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Tim Parkin
Tim Parkin is a British landscape photographer, writer, and editor best known as the co-founder of On Landscape magazine, where he explores the art and practice of photographing the natural world. His work is thoughtful and carefully crafted, often focusing on subtle details and quiet moments in the landscape rather than dramatic vistas. Alongside his photography and writing, he co-founded the Natural Landscape Photography Awards, serves as a judge for other international competitions. Through all these projects, Parkin has become a respected and influential voice in contemporary landscape photography.
Every year since year two, we have tried to include some ‘special awards’. There were created for a few different reasons. Primarily to ensure that certain classes of image that may be under or over represented in the main categories can have a focused outlet. E.g. in the first year we included Rocks & Geology, Trees & Forests, Snow & Ice, Mountains and Rivers & Seas. These just seemed to be some core subjects to include. We also an Aerial category and a Nightscape category as we had the opposite problem to a few competitions where the general success of drone, aurora and milky way photos was overpowering a lot of more natural landscapes. Our judges had enough of the novelty factor of these images and hence we didn’t get many in our finals. To counter this, adding them as separate categories allowed us to show case the very best in one place.
In the second year, we included Environmental, Deserts and Seascapes and in the third year we added Black and White and ‘Common Places’, an attempt to give people a chance to let composition shine over dramatic locations. Year four saw Creative Icons (have a chance to show off your great photos of classic locations) and Environmental Wildlife. Finally this year we added a Tropical Landscapes, although many people confused temperate rainforest with tropical.
So here’s a run down of some of our top images in our special category sections.
Desert Landscapes
Although we have few desert environments in Europe (apart form perhaps Hull) there are many places around the world that offer unique possibilities. Most of what we see from deserts are usually the classic dune photos. We see so many dune photos (and no massive spice worms!). However, there are people out there who find original takes on every environment and Louis' winning image is a classic.
Desert Landscapes, Winner
Louis Ouimet, CA
You usually don't go to sand dunes to get snow photos, but after heavy dump of snow at the Great Sand Dunes National Park that was unexpectedly what I was gifted!
Desert Landscapes, Runner Up
John Meragias, CA
Taken from an open door helicopter, this photo shows two trees alone in a dry and desolate landscape. These trees have actually been dead for hundreds of years and have been permanently frozen in time together.
Desert Landscapes, Third Place
Prajit Ravindran, US
In January of this year, I had planned a trip to Bryce Canyon. There was no forecast of snow, but I hoped for fog instead and went anyway. On this freezing morning, I was greeted with snow flurries instead. As I was photographing this magical scene, I heard the words - "I guess we are the only crazy ones to be around here this morning" from the only other person I saw that morning, who happened to be a landscape photographer too.
Frozen Worlds
There are few things that sprinkle the landscape with magic to compare with the simple effects of sub-zero temperatures. From snow and ice to frost and atmospheric halos, the freezing cold transforms our world. Our winning image shows sundogs above a wonderful, flowing snowy landscape. Makes me eager to see what winter will do this year!
Frozen Worlds, Winner
Vojtech Schmidt, CZ
At first, this didn’t feel like an obvious scene. But when the sun rose and golden light began to spill across the fresh snow, the whole scene came together. The halo effect caused by drifting snow was the cherry on top – a reward after a long, frigid night.
Frozen Worlds, Runner Up
Rupert Kogler, AT
Areas where sun and fog merge are always worth a closer look, especially in the woods. This particular day I just went out to a forest close to my hometown and I was lucky enough to experience these conditions, but not enough of that, the sun was already very low and the light was warm. But the most mesmerizing thing actually was, that the sun melted the hoar frost in the tree tops and these particles of ice finally fell down as a glittering curtain from time to time.
Frozen Worlds, Third Place
Pal Hermansen, NO
The low winter light plays over the ice surface, revealing an otherwise unseen world.
In Your Backyard
We've had a similar category called 'common places' before as we figured that people might live in Yosemite (or Glencoe for that matter) and in your backyard doesn't mean much beyond luck/good planning. However, I think people understood the task and we received some really nice entries that we think represent the skills of the photographer in finding gems in the mundane and using their skills to make the most of them.
In Your Backyard, Winner
Patrick Krohn, US
The roots of this pine tree were exposed after it was toppled when Hurricane Helene hit South Carolina with wind gusts over 70 mph in late September 2024. Thousands of healthy trees were delimbed or uprooted, and cleanup efforts of the wreckage took months. Evident that this image was taken in January 2025, and this tree was finally removed in February – five months after the storm.
In Your Backyard, Runner Up
Anton Gorlin, AU
I like finding the unusual in the mundane, whether it’s pareidolia or a sudden metaphor. In this case, it wasn’t just an old tree. The moment I saw it, I saw Jabba, slouching into the landscape like he'd always been there.
In Your Backyard, Third Place
Jack Krohn, US
This image is from a memorable outing to a local park, where I often take our dog for exercise and enjoy exploring as the seasons change. During a cold snap in January, the shallow pond that forms during winter rains froze over, creating irresistible conditions we don't often see in the lowlands of Puget Sound, including this scene of leaves encased in ice. I felt that the reflections of the surrounding bushes and sky added interesting structure and an unexpected color palette, while the complex ice textures contributed a sense of impressionism to the image.
Mountains
With myself, Matt Payne and Alex Nail on as organisers, we felt we had to have good representation for mountain photography. Even though it often does well in the grand scenic category, I think our opportunity to recognise a few extra images doesn't go amiss. Especially when we have a winner like Ross' image!
Mountains, Winner
Ross Davidson, GB
The view from 'The Fiddler' is arguably one of the greatest in Scotland, with the excellent vantage point of the spectacular, monolithic peaks that rise abruptly from the expansive landscape of Assynt and Coigach. The image was my attempt at creating an intricate, detailed and unique composition at what is a relative 'classic' - as far as mountain photography in Scotland is concerned, at least! Hopefully, you agree that I have achieved that.
Mountains, Runner Up
Scott Oller, US
I love the thrill of watching the sunset from high on a remote mountain, knowing that a long descent in the dark awaits. This distant view of Cloud’s Rest, framed by a glowing ridgeline, caught my eye with its vibrant colors and angular lines.
Mountains, Third Place
Lukáš Veselý, CZ
This is the most majestic places in Lofoten, Norway but it is not right by the road so hardly anyone knows it.
Rocks and Geology
The quarries loss was our win for our first place image. In South America, a marble seam was found that eventually was recognised as too poor for mining. Instead, you can kayak around the edges of the formation and find views like our winners. It's also great to see some excellent black and white photography represented (in our woodland category too!)
Rocks and Geology, Winner
Spencer Cox, US
The enigmatic patterns of these marble caves struck me as telling a story of creation: growing trees, ancient mountains, swirling galaxies. After taking this photo, I learned that that the marble in this scene was only saved from mining because it is considered "low quality." I wonder, then, how many other remarkable scenes have vanished in service of our countertops?
Rocks and Geology, Runner Up
Doug Hammer, US
Exploring the reflected light and shadow on the unique patterns of the soft clay walls, Doug beautifully displays the wonder of this gorge. Sadly, he passed away in July 2025 before learning of the contest results. He would have been incredibly honored to know his work was included with this year's winners.
Rocks and Geology, Third Place
Torsten Pull, UK
The image was taken on a Mesa in Utah on a freezing December morning (-10C/14F). Hiking up in the dark to this amazing place was an interested experience. The scene that unfolded before me was definetely worth the effort.
Seascapes
There is a particular skill in capturing engaging seascapes. Often we end up with awkward, extreme wide sunset images that don't do the experience of exploring our coast line justice. Lizzie's image as a great example of an image that evokes the softness of a Hebridean slack tide. Allowing the Lewissian gneiss to blend into the soft breakers and on toward a bubbling sky.
Seascapes, Winner
Lizzie Shepherd, GB
Harris is perhaps best known for its pristine, sandy beaches, but I am always drawn to its extraordinary rocky shoreline, made up of Lewisian gneiss formed millions of years ago. The challenge is to marry that complex and beautiful foreground with the wonderful backdrop of the Harris Hills in the distance. This is the closest I've come yet, but it's work in progress!
Seascapes, Runner Up
Philipp Jakesch, AT
I had to stop the car—the landscape was just too incredible to pass up. The soft, wet snow in the foreground made for a challenging shot, but I loved carefully lining up the beautiful, branching puddle with the famous Icelandic landmark far in the distance.
Seascapes, Third Place
Robert Birkby, GB
A photograph captured at the end of a summer's day on the Isle of Harris, Scotland. The light was fading and a long exposure time of two minutes was used to smooth the ocean and clouds, which seemed to complement each other perfectly.
Tropical Landscapes
The tropical landscape category was a little undersubscribed but we had a few really interesting images. Matthia Libor's excellent palm tree image is a classic and Grégoire's Canary Island view handles that harsh equator light so well.
Tropical Landscapes, Winner
Grégoire Pansu, FR
I captured this image in northern Tenerife, at a location I had long hoped to revisit after a first attempt years before, when conditions weren’t ideal. This time, the clouds parted at just the right moment—only for a few fleeting minutes—allowing me to frame the sharp cliffs through the stems of a solitary cardón cactus.
Tropical Landscapes, Runner Up
Mathias Libor, DE
Tropical Landscapes, Third Place
Grégoire Pansu, FR
The small corollas clinging to the flower stems reminded me of jewels, so delicate and colorful, displaying shades ranging from pure white to deep purple. I particularly loved the composition as these well aligned floral stems echo the pointed peaks in the background, creating harmony between the foreground and the horizon.
Woodlands
Kenny Muir's frost limned Scot's Pine is a classic. The contrast of shadow and bright white outline is uncanny and the background, with it's hanging sunlit mist provides a great scene by itself. Franka's split Yosemite black and white is another captivating image, so well seen and Andrea's frosty willow has a uncanny glassy quality.
Woodland, Winner
Kenny Muir, GB
A dead Scots pine tree can remain upright for many decades as its high resin content and dense heartwood provide resistance to decay. This photograph was captured in Scotland's ancient Caledonian Forest during an exceptionally cold start to winter. The backlit frost on the pine snag made it a striking presence against the frozen woodland beyond.
Woodland, Runner Up
Franka Gabler, US
The first kiss of morning light reaches the tree tops in Yosemite Valley. A veil of meadow mist drifts gently through the meadow, wrapping the trees in silence.
Woodland, Third Place
Andrea Lazzarini, IT
This morning, all of nature has become a fairytale. Over everything hovers the suspended atmosphere of those frozen tears