Travel allows us to see the world, while photography enhances this when we can’t physically be there ourselves. Travel photography offers the chance to capture diverse (and often intimate) perspectives, whether it’s everyday life or otherworldly landscapes. Want to see more? Here’s the full list of winners and runners-up from the Travel Photographer of the Year Awards 2021, which will go on display in London’s Granary Square between April-May 2022.

Capturing various US forests through the seasons contributed to Jai Shet winning the Young Travel Photographer of the Year 2021 award. Aged 18, Shet took this photograph to represent autumn, with its vivid bright reds. Shet has visited numerous countries and 41 US National Parks so far, and enjoys hiking, ziplining and backcountry camping – giving him plenty of inspiration for his next landscape shots.

This shot of a lone wooden house displays a simpler way of life – which is something to contemplate in our fast-paced modern lives. Tevin Kim, aged 16, won the Young Travel Photographer of the Year (15-18s) category. The photograph instils a feeling of homeliness, with the inclusion of a winding path adding a welcoming touch. His other winning photographs in this category included other lone, wooden houses along Mormon Row.

Indigo Larmour’s compositions are outstanding – just look at her winning shot. The 12-year-old won the Young Travel Photographer of the Year (14 and under) category for her photographs of a camel race in the UAE. These normally take place first thing in the morning during the winter months, before the heat of the day sets in. She used a slow shutter speed to capture the rushing thrill of it all.

Italian photographer Alessandro Bergamini won the Best 8 Portfolio award for his series of shots across Russia, China, Myanmar, Afghanistan and India. This photograph shows a young Muslim girl in Jodhpur, India, who is about to push aside her red veil. Just before this moment, she had looked to a nearby man for consent to do so. The judges noted how Bergamini manages to create an intimate connection between the subject and the viewer.

17-year-old Nayana Rajesh was a runner-up in the Young Travel Photographer of the Year (15-18s) category. Her nominated shots focus on Mooringsport (pictured here) and Caddo Lake. There is something Tolkienesque about this image, with eerie backgrounds complemented with bright, crisp foliage.

This cheeky vervet monkey was photographed by 12-year-old Miguel Sánchez García. He was the runner-up for Young Travel Photographer of the Year (14 and under) category. His photographs include this curious primate – who are known for getting up close and personal with human visitors – in Arusha National Park as well as giraffes, zebras and elephants also in Tanzania.

There’s no missing the pop of colour from a classic American car on the streets of Havana, Cuba. The candy pink, the relaxed driving style, the bright chrome of the motor… it’s clear to see why Linda Wride gained a special mention in the Best 8 Portfolio - Single Images category for this striking shot. The judges particularly liked the shapes formed by the arm, the shadows and details of the car.

Wildlife photographer Jie Fischer took this winning Landscapes and Adventure shot. She took the photo from a helicopter and its composition keeps you looking at the details – the flock of flamingos appear as a surreal yet symmetrical pattern. Fischer’s main subject is nature and wildlife, although she enjoys capturing aerial photography where she can.

Love this? Follow our Facebook page for more award-winning photography

The runner-up in the Best 8 Portfolio award went to Trevor Cole, who took many photographs across Ethiopia, Namibia, Angola and Ireland. This photo shows a young mother and child of the semi-nomadic Himba people who live in a remote region of Namibia. They cover themselves in otjize paste – a mix of butterfat and ochre pigment – to cleanse their skin (due to water scarcity), and to protect themselves against dry climates and mosquitoes. Irish-born Cole focuses his photography on culture and landscapes. 

Yevhen Samuchenko was highly commended in the Landscapes and Adventure category for these pretty-in-pink shots of the Kherson region in Ukraine. The pink salt lake looks almost ethereal, particularly when viewed from above – it’s affectionately been dubbed as the ‘Pink Planet’. The colourful changes take place in the summer months, when microscopic algae cause the water to turn red and pink. Samuchenko is an Ukrainian award-winning photographer, with his work mostly focused on the ever-changing relationship between man and nature.

Michael Runkel received a special mention from the judges for the Landscapes and Adventure - Single Images category. His drone shot shows an abandoned kasbah that had been one of the main salt mining towns on the lake for decades. The German photographer’s birds-eye shot of the former houses look like little boxes. 

Take a look at award-winning drone photography

UK-based photographer William Burrard-Lucas spent a year photographing leopards at night in Laikipia County, Kenya. He’s even created his own remote-control camera buggy to photograph elusive and nocturnal wildlife, called Camtraptions. As a result, he won the Living World category for his ghost-like image of a leopard beneath the moon. The quest to capture the ultimate photograph of a black leopard under a night sky – which is obviously no easy feat – has been documented in his latest book, The Black Leopard.

Next, we travel to the icy depths of the Antarctic where Canadian-based photographer Anil Sud took this shot of a penguin swimming through the icy-cold waters. Runner-up in the Living World category, he’s travelled to other remote places for his photography, including Alaska, Namibia and Cuba.

If a photograph can tell a thousand stories, that’s certainly the case for Beniamino Pisati’s winning shot for the People and Their Stories award. The Italian photographer steps away from the eccentric and focuses on the simple life and has documented the Valtellina mountain pastures for over 10 years. He took this winning shot in Alpe Caldenno, Sondrio Province, in the Lombardy region of Italy. It shows Claudio Speziale, a herdsman who sleeps in this underground hut (locally known as a bait). Despite Speziale owning his own comfortable stone house, he prefers being close to his cattle. 

Mouneb Taim is a photojournalist based between Turkey and Syria, and deservedly won the One Shot - As Shot award for this unique Ramadan breakfast. The neighbourhood of Idlin in Syria was well-known for its mass breakfasts at Ramadan. However, since it was almost completely destroyed, the residents still found a way to break their fast together among the destruction. Taim’s winning shot symbolises how people can unite during a tragedy.

Commended by the judges in the One Shot - As Shot category, this zig-zag photograph by Jason Hioe shows vast numbers of people making their way down the cliff to Melasti Beach for a ceremony. The Melasti Ceremony is an important Hindu Balinese purification ceremony and is presided over by a priest.

This entry for the People and Their Stories category was commended by the judges. Taken by photographer F. Dilek Uyar, it shows a farmer sorting the local-grown iron apples which are harvested under entirely organic conditions. Located in the villages in the Artvin district, the apples are collected in October or November and are stored until May. They don’t rot because they’re stored in a ‘serender’ building during the winter months. F. Dilek Uyar is an award-winning photographer who aims to inspire other young women in Turkey.

Bhasan Char, otherwise known as Char Piya, is located on Hatiya Upazila (Hatiya Island) in Bangladesh. Pinu Rahman was awarded as the runner-up in the One Shot - Green Planet category for this overhead shot. The island is largely made from silt, and it’s been prone to many floods and cyclones – with more feared to follow. Regardless of this unnerving information, Bhasan Char has been home to thousands of Rohingya refugees since December 2020.

Electrical engineer-turned-documentary-photographer Johnny Haglund took this wonderfully terrifying photograph of the harbour area in Belém, Brazil. Low tides reveal the large amount of litter that has been thrown into the sea, while a man looks for anything that could be valuable. This winning One Shot - Green Planet entry was selected by the judges for highlighting our apparent negligent attitude to all that has sustained humanity so far.

Incredible images that show the true impact of climate change

Stonehenge is an impressive sight, but UK photographer James Rushforth shows it from another perspective, in his shot that was commended by the judges in the One Shot - Icons of Travel category. Soaring above the Neolithic site is the comet NEOWISE, which Rushforth took in a single-exposure photograph. It’s mind-boggling to think that Stonehenge didn’t even exist when this comet last passed the Earth. The next time it’s expected to pass by Earth again is in another 6,800 years or so.

The winner of the One Shot - Icons of Travel category is Alain Schroeder for his photograph of the two 72-foot (22m) high bronze statues of Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-Il in Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea. It’s as poignant as it is dominating; look at the small group of students listening to their teacher, while at the other end an old woman walks past the Mansudae Grand Monument where the two statues loom above everyone else. The Belgian-based photojournalist also received a special mention and runners-up award for his other photographs. 

The runner-up in the Landscapes and Adventure category was this haunting, black-and-white photograph by UK-based photographer Sophie Carr. Huge waves crash towards Reynisfjara beach on a particularly stormy day in southern Iceland. Carter specialises in Icelandic landscape photography.

Viet Van Tran’s single image shot of this Saigon shoemaker won the iTravelled - Phone/Tablet Single Images category. It shows a Mr Trinh Ngoc still working away at his profession at the impressive age of 90. Ngoc has made shoes for the Royal Cambodian family and many famous Vietnamese singers. Van Tran took this photograph on his iPhone 7 Plus and has previously won over 80 international photography prizes. He also is a regular judge at film festivals and photo contests in Vietnam.

Winner of the People’s Choice award was Dani Salvà, a documentary and travel photographer from Catalonia. His ‘Dance of Death’ shot received the most votes among some 130 finalist photographs, as voted by the public. The dance involves five ‘skeletons’ jumping to the beat of a drum. The unique tradition dates back to the Catalan and European Middle Ages. Salvà also runs photography workshops, courses and exhibitions.

The theme of this photograph by Pally Learmond is ‘let it go’, with professional freeskier Fabian Lentsch doing exactly that – and where better than on a mountain face called Dirty Needle? This photograph won the award for the Landscapes and Adventure – Best Single Image category. The mountains in southeast Alaska feature a phenomenon called ‘spines’, where snow sticks to the steep and rocky mountain faces, due to its proximity with the Pacific Ocean. Learmond specialises in freeskiing action, predominantly in the European Alps. 

This commended shot in the iTravelled - Phone/Tablet Single Images category was taken by Pier Luigi Dodi. It shows soldiers working their way through a turnstile which has unexpectedly – but delightfully – created a geometric-like pattern. Dodi’s passion for photography stems from a desire to remember things from an exact moment that will never be the same again.

Wildlife photographer Jose Fragozo took this photograph of a hippopotamus enjoying the mud in the Masai Mara National Reserve in south west Kenya. It won the Best Single Image in the Living World category. Aside from the mud and the subtle shape it forms of the huge mammal, the only other thing you can really make out is one beady eye. The great creatures only come up for air every three to five minutes. Fragozo took this photograph from the safety of his vehicle.

Trevor Cole – who was runner-up in the Best 8 category – won the People and Their Stories - Best Single Image for this intimate shot of a young Mundari herder. In this image we see the young man covering himself in fresh urine, not only as a natural antiseptic but also to change his hair colour – either to red or blonde. He would have taken the urine from one of his Ankole Watusi cows.

Ngar Shun Victor Wong was commended for his up-close shots in the Living World category. In this photograph, we see a Praying Mantis staring at its own shredded skin (or exoskeleton). Dangling on the end of a plant, the insect is in a vulnerable position to predatory attack, but in this case it seems to have other pressing matters to mind. He’s also photographed landscapes and subjects in India, Norway and Greenland. 

Take a look at more adorable animal photos that will make you smile

Fortunato Gatto was named as the Travel Photographer of the Year 2021 for his spellbinding collection of images taken in Denali National Park in Alaska, USA. This photograph beautifully depicts two seasons meeting and gives a wonderful sense of place and remoteness – as well as the need to protect nature. Gatto took this photograph at the end of August, when reindeer mosses, conifer forests and, noticeably yet unexpectedly, snowstorms appeared.

These are the world's most beautiful natural wonders