Discover the results of the Travel Photography awards, hosted by The Independent Photographer, that took place in July & August 2023:

This summer, we wanted to see images that communicate the life of a place in all its splendor and trigger our memories. Whatever the subject may have been: Street, Portrait, Landscape, Documentary: We wanted to share your journey, visually and intellectually!

Judge: Steve McCurry has been one of the most iconic voices in contemporary photography for over three decades and has created a unique collection of work featuring some of the most famous images of our time. McCurry’s work spans conflicts, vanishing cultures, ancient traditions, and contemporary culture alike – yet always retains the human element that made his celebrated image of the Afghan Girl so powerful.

With countless exhibitions around the world to his name, he has been recognized with some of the most prestigious awards in the industry, including the Robert Capa Gold Medal, National Press Photographers Award, and an unprecedented four first prize awards from the World Press Photo.

Congratulations to all Winners & Finalists!

More info: independent-photo.com | Instagram | twitter.com | Facebook

Stefano Lotumolo – 1st Prize – $1000

“Goli Dance” – Yamoussoukro, Ivory Coast
Goli is a traditional African dance and masquerade of the Baoulé people of the Ivory Coast. Over 24 hours all Baoulé villages play music and the dancers wear four different types of masks, all of which refer to the social and generational structure of the society.

Emilio Fuliotti – 2nd Prize – $600

“Football pier” – Mabul island, Sabah, Malaysia
Boys of the Bajau Laut tribe, or ‘Sea Nomads’, are playing football on their village pier, on the island of Mabul, in Malaysia. Needless to say, the ball was more often in the water than on the pier…

Shyjith Onden Cheriyath – 3rd Prize – $400

“Tradition” – Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates
Every winter at Ras Al Khaimah, camel handlers take their camels into the sea for a wash and bathe. The saltwater helps rid the animals of parasites. Bathing camels in this way is an old Arab tradition, but it is becoming less common in the region due to the construction of new hotels and resorts along the coastline.

Didier Vanderperre – Finalist

“Sunrise at Cox’s Bazar” – Bangladesh
On a clear day the sun rises at Cox’s Bazar fish market.

Eduardo Ortiz – Finalist

“Ghats and souls” – Varanasi, India
Early morning scene capturing the reflection of pilgrims, seemingly walking on the horizon in Varanasi, India.

Henryk Welle – Finalist

“Everflow” – Southern Thailand
Aerial view of an exceptional sunrise in south Thailand

Ivo Danchev – Finalist

“Kukeri tradition” – Rila, Bulgaria
Every winter, masked dancers, dressed up in goat skins perform pagan rituals. The masks allow the dancer to become a supernatural being and to enter the spirit world where he chases away the evil spirits of the old year and brings blessings and health to the new year. it is an ages-old tradition which is still well preserved around Bulgaria. There are more than 10,000 Kukeri organized in small groups around Bulgaria.

Lonav Bharali – Finalist

“Well Rested” – Guwahati, India
A fisherman is taking a power nap in the quiet of the afternoon.

Lorenzo Perotti – Finalist

“Pray above the clouds” – Ladakh, India
Two little monks follow the puja, or morning prayer, in the monastery of Hemis, in Ladakh, India.

Parna Baharali – Finalist

“Existence”
Within the frame of existence, I find myself positioned at a juncture where the very essence of choice unfolds. The road diverges, each path a symphony of promises and tales, inviting me to step into their narratives of uncharted realms and boundless wonders. Here, in this crossroads of destiny, the interplay of paths and decisions weaves the tapestry of our voyage, a testament to the profound intermingling of direction and daring within the tapestry of life’s odyssey.

Travel photography has a rich history. For generations, photographers have embarked on journeys around the world, capturing their unique experiences, interactions, landscapes, and the people they met, through their lenses. This competition theme celebrates the longstanding tradition of using photography as a means to share the beauty and essence of places. The phrase “communicating the life of a place in all its splendor” encapsulates the competition, emphasizing the power of photography to capture the lifeblood of a place and evoke a sense of wanderlust.

It was an honor to have Steve McCurry overseeing the competition. He is not only one of the most iconic travel and documentary photographers globally, but also one of the most influential figures in the world of photography. His body of work perfectly encapsulates our competition theme, making him the ideal choice. When choosing judges, we prioritize individuals who have made substantial contributions to the field, and whose work resonates with the competition’s theme. In this case, Steve McCurry’s exceptional expertise and extensive experience in travel photography made him a natural fit.

There were no notable trends or recurring themes among the submissions we observed during the judging process. As ever, the competition attracted a diverse array of submissions, including images captured across the globe, as well as those captured during journeys closer to home.

We encourage participants to keep an eye on our competition calendar, which can be found on our homepage. Currently, our Street Photo Award is open for submissions and is overseen by the renowned Magnum photographer, Martin Parr. Next month, we will be hosting our Open Call competition, which welcomes submissions from all photography styles and genres. We believe the themes we have chosen offer the opportunity for photographers working across the photographic spectrum to showcase their talent. We invite all photography enthusiasts to stay updated on our upcoming competitions and look forward to seeing their submissions in the future.

By Laura Sharman

Published: 08:07 EDT, 14 September 2023 | Updated: 08:09 EDT, 14 September 2023

Editor’s Note: Call to Earth is a CNN editorial series committed to reporting on the environmental challenges facing our planet, together with the solutions. Rolex’s Perpetual Planet initiative has partnered with CNN to drive awareness and education around key sustainability issues and to inspire positive action.

It is an otherworldly scene. A paper nautilus floats on a piece of ocean debris after a volcanic eruption in the Philippines, its orange eye bright against the black water, its parchment-like shell curled in a perfect spiral, with specks of light falling like raindrops on the image.

And for this photo of a paper nautilus, a type of octopus, Jialing Cai has been named the Ocean Photographer of the Year 2023, beating thousands of photos submitted to the competition which aims to display the beauty of the oceans and the threats they face.

The marine biologist and amateur photographer captured the photo on a blackwater dive – a night dive in the open ocean, which uses floodlights to attract the ocean nightlife.

Thousands of entrants submitted underwater and coastal images, as well as pictures captured by drone, to the competition, organizers said.

Some of the awe-inspiring entries to the contest feature a polar bear cub contending with the fragility of melting ice, a scuba diver exploring the underside of a gigantic iceberg and diving gannets.

Will Harrison, editorial director of Oceanographic Magazine and the Ocean Photographer of the Year, said in an email sent to CNN Thursday: “The range and quality of submissions entered into this year’s competition is special. From world-class drone images of megafauna to breath-taking underwater images of deep-dwelling ocean wildlife, the full spectrum of ocean life is brought to life like never before.

“This is an extraordinary collection of photography from an extraordinarily talented group of ocean photographers: divers, surfers and sailors uniting to dazzle the world.”

The images from this year’s competition, produced by Oceanographic Magazine, in partnership with Blancpain, Arksen and Tourism Western Australia, will be on display for five months at the Australian National Maritime Museum in Sydney from November 17.

A selection of the winning and highly commended images can be seen in the gallery above.

Earlier this week, it was reported that the broadcaster was set to pay a dedicated Fair City photographer €240,000 over three years to take 16 still images on set.

However in a statement today, RTÉ said the photographer would be paid “a maximum of €60,000 per annum, or €240,000 over four years”.

The successful candidate will work an average of 20 hours per week over the course of three days per week.

This works out at €60 per hour, before tax, given the photographer will work 20 hours across