Each year, Travel Photographer of the Year (TPOTY) awards the world’s top photographers from around the world. A panel of 16 international photography experts judges around 20,000 images annually, which are submitted in raw files to verify they haven’t been doctored.
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Photographers submit single images that are usually part of a larger series. They cover nature, culture, and humanity from the world’s most well-known places to its most fringe, off-the-beaten-path corners.
The annual TPOTY awards are a big deal for the photography community, but they’re also a hot topic for travelers. These images will help inspire the next generation of travelers to see the world from a new angle—and to protect the people, places, and animals that define our collective humanity.
Think of it like a UNESCO-style photography award. Here’s a closer look at this year’s standouts.
Travel Photographer of the Year awards
Here’s a short list of this year’s TPOTY champions, along with photos from their winning portfolios. But keep in mind that I’m only highlighting some of the categories; you can check out the rest of the images on the TPOTY Gallery of Winners.
Overall Winner: Travel Photographer of the Year 2025 – Athanasios Maloukos, Greece
Overall Young winner – Young Travel Photographer of the Year: Jamie Smart, UK (age 10)
Travel Image of the Year: Dana Allen’s black & white image of the elephant in the dust
Portfolio – Adventures & Experiences: Winner, Sara Bardotti, Italy
Portfolios – Culture, Heritage & Beliefs – Winner: Mitchell Kanashkevich, Australia
One shot – Slow Travel – Winner: Teo Chin Leong, Singapore
One Shot – Travel Portraits – Winner: Rahsan Firtina, Turkey
One Shot – Green Planet – Winner: John Edward, USA
Best single images in portfolios – Culture, Heritage & Beliefs – Winner: Dashwater Gopalkrishna Bade, India
