“Fire” by Marcin Zajac. Yosemite National Park, USA.
From over 4,500 entries, 100 images were selected for their quality in the 2021 International Landscape Photographer of the Year awards. This annual contest has been going strong for eight years; and this year, an incredible photo of the Comet Neowise as well as a portfolio of images from Cappadocia, Turkey, took home the top awards.
Tanmay Sapkal’s photograph of the comet falling down over Mount Tamalpais just north of San Francisco was singled out as the International Landscape Photograph of the Year. In the image, the fog rolls over the hills and creates the perfect atmosphere to take in the breathtaking shooting star. For Sapkal, landscape photography is a creative outlet that allows him to explore the world in his free time away from work as a hardware design engineer for Apple. His win proves that you don’t need to be a professional to take award-winning photographs.
The other top prize of International Landscape Photographer of the Year went to Aytek Çetin of Turkey. His portfolio of work was judged as superior by an expert panel of judges. Many of his dramatic images highlight the beauty of Cappadocia in central Turkey. “The 60-million-year-old story of fairy chimneys and the fact they have been home to different civilizations for tens of thousands of years makes Cappadocia extremely mysterious for me,” he shared. “If you are lucky, you can visit there during hazy, atmospheric conditions with a soft light pushing through at sunrise or sunset.”
Çetin found his passion for landscape photography after deciding to switch from his usual seaside vacations and explore the mountains. This change allowed him to fall in love with nature and his affection for the natural world clearly comes through in his photographs.
Aside from the top award winners, there are plenty of excellent photographs to view. From explosive volcanos in Iceland to wintery views of the forest, these images highlight the wide variety of landscapes around the globe. “I find it quite compelling that what drives one landscape photographer can be so different to another,” shares Chairman of Judges Peter Eastway. “For some, the capture of nature at its most wonderful is reward enough. In fact, these are the moments photographers live for, and being out in the landscape is often as enjoyable as capturing it with a camera.”
See the incredible winning photos from the 2021 Landscape Photographer of the Year contest.
“Comet NeoWise Setting, Marin” by Tanmay Sapkal. Mt. Tamalpais, Marin, CA, USA. Winner, International Photograph of the Year.
“Story of Ages” by Aytek Çetin. Cappadocia, Turkey. Winner, International Landscape Photographer of the Year.
“From Twilight to Light” by Aytek Çetin. Kazbek Mountain, Georgia. Winner, International Landscape Photographer of the Year.
“Reflector” by Ben Goode. Lake Bonney, South Australia.
“The Drumlins in Winter” by Cédric Tamani. Menzingen, Switzerland.
“Winter Forest” by Heiner Machalett. Neunkircher Höhe, Hesse, Germany. The Monochrome Award, 2021.
“Tree Frame” by Chandra Bong. Torres Del Paine National Park, Chile.
“Derby Sandbar” by Tom Putt. Derby, Western Australia.
“Fire in the Hole” by Itai Monnickendam. Fagradalsfjall Volcano, Reykjanes Peninsula, Iceland.
“Alone 2” by Jade Lv. Kumtag Desert, Xinjiang Province, China.
“The Winter of the Lake” by Mimmo Salierno. Lago Laceno, Italy. The Snow & Ice Award 2021.
“Depths of Hell” by Chris Byrne. Iceland. The Amazing Aerial Award 2021.
“Artist’s Palette” by Prithvi Bhattacharya. Useless Loop, Western Australia.
“Midwinter Morning” by Gunar Streu. Northern Lapland, Sweden.
“Winter Gestalt” by Kai Hornung. Harz, Germany.
“The Cap on the Snowy Mountain” by Jana Luo. Tongariro National Park, New Zealand
“Grand Finale” by Adam Gibbs. Abraham Lake, Alberta, Canada.
“Kingdom of Winter” by Matt Jackisch. Mount Slesse, British Columbia, Canada.
“Golden Desert” by Jinyi He. Badain Jaran Desert, Western Inner Mongolia, China.