Commended, One Shot – Slow Travel category; In East Bali, Indonesia, a boy leaps into the morning light to chase his handmade kite.
Thibault Gerbaldi , France – Travel Photographer of the Year (TPOTY)
Travel Photographer of the Year has announced the winners of its highly anticipated travel photography competition—and the results offer a breathtaking visual tour around the world.
From sacred rituals and intimate portraits to atmospheric landscapes and striking wildlife images, the winning photographs celebrate the extraordinary diversity of our ever-changing planet and its inhabitants. They showcase the talent of professional and amateur photographers from around the globe.
“In a divided world, these winners bring together people from a range of cultures and religions, the collection complemented by some incredible wildlife moments,” the organizers said.
Now in its 24th year, the Travel Photographer of the Year awards continue to set the benchmark for excellence in contemporary travel photography, attracting an outstanding collection of entries.
This year’s winners were selected from more than 20,000 images submitted by photographers of all levels and judged anonymously by a 16-member international panel of imaging experts. Finalists were required to provide original image files during the final judging stage to verify the authenticity of their work and confirm that no AI tools were used in the creation of the images.
The overall winner of this year’s competition is Greek amateur photographer Athanasios Maloukos, awarded for his powerful and intensely atmospheric portfolio capturing moments of spiritual devotion in Konya, Turkey and The Night of Sorrows: the Yacente procession in Zamora, Spain.
“In a divided world, these winners bring together people from a wide range of cultures and religions, complemented by some incredible wildlife moments,” the organizers said.
Travel Photographer Of The Year Overall Winner
Whirling Devotion, Overall Winner; Konya, Turkey
Athanasios Maloukas, Greece – Travel Photographer of the Year (TPOTY)
As the Sema ritual unfolds, two dervishes whirl in an undisciplined rhythm, framing the imposing figure of the Şeyh—who is the axis and center of the ceremony.
Through gracious moves and quiet motion, his presence adds more drama to a simple image.
Night of Sorrows, Overall Winner; Zamora, Spain
Athanasios Maloukas, Greece – Travel Photographer of the Year – TPOTY 2025
During the Yacente procession at Zamora, Spain on Holy Thursday, a lone penitent walks barefoot across Zamora’s Plaza de la Catedral moments before the brotherhood’s final gathering. Behind him, the procession slowly comes to rest, their candles swaying in the night air.
Soon, the silence will give way to the haunting chant of the Miserere, closing the procession with a moment of collective sorrow and reflection, well past midnight.
Cultures, Beliefs, Heritage Travel Photography
Feet in the mud, hearts in the divine, Runner-Up and Best Single Image, Cultures, Heritage and Beliefs Portfolio
Dashawatar Gopalkrishna Bade, India – Travel Photographer of the Year – TPOTY 2025
Two Warkari men joyfully perform a traditional dance, or mock stick-play, in rural Bajirav Vihir, Maharashtra, India.
Their clothes are smeared with mud, symbolizing the earthy, devotional spirit of the journey. One of the men is smiling widely, clearly immersed in the rhythm and devotional enthusiasm. Both hold long bamboo sticks adorned with orange flags.
In the background, a large group of Warkaris—men and women dressed in traditional white attire, colorful saris, turbans and topis—sit in a semicircle, clapping and cheering. Some carry flags and other sacred symbols associated with the Wari procession as the entire scene radiates community devotion, capturing the spirit of the Pandharpur Wari.
Special Mention, Cultures, Heritage & Beliefs Portfolio; Northern Nigeria
Trevor ColeB auchi, Nigeria – Travel Photographer of the Year – TPOTY 2025
Men of the Hausa in Bauchi tribe, Northern Nigeria, prepare for the celebrations that start with the sighting of the new moon in Saudi Arabia and neighboring countries.
In Kano and Northern Nigeria, this marks the start of the Durbar festival, an annual cultural, religious and equestrian celebration showcasing the rich heritage and traditions of the Hausa people.
Travel Photographer: One Shot
Winner, One Shot – Slow Travel; Tokyo, Japan; A lone corporate worker hurries across a large junction in Tokyo.
Teo Chin Leong, Singapore – Travel Photographer of the Year – TPOTY 2025
A lone corporate worker hurries across a large junction in Tokyo, the only human being in the frame. The image is one of a series depicting the overwhelming loneliness and the hectic pace of living in a large city.
Highly Commended, One Shot – Travel In Monochrome; Al Qudra, Dubai
Shyjith Onden Cheriyath, India – Travel Photographer of the Year – TPOTY 2025
This black-and-white silhouette photograph highlights a group of cyclists slicing through the haze in synchronized motion. The iconic spire of the Sustainability & Innovation Centre at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park in Dubai rises in the background, subtly piercing the mist.
A favorite among Dubai’s fitness enthusiasts, Al Qudra’s 86-kilometer track transforms into a dreamlike scene in the fog, emphasizing both human endurance and architectural ambition.
Travel Photographer And Wildlife
Runner-Up, One Shot – Travel in Monochrome category; Lake Clark National Park, Alaska
Prashant Chacko, India – Travel Photographer of the Year – TPOTY 2025
Being a mother bear is hard work. The cubs need constant feeding as they must double in weight every fortnight to have any chance of surviving the winter months. Multiple other factors add to enormously high cub mortality rates.
“As we tracked this mother bear at Lake Clark National Park, we got some insight into their perils, including aggressive male bears everywhere and other female bears,” says Prashant Chacko. “This mom was always alert and proactively keeping her cubs away from the slightest danger. Her cub seems to be looking up at her saying: ‘Thank you. You are my hero.’”
