Photography

IN PICS | Tour the world through the best panoramic photos of 2021

Breathtaking winners in the 2021 Epson International Pano Awards span the globe from US to Dubai, from Australia to Russia, and everywhere in between

29 October 2021 - 16:23 By Elizabeth Sleith
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'Eternal Triangle' is one of three images that won its photographer the overall winner title in the Nature category at the 2021 Epson International Pano Awards.
'Eternal Triangle' is one of three images that won its photographer the overall winner title in the Nature category at the 2021 Epson International Pano Awards.
Image: Joshua Hermann/12th EPSON International Pano Awards

The winners of the 2021 Epson International Pano Awards were recently announced and anyone who loves a bit of armchair travel would do well to browse the shortlist gallery.

Essentially, it is a tour of wonderfully captured places from the US to Dubai, from Australia to Russia, from Namibia to Slovenia and everywhere in between.

And with the competition divided into four main categories — natural and built environments for both amateurs and pros — the subjects are incredibly diverse, sweeping from mountains to museumgoers, from fishing boats to copper mines, from cloud-covered skyscrapers to exploding spring blossoms. 

Founded in 2009 by Australian landscape photographer David Evans, the competition is the world’s largest dedicated solely to panoramic photography. This year it attracted 5,378 entries from 1,245 professional and amateur photographers in 97 countries, which the organisers call “amazing stats for a competition held in the middle of a global pandemic”.   

The overall professional winner in the nature category is American Joshua Hermann for three moody, misty entries showing cypress trees growing in the swamps of Louisiana. Hermann said part of his purpose with the photographs was to raise awareness about the region's unique beauty and the need to protect the swamps.   

“One of the great things about photography is its ability to inform. Growing up in south Louisiana and coming to know the swamp and marshlands from an early age, the unique beauty and interesting ecology of the area has stuck with me throughout my life.

“I hope to share the beauty of these places through my imagery, allow people to get a closer look into the uniqueness of these areas and ultimately to inform them of the importance of protecting these wetlands.”

Below we bring you the winners in the other categories, along with a selection of showstoppers from the shortlist.  

'Tonal Intersection', taken in Brisbane, Australia, won its shooter the overall prize in the Built Environment category.
'Tonal Intersection', taken in Brisbane, Australia, won its shooter the overall prize in the Built Environment category.
Image: Mark Brierley/12th EPSON International Pano Awards
The overall winner in the amateur category for Nature was Daniel Trippolt from Austria. Titled 'Legendary Peaks', this shot shows the Three Peaks, a landmark in the Dolomites mountain range in northeastern Italy.
The overall winner in the amateur category for Nature was Daniel Trippolt from Austria. Titled 'Legendary Peaks', this shot shows the Three Peaks, a landmark in the Dolomites mountain range in northeastern Italy.
Image: Daniel Trippolt/12th EPSON International Pano Awards
The overall amateur winner in the Built Environment category is this dizzying shot of Dubai, UAE, titled 'City in the Clouds'.
The overall amateur winner in the Built Environment category is this dizzying shot of Dubai, UAE, titled 'City in the Clouds'.
Image: Florian Kriechbaumer/12th EPSON International Pano Awards
The winner of the special Digital Art prize is 'Anatomy Lesson', a drone shot of a copper mine in Huelva, southern Spain. According to the Spanish photographer who lives nearby, it shows "actually a raft of toxic waste" making "ephemeral formations" which will disappear with the next intense rains.
The winner of the special Digital Art prize is 'Anatomy Lesson', a drone shot of a copper mine in Huelva, southern Spain. According to the Spanish photographer who lives nearby, it shows "actually a raft of toxic waste" making "ephemeral formations" which will disappear with the next intense rains. 
Image: Manuel Enrique González Carmona/12th EPSON International Pano Awards
Shortlisted in the Amateur Built Environment category, this image shows sheds where local fishermen keep their boats in Colònia de Sant Jordi, Majorca.
Shortlisted in the Amateur Built Environment category, this image shows sheds where local fishermen keep their boats in Colònia de Sant Jordi, Majorca. 
Image: Marc Marco/12th EPSON International Pano Awards
'Hidden Lake' is a scene with cedar trees in the Atchafalaya Basin in Louisiana, US. The only way to reach them, says the photographer, is by kayak as the water is too shallow for boats. This picture won the special Raw Planet award.
'Hidden Lake' is a scene with cedar trees in the Atchafalaya Basin in Louisiana, US. The only way to reach them, says the photographer, is by kayak as the water is too shallow for boats. This picture won the special Raw Planet award.
Image: Marsel van Oosten/12th EPSON International Pano Awards
At the National Gallery of Victoria, Australia.
At the National Gallery of Victoria, Australia.
Image: Adrian Donoghue/12th EPSON International Pano Awards
'Borneo Floating Market', shot in Banjarmasin, Borneo, Indonesia.
'Borneo Floating Market', shot in Banjarmasin, Borneo, Indonesia.
Image: Sarah Wouters/12th EPSON International Pano Awards

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