Natural Landscape Photography Awards

2022 Results Announcement

We’re excited to announce the results of the 2022 Natural Landscape Photographer of the Year Awards! You can browse these and more in the competition gallery and learn more about our judging process here.

We highly recommend viewing the 2022 Gallery for the FULL results and larger images.

Photographer of the Year, Winner

Brent Clark

“I am honored and stunned to receive the distinction of the Natural Landscape Photography Award’s Natural Landscape Photographer of the Year!

Last year’s NLPA was the first photography competition I had ever entered, because most competitions seem to reward a style of image I prefer not to create and a mindset I do not have. What caught my attention with the NLPA was its esteemed judges and core values, rather than the prizes and recognition that come with winning. I felt like entering was to cast a vote for what I wanted to see more of in the landscape photography community – natural and inspirational imagery, grounded in reality.

After viewing the results and the community reaction, I was emboldened to “vote” again, not remotely expecting to win. The images that rose to the top were a blend of awe-inspiring, quiet, and creative work that I knew I could trust because of the competition’s rules and judging process (which includes raw file verification). As long as the competition remains true to its values, I will eagerly cheer it on!

I would like to thank the NLPA founders and judges for their monumental efforts and vision, my very supportive friends and family, nature, and all the artists that I’ve learned from and been inspired by over the years.”

Photographer of the Year, Runner Up

Antonio Fernandez

“Nature continually shows us abstractions and realities that seem magical. They seem difficult to see but they are there. They are whimsical forms and patterns, attractive harmonies, and natural structures that we only manage to observe when we extract the essence of the whole or take a different view of the natural environment.

It is a great satisfaction for me that my photographs have been awarded this prize. It is a wonderful recognition of my effort to try to share those memorable moments when nature invites us to be mere spectators of its beauty.”

Photographer of the Year, Third Place

Alfredo Mora

Project of the Year, Winner

Daniel Mîrlea

“One of the beauties of Romania is the virgin forests spread in the Carpathian Mountains. It represents one of the country’s natural treasuries, and even though some are parts of different natural parks, they are still endangered. The vision aims to get people closer to nature, raise awareness and help people not to see the forest just as an economic resource. Through this selected series of images, I wanted to highlight how well-adapted the conifers trees are to winter conditions and harsh landscapes. Nature is not as fragile as many thinks, but it’s raw and well-adapted. Even though for some people, this kind of forest in the alpine terrain or on a rocky ridge is not economically significant, it has enormous importance regarding biodiversity and the well-being of the ecosystem. As a parenthesis, most of these photos have been captured in the county I am currently living in and where I am now working on a project in which I am trying to raise awareness regarding the importance of nature in our lives and to show how diversity can be around us. Exploring and challenging myself with different themes helped me to understand how important it is to treasure the places near you – in this way, sometimes, you can find the story you want to tell near your house.”

Photograph of the Year, Joint Winner

1. Philipp Jakesch

“When I decided to visit the volcanic site on the Reykjanes Peninsula, I was uncertain how it would be and how dangerous it was. Luckily, we had good conditions and good filters to protect our lungs. The Image called “ardor” is one of my favorite images from the volcanic series because of the small fragment of this huge area. The blue hour threw ambient blue light on the background layers, with the orange lava standing out even more. The 1.100°C hot liquid earth is frozen in time. Even though my distance to the erupting volcano was about 500 Meters, I could feel the radiating heat with every outbreak.”

Photograph of the Year, Joint Winner

2. Jim Lamont

“The photograph shows the shadow cast by some peaks on the surface of the Lowell Glacier, in Kluane National Park, Yukon Territory, Canada. It was taken on a July morning in 2022 from a Cessna 172 as part of a decades-long project on glaciers. With climate change the Lowell Glacier, like most glaciers in the world, is crumbling into ruin, its surface gradually disappearing beneath dirt and rubble as the ice melts. The image is intended to suggest the wave of destruction that will overwhelm us unless we stop dumping carbon into the atmosphere.”

Grand Scenic, Winner

Kevin Monahan

“For many years I used to get so caught up in capturing the scene I originally had envisioned that I would miss all these other opportunities around me. Once I learned to let go of that, photography became so much more enjoyable and fulfilling.

For this backpacking trip in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness, one of the photographs I was hoping for was of these mountains reflecting in a calm alpine lake. After hiking 11 miles and climbing close to 5000 feet, I reached the top and realized the chances of capturing that were slim. We were engulfed in fog, couldn’t see anything around us, and there was too much wind.

Throughout the evening and entire night these mountains were hidden and no pictures were taken however during sunrise the clouds finally began to part, revealing these impressive peaks. I decided not to walk down to the lake but instead focus on these two mountains that really commanded the scene and my attention. The conditions were magical but quickly fleeting. Despite this being nothing I originally anticipated, I couldn’t have been happier photographing this scene out in the backcountry.“

2022 Natural Landscape Photography Awards - Grand Scenic Winner

Grand Scenic, Runner Up

Eduardo Blanco Mendizabal

Intimate Landscapes, Winner

Spencer Cox

“When I first saw this scene, the warm, earthy tones of the riverbed reminded me of 19th-century landscape paintings. Even the fierce rapids of the Yellowstone River felt like gentle brushstrokes when viewed from afar.

I knew that I could play with scale and perspective when I composed this photo, as the trees appeared to stand against a cloudy sky rather than a swirling river. It can be a difficult photograph to parse without a second look.

This photo breaks many of the supposed ‘rules’ of landscape photography. It uses midday sunshine rather than Golden Hour light. The main subjects—the spindly trees along the riverbank—are at the bottom of the frame near the corner. And, to take the photo, I pointed straight downward from the edge of a canyon, not forward at a classic scene.

These unusual factors, though, are what give the photo its personality. I’ve always loved searching for offbeat, intimate views of nature like this wherever I go. It can be the best way to tell the story of a landscape.”

2022 Natural Landscape Photography Awards - Intimate Landscapes Winner

Intimate Landscapes, Runner-Up

Eric Erlenbusch

Abstracts or Details, Winner

Mieke Boynton

“Captured from above during a chartered light plane over the waters of Gutharraguda / Shark Bay in Western Australia, this abstract aerial photograph can be interpreted as the face and hand of a beautiful ‘Ocean Deity.’ Her peaceful countenance conveys serenity and calm, and she has the dignity and grace of a Geisha.”