Winner, Fardin Oyan, Bangladesh
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."
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122points
#20 Travel Portfolio, Winner, Matjaz Krivic, Slovenia
"The morning mist rises mystically from the valley towards the small town in the Haraz mountains"
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112points