Winner: Travel Image of the Year; Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Tanzania
Dana Allen, U.S. – Travel Photographer of the Year – TPOTY 2025
This striking photo of a bull elephant enveloped in dust with just a single eye peering out won the Travel Image of the Year.
Elephants regularly take dust baths to rid their hides of insects and irritation. But here, that familiar behavior becomes something more abstract, stripped back to texture and gesture.
Shot in Tanzania’s Ngorongoro Conservation Area, the image also won the One Shot: Travel in Monochrome category.
Winner, Wildlife, Sea life, Bird life Portfolio; Torres del Paine, Chile
Kevin Yu Shi, U.S. – Travel Photographer of the Year – TPOTY 2025
Chile’s Torres Del Paine is famous for its stunning landscapes, but also for being home to a fierce predator, the puma. These majestic creatures primarily feed on guanacos.
Although the hunting success rate for pumas is not particularly high, especially for female pumas, they primarily rely on the abundance of guanacos for their survival.
This female puma had two cubs that depended on her. On this particular early morning, she had been keeping a guanaco in sight until it was close enough to jump on. She tried to pull it down and was close to biting into its neck, but the guanaco managed to escape.
Special Mention, Wildlife, Sea life, Bird life Portfolio Mount Vernon, Skagit Valley, Washington, U.S.
Yoshiki Nakamura, U.S. – Travel Photographer of the Year – TPOTY 2025
At sunset, thousands of snow geese erupted into the sky, sweeping across the horizon. Overlapping wings and shifting directions create a three-dimensional impression of motion. The blurred forms convey both chaos and harmony, transforming the flock into a living tapestry of light and energy.
Special Mention, Wildlife, Sea life, Bird life Portfolio; Bokspits, Kalahari, South Africa
Falko Düsterhöft, Germany – Travel Photographer of the Year – TPOTY 2025
Two meerkats enjoy the sunset in the Kalahari Desert.
Special Mention, Wildlife, Sea life, Bird life Portfolio; Huai Chorakhe Mak Reservoir, Buriram, Thailand
Ponlawat Thaipinnarong, Thailand – Travel Photographer of the Year – TPOTY 2025
During breeding season several Sarus Cranes made a nest in Buriram, Thailand’s rice paddies and taught their chicks their surroundings, first carrying them on their backs.
Portfolio Winner, Wildlife, Sea life, Birdlife; Kuwait City
Mohammad Murad, Kuwait – Travel Photographer of the Year – TPOTY 2025
A colorful set of images following Arabian desert foxes living unexpectedly close to a residential neighborhood, navigating streets and gardens under the glow of streetlights in Kuwait City won the Wildlife, Sea life, Bird life Portfolio.
This photo was taken next to the seaside where car and streetlights reflected off the sea.
Gorgeous Portraits
Commended, One Shot – Travel Portraits category; Western Mongolia
Alessandra Manzotti, Italy – Travel Photographer of the Year – TPOTY 2025
This portrait of an eagle hunter’s child in Altai Mountains, Western Mongolia captures the wonder and beauty of a youthful gaze.
Runner-Up, One Shot, Travel Portraits category
Teo Chin Leong, Singapore – Travel Photographer of the Year – TPOTY 2025
Travel Photographer’s Rising Talent
Cartwheel Hairstyle, Winner, Rising Talent category; Ovan Khumbi Village, Southern Angola
Sue O’Connell, UK – Travel Photographer of the Year – TPOTY 2025
These girls, members of a remote Ovan Khumbi community in southern Angola, are wearing the distinctive hair style known as “ndava,” which marks the completion of their initiation ceremony.
In this intricate design, the strands of hair are woven together with natural fibers into a cartwheel on each side of the head, symbolizing their transition to adulthood and a mark of cultural identity.
Motherhood, Winner, Rising Talent category; Hoque Market, Southern Angola
Sue O’Connell, UK – Travel Photographer of the Year – TPOTY 2025
This Ovahanda woman was visiting a small local market in the Lubango area in Southern Angola with her tiny charge securely strapped to her back.
The elaborate beading ornamentation is a tribal tradition, now in decline as Westernization takes its toll on tribal communities who live in the vicinity of ever-expanding urban areas.
Travel Photographer, Adventures & Experiences
Runner-Up, Adventures & Experiences Portfolio; Hoi An, Vietnam
Teo Chin Leong, Singapore – Travel Photographer of the Year – TPOTY 2025
A large fishing net is spread in the middle of a river in Vietnam. There’s a motor which, when activated, will raise the net and catch any fish trapped in it.
The scene was captured during the golden dawn hours.
Single Image Winner, Adventures & Experiences category; Tavarua Island, Fiji
Frederico Figueiredo Cerdeira, Brazil- Travel Photographer of the Year – TPOTY 2025
Seen from beneath the surface, a surfer glides under a breaking wave at Cloudbreak Reef on Fiji’s Tavarua Island. The underwater perspective turns turbulence and light into a single suspended moment.
Winner, One Shot – Green Planet category; Sukhothai, Thailand
John Edwards, U.S. – Travel Photographer of the Year – TPOTY 2025
Shortly after sunrise in Thailand’s quiet region of Sukhothai, whose name fittingly translates to “Dawn of Happiness,” a Buddha’s figure reflects in the still water of a pond. To convey the spirit of the moment, John Edwards inverted the photograph, turning the reflection into an illusion where the sky above the Buddha becomes a tapestry of floating flowers and drifting plants.
See all winners and finalists of the Travel Photographer Of The Year competition.
MORE FROM FORBES
link