Best Natural Landscape Photos: Winners Of The Year 2023 Have Been Announced

More than 1,000 skilled photographers participated in the third Annual Natural Landscape Photography Awards competition. We are thrilled to share the winning images that were recently announced by the judges.

The NLPA comes with strict guidelines to promote realism and authenticity in landscape photography, steering clear of excessive editing or artificial intelligence. To do so, the photographers had to submit both the final images and the RAW files, allowing the judges to compare the two.

So, without further ado, we invite you to immerse yourselves in these beautiful photographs and let us know in the comments which photographer's work captivated you the most.

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“I am deeply honored to receive the Natural Landscape Photography Award’s Photographer of the Year award. Since its inception, the NLPA awards have set the gold standard for landscape photography – preserving the authentic experience of capturing our planet’s unaltered natural beauty in contrast to the growing popularity of AI and computer-generated imagery. The competition has consistently showcased an exceptional lineup of talented photographers, many of whom I have looked up to and who have been a personal inspiration to me since I started my photography journey. The images presented in the competition reflect the kind of photography I aspire to achieve, making this award extra special and something I will be proud of for the rest of my life.

I extend my heartfelt gratitude to the judges and NLPA founders for selecting my work and creating an outstanding competition. Congratulations to all my fellow winners who join in celebrating the true artistry of photography!”

The Stone Pine or Pinus Pinea is a species of pine native to the old world, more precisely in the Mediterranean region. Portugal has about 9% of the total world’s area of this species, which can also be found in other countries bordering the Mediterranean, such as Spain, France, Italy and Turkey. In Portugal the vast majority are concentrated in the Setúbal peninsula, where I live. In this photographic project I am not interested in portraying Pinus Pinea planted, pruned or straightened, explored in plantations or ornamental. I want to portray the wild Pinus Pinea which is free to grow, survive, break and fall, which has a story to tell us of its legendary strength and tenacity along the Atlantic coast or its relationships with other trees in the coastal pine forests. These trees, known for their resistance to summer drought, grow easily in weak sandy soils, heroically resist strong coastal winds and the salty air. Throughout their life they suffer countless fractures caused by storms or by the weight of their crown, which gives them striking strong personalities and, in most cases, incredible shapes that tell us the story of their lives and their fight against the elements.

"During an unusually warm period for a Northern Norway winter, a stromfront hit the coast of Steigen with its towering mountains. Hiding the van from the raging winds I found shelter close to a tidal island. When it suddenly started snowing with extremely large snowflakes I was sure that this would be perfect for a longer exposure shot with snow streaks and so I walked to the rocky edge of the tidal island to take the shot."

"This picture represents a snowy day."

"This is the "Mont Maudit" mountain in Mont Blanc massif, Chamonix, French alps. High-altitude strong winds create these very fine orographic clouds that change their appearance very rapidly. The also special light of the moment contributes to the slightly surreal atmosphere of the image."

"As the early morning light of a hot summer’s day hits the ridge line, the water of the Piemans Creek drops over 100 meters, deep within Victoria’s Alpine National Park."

"A brutal winter storm blew through NH's Crawford Notch and set up conditions for this simple scene that was nearly black and white to begin with. Blowing snow created waves and drifts reminding me of surf on the ocean. Careful positioning of the camera created the balance among the trees and highlighted the snow using the dark areas of the river. The beautiful power of nature."

"This is a photo taken of a Native American summer solstice marker. The image was taken with special access permission within Petrified Forest National Park during a two-week artist-in-residency at the park."

"A bushfire makes its way across the dry forest floor in Northern Territory (AUS). The flames divide the scene into a burned and a not-yet-burned area and guide us into a smoke-filled scene flooded by the warm light of the setting sun. A truly striking scene to witness as a person and to capture as a photographer."

"Lake Frome is considered to have some of the whitest sand in the world. Its ultra-flat surface is punctuated by raised islands of yellow sand, blown across from the surrounding deserts, and shaped by winds and rare floods. From above, it is an organic mosaic of natural patterns. This photograph was taken just after sunrise, looking directly into the light and allowing lens flare to add a splash of extra color to the composition."