The winners of the Fine Art Photography Awards were recently announced, and professional and amateurs alike have captured incredible sights from around the world. This creative contest boasted more than 3,000 submissions from 77 countries, with the subject matter as varied as the photographer's location. But despite how different the winning entries may be, each image has the same qualities: they share the individual's vision, feelings, and their unique view of reality.
Photographs in the competition range from beautiful to haunting to optimistic. They invite us to roam with majestic Alaskan grizzly bears, witness awe-inspiring lightning strikes across eerily green water, and to gaze across vast sunlit fields.
Here are some of our favorite images from the Fine Art Photography Awards, but you can see all of the winners on the competition's online gallery.
Above: Through The Glass
Professional 1st Place Winner, Category: Conceptual, Marta Bevacqua
Project Totem
Amateur 1st Place Winner, Category: Conceptual, Jason McGroarty
Ice Skating on Lake Baikal
Professional 1st Place Winner, Category: Travel, Evgeny Dubinchuk
Graveyard
Amateur 1st Place Winner, Category: Landscape/Seascape, Julie Fletcher
Parts of the Earth
Professional 1st Place Winner, Category: Portrait, Erika Materson
Our hands
Professional 1st Place Winner, Category: Open Theme, Nicolas Genette
The Ladies of the Sea
Professional 1st Place Winner, Category: Nature, Francisco Mingorance
Culture of the Confrontation
Professional 1st Place Winner, Category: Photojournalism, Maxim Dondyuk
Observer
Amateur 1st Place Winner, Category: People, Goran Jovic
An Elixir for Existence
Amateur 1st Place Winner, Category: Fine Art, Mira Nedvalkova
Exposed
Professional 1st Place Winner, Category: Wildlife/Animals, Richard Garvey-Williams
Fine Art Photography Awards: Website