For 13 years, the Landscape Photographer of the Year competition has put the call out for photographers to celebrate the landscape of the United Kingdom. This year, tens of thousands of entries celebrated the beauty of the British landscape, but only a select few took home a victory in the highly competitive photo contest.
Photographer Chris Frost won the title of Adult Landscape Photographer of the Year, and the £10,000 ($13,000) prize, for his 2018 image of a wooded area in Dorset. “This was the third visit to the area in a matter of days,” he shares. “On the previous days, both devoid of morning mists, the light had been harsh and unappealing but the third day delivered stunning conditions with mist swirling through the trees. The low shooting position allowed more emphasis to be placed on the wild garlic and pathway.”
In the youth division, it was Joshua Elphick who took home top prize for his haunting black and white photograph of a sheep. Looking out from behind fencing, it’s left to our imagination to figure out what this farm animal is thinking. Elphick spotted the sheep while on a walk with his sister and hopes that it will encourage people to look at the animals we see daily in a new way.
Beyond the top awards, there’s plenty to look at across all categories, which include special partnerships with Network Rail and The Sunday Times. From historic British monuments to classic views of the countryside, each category is rich in imagery that gives a new appreciation for the UK’s glorious landscape.
Check out some of our favorite winners and finalists below. If you like what you see, you can pick up the 2020 Landscape Photographer of the Year coffee table book, which highlights the awarded photographs. And, if you are in the UK, Network Rail is sponsoring a traveling exhibition of the winning images. It will start at London Bridge on November 20, 2020, where it will stay for three months. Later tour dates will be announced on the competition’s website.