Bagan, Myanmar. Stefano Pensotti, Italy. Overall winner, Travel Photographer of the Year 2018. “Prayer time in one of little temples in the plain of Bagan—a young girl stops on her way to school.” (Photo: Stefano Pensotti/www.tpoty.com)
After receiving over 20,000 images from photographers in 142 countries, the Travel Photographer of the Year (TPOTY) Awards have announced their 2018 winners. Run by photographers for photographers, TPOTY is an incredible opportunity for amateurs and professionals to display the faces, places, and cultures that shape our world.
Italian photographer Stefano Pensotti was named Travel Photographer of the Year for his stunning portfolio of eight photographs. His work across several different continents demonstrates ordinary citizens engaging in their surroundings, whether that’s a young girl in Myanmar stopping to pray at a temple on the way to school or locals in Budapest enjoying time in the early 20th-century Széchenyi Baths. His portfolio is a reminder of just how much history surrounds us, whether we live in Ethiopia or India.
Pensotti is the first Italian to take home the overall prize since TPOTY was started in 2003. The awards also give space for young talent, opening up three categories for photographers under 18 years old. At just 14, Isabella Smith won the title of Young Travel Photographer of the Year for her portfolio of images taken in Morocco. Smith draws comparison to her own life as a child growing up in the United States through her photos of local youth, each image as technically crisp as it is artistic.
In total, over 150 images were given recognition over a wide variety of categories that reward portfolios, as well as single images. The winning photographs will be exhibited in spring 2019 in London, as well as at international TPOTY exhibitions.
See more winning images from the 2018 Travel Photographer of the Year Awards.
Omo Valley, Ethiopia South Ethiopia, Arbore village. Matjaz Krivic, Slovenia. Winner, Travel Portfolio. “Onno, a teenage girl from the Arbore tribe.” (Photo: Matjaz Krivic/www.tpoty.com)
Chefchaouen, Morocco. Isabella Smith (age 14), USA. Winner, Young Travel Photographer of the Year 2018. “This really grabbed my attention! I thought this local boy using oranges as balls, was the opposite of kids in my country playing with expensive toys.” (Photo: Isabella Smith/www.tpoty.com)
Kibish, Ethiopia. Danny Yen Sin Wong, Malaysia. Winner, Best Single Image in a Portfolio, Faces, People, Cultures.”A boy stands among the copper bracelets worn by the Suri women.” (Photo: Danny Yen Sin Wong/www.tpoty.com)
Niger River, Mali, West Africa. Philip Lee Harvey, UK. Winner, Best Single Images in a Travel Portfolio. “Sand divers freedive down to the bottom of the Niger river to collect sand for the building industry. It’s an extremely dangerous job from which many don’t return.” (Photo: Philip Lee Harvey/www.tpoty.com)
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Marinka Masséus, Netherlands. Winner, Faces, People, Cultures Portfolio. “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.” (Photo: Marinka Masséus/www.tpoty.com)
Bemaraha NP, Madagascar. Marsel van Oosten, Netherlands. Special Mention, Travel. “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.” (Photo: Marsel van Oosten/www.tpoty.com)
Fuego volcano, near Antigua city, Guatemala. Florent Mamelle, France. Winner, Best Single Images in a Natural World Portfolio. “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.” (Photo: Florent Mamelle/www.tpoty.com)
Shaanxi, China. Marsel van Oosten, Netherlands. Highly Commended, Natural World. “Endangered gold: 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.” (Photo: Marsel van Oosten/www.tpoty.com)
Kaikoura, New Zealand. Scott Portelli, Australia. Commended, Tranquillity Single Image Category. “Dusky Dolphins travel together in great numbers in the deep canyons of the Kaikoura in search of food.” (Photo: Scott Portelli/www.tpoty.com)
Kapalana, Hawaii, USA. Stephen King, Hong Kong. Commended, Hot/Cold Single Image Category. “Lava from the Kilauea Volcano flows into the ocean.” (Photo: Stephen King/www.tpoty.com)
Gannan, China. He Jian, China. Winner, Hot/Cold Single Image Category. “The local people who walked on the pilgrimage road were pious and pure.” (Photo: He Jian/www.tpoty.com)
Svalbard, Norway. Roie Galitz, Israel. Special Mention, Natural World. “A mother Polar bear and her two young cubs are migrating north, as the sea ice melts quicker than previous years.” (Photo: Roie Galitz/www.tpoty.com)
Mantadia National Park, Madagascar. Ignacio Palacios, Spain/Australia. Commended, Natural World. Chameleon colors. (Photo: Ignacio Palacios/www.tpoty.com)
Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo. Tariq Zaidi, UK. Highly Commended, Faces, People, Cultures Portfolio. “Elie, 45, struts his stuff in the streets of Brazzaville. He has been a Sapeur for 35 years and his elaborate outfits bring joy to himself and his community.” (Photo: Tariq Zaidi/www.tpoty.com)
Gazipur, Bangladesh. Mauro di Bettio, Italy. Commended, Travel Portfolio. “Taj and Akash travel every day from station to station with their mother, begging to make a living.” (Photo: Mauro di Bettio/www.tpoty.com)
Sutiya Khali, Sadar, Bangladesh. Fardin Oyan (Age 16), Bangladesh. Winner, Young TPOTY 15-18. “These children, who came to bathe in the river, were very friendly. One of them went to take a bath on the river and the other one followed by rushing towards his mate; at that moment, I took the photo.” (Photo: Fardin Oyan/www.tpoty.com)
Civitanova, Italy. Josien van Geffen, Netherlands. Commended, Smart Short Single Image Category. “This photo was taken on a stormy day when a father threw a towel toward his son to see how hard the wind was blowing.” (Photo: Josien van Geffen/www.tpoty.com)