International Pano Awards Winners 2023

A bridge over icy waters, ancient Incan magic, fish art and a vortex of ducks take top spots in the annual Epson International Pano Awards

Entering its 14^th year, the Epson Pano Awards attracted over 4,400 entries from 1,104 professional and amateur photographers in 102 countries. Entrants competed for a cash prize of thousands of dollars, two SureColor printers and an ultra-slim projector. The judging panel featured some of the world’s top panoramic photographers and industry professionals.

Fitting for the Autumn season, The Bridge, Alone in the Dark and Ghost form the winning images at this year’s Awards. Spanish Photographer José D. Riquelme took the top spots in the Open and Nature/Landscape categories with his images of Iceland and Namibia. Beginning his photographic journey just eight years ago, Riquelme has already challenged the conventional notion of photographic locations. He used his mobile phone to perfect compositions in seemingly unphotogenic environments.

The Bridge

Snapped on many of José’s trips to Iceland, he utilised his drone to see what he could capture. He recalls, “from above, lines form a bridge extending from left to right, while on the ground abstract shapes emerge from the flowing river water originating from the glacier.”

Alone in the Dark

We are immersed in the mysterious and desolate landscape of Deadvlei, Namibia, where a petrified tree stands majestically against the starry backdrop. The cracked and dry ground creates a surreal stage that adds depth and texture to the composition.

Ghost Cave

Ghost Cave offers an extreme panoramic view of the Kirkjufell in Iceland. The image itself is composed of three rows of photographs spanning the ground to the sky, embracing the wall behind. José achieves a stunning optical effect that stimulates the appearance of a cave, adding a magical touch to the image.

Other Winners:

The RAW Planet Award went to Teo Chin Long from Singapore. For Yellow Net 1, while the Digital Art Prize went to Swee Choo Oh of the USA for Disney Concert Hall.

The Open runner-up and Built Environment category winner is Cao Ky Nhan from Vietnam for Vortex of Ducks.

Merche Llobera from Spain went home with the Amateur and Nature/Landscape category award for Jack Fish Art, All You Can Eat and Spirits of the Sea.

The Amateur runner-up and Built Environment category winner is Hung Chang Lin from Taiwan with Mystical Inca, Peru. Krzysztof Browko from Poland took home the Curator’s Award for Church.

Competition Curator, David Evans said, “2023 represents a diverse collection of images, demonstrating new boundaries being pushed – such as Merche Llobera’s striking underwater panoramas. Also notable is the strong performance of entrants from Southeast Asia and Europe this year, mirrored in the entry statistics with an increase in new entrants from those regions. It’s always exciting to see the competition evolve year-on-year, and without doubt 2023 is no exception.”

See more on the Official International Pano Awards website.