“The Bridge” by José D. Riquelme (Spain). 2023 Open
Photographer of the Year and Winner, Open Nature/Landscape.
Spain's José D. Riquelme was named the overall winner of the 2023 EPSON International Pano Awards for a series of stunning panoramic photographs. His photo The Bridge also topped the Open Nature/Landscape category for its breathtaking look at Iceland's landscape.
“After over a dozen visits to Iceland, exploring its majestic lands, during a rest stop, I decided to change my perspective and launch my drone,” he shared. “To my amazement, I captured this incredible image. From above, lines form a bridge extending from left to right, while on the ground, abstract shapes emerge from the flowing river water originating from the glacier.”
This unique perspective is exactly what makes panoramic photography so special. And the EPSON International Pano Awards does an excellent job of rewarding the top amateur and professional photographers in the field. Whether capturing an underwater school of fish or a well-known piece of architecture, these photographers know how to use panoramas to push their creative limits effectively.
This year's competition received 4,414 entries from photographers across 102 countries. All of the entrants vied for thousands of dollars in cash prizes, as well as top-notch equipment from the competition's sponsor, EPSON Australia.
Another big winner this year is Merche Llobera, also from Spain. Llobera was named Amateur Photographer of the Year thanks to a strong collection of underwater photography. Special awards were also given to the top-scoring aerial and smartphone panoramas. In addition, competition curator David Evans handed out a special award to Poland's Krzysztof Browko for his incredible image of a church in Slovenia popping out among the fog.
“2023 represents a diverse collection of images, demonstrating new boundaries being pushed—such as Merche Llobera's striking underwater panoramas,” says Evans. “Also notable is the strong performance of entrants from Southeast Asia and Europe this year, mirrored in the entry statistics with an increase in new entrants from those regions in particular. It's always exciting to see the competition evolve year-on-year, and without doubt, 2023 is no exception.”
See our favorite winning images from the 2023 EPSON International Pano Awards.
“All You Can Eat” by Merche Llobera (Spain). Amateur Photographer of the Year
“Church” by Krzysztof Browko (Poland). 6th Place, Amateur Nature/Landscape
“Disney Concert Hall” by Swee Choo Oh (USA). Epson Digital Art Prize
“Lines of Nature” by Marek Biegalski (Poland). Highest Scoring Gigapixel Image
“The Gathering” by Eric Clay (USA). 4th Place, Open Nature/Landscape
“Above the Clouds” by Spencer Cox (USA). Highest Scoring Aerial Image
“Focus-I” by Chang Di (Taiwan). Highest Scoring Smartphone Image
“The Black Tusk” by Tal Vardi (Canada). 9th Place, Open Nature/Landscape.
“The Guardian” by Paul Dunphy (Canada). 16th Place, Amateur Nature/Landscape
“Eiffel” by Carsten Velten (Germany). 5th Place, Amateur Built Environment
“Mystical Inca” by Hung Chang Lin (Taiwan). Runner-up Amateur Photographer of the Year and Winner, Amateur Built Environment
Amateur and professional photographers from 102 countries entered the competition.
“Leap out the back” by Jon Vause (Australia). The Nikon Australia Award
“Cabo Ortegal” by Javier Enjuto Garcia (Spain). 4th Place, Amateur Nature/Landscape.
“Zaanse Schans” by Obed García (Spain). Highest Scoring IVRPA Member
“Garajonay National Park” by Carlos Solinis Camalich (Spain). 6th Place, Amateur Nature/Landscape
“The Pinnacles” by Ian Asprey (UK). 8th Place, Amateur Nature/Landscape.
“Yellow Net 1” by Chin Leong Teo (Singapore). The RAW Planet Award
“Vortex of ducks” by Ky Nhan Cao (Vietnam). Runner-up, Open Photographer of the Year and Winner, Open Built Environment
“Tōji Temple, Japan” by Som Roy (Indonesia). 3rd Place, Amateur Built Environment
“Tranquility” by Robert Williamson (Australia). 11th Place, Amateur Built Environment
“Underwater Plane Wreck of the Lockhed TriStar L-1011” by Martin Broen (USA). 2nd Place, Amateur Built Environment
“Vertical Living” by Christiaan van Heijst (Netherlands). 29th Place, Open Built Environment.
View the full winner's gallery on the official website.
