“Combing The Sunlight” Tuscany, Italy, Overall Open Winner (Photo: Veselin Atanasov / The EPSON International Pano Awards)
For professional and amateur panoramic photographers alike, there’s no better competition than The EPSON International Pano Awards. Now in its ninth year, the contest features the best in elongated photographs capturing the majestic beauty of the world at large. The 2018 contest received nearly 5,000 entries from 1,251 photographers in 74 countries, which undoubtedly made for stiff competition and hard decisions from the panel of judges. The winners were awarded more than $50,000 in cash and prizes.
Judging on technical skill, creativity, and storytelling, the International Pano Awards selected winners across its open and amateur competitions, as well as VR/360 imagery. From there, they were divided into two additional categories: Landscape and the Built Environment.
Photographer Veselin Atanasov took home the top prize as the overall winner for the 2018 Open Competition. His work featured a sun-drenched photo of an idyllic countryside. “I shot this picture during one spring morning in 2017 in Tuscany,” he recalled. “I remember that I had a 70-200mm lens attached to my camera, and the scene in front of me required a wide-angle lens. The sun was quickly rising upward and I decided not to miss this moment while replacing a lens, so I shot the scene through the panorama of several frames from my hand without a tripod.”
See more of the award-winning from The EPSON International Pano Awards 2018, below.
The EPSON International Pano Awards highlights the best of panoramic photography. Here are some of the awe-inspiring winners of their 2018 competition.
“Intimate Tulips” Flevoland, The Netherlands, EPSON 3rd Place (Photo: Albert Dros / The EPSON International Pano Awards)
“Spark” Grand Canyon, EPSON 1st Place (Photo: Colin Sillerud / The EPSON International Pano Awards)
“Royal Ceremony” Daedunsan, South Korea, Amateur Winner (Photo: Nathaniel Merz / The EPSON International Pano Awards)
“Cave Diver” Anhumas Abyss, Bonito, Brazil, Highest Scoring IAPP Member (Photo: Marcio Cabral / The EPSON International Pano Awards)
“Swirl” Hamnøy, Lofoten, Norway, EPSON 2nd Place (Photo: Mads Peter Iversen / The EPSON International Pano Awards)
“Red Salt” West Australia, Highest Scoring Aerial Image (Photo: Kevin Krautgartner / The EPSON International Pano Awards)
“Light” Tokyo, Japan, Highest Scoring IVRPA Member (Photo: Naoki Fujihara / The EPSON International Pano Awards)
“Wedded Rocks” Japan, MITCHUM 1st Place (Photo: Anastasia Woolmington / The EPSON International Pano Awards)
“Misty Bayou, Lake Martin” Louisiana, United States, MITCHUM 3rd Place (Photo: Roberto Marchegiani / The EPSON International Pano Awards)
“Jambalaya” Swamps, Southern USA, Stitched (Photo: David Thompson / The EPSON International Pano Awards)
“River Of Fire” Iceland, MITCHUM 2nd Place (Photo: Tom Putt / The EPSON International Pano Awards)
“Black Mamba” Maloyapass/Switzerland, Curators (Photo: Stefan Thaler / The EPSON International Pano Awards)
“Life in Complex” Gifu, Japan, Open Runner Up (Photo: Daniel Eisele / The EPSON International Pano Awards)
“Endless Seaweed Farms” Xiapu, China, Highest Scoring Aerial Image (Photo: Zay Yar Lin / The EPSON International Pano Awards)
“The Blue Whale” Natural History Museum, London, United Kingdom, Amateur Runner-Up (Photo: Peter Li / The EPSON International Pano Awards)
“The Final Destination” Monte Rosa Hut, Zermatt, Switzerland, GIGAPIXEL (Photo: Isabella Tabacchi / The EPSON International Pano Awards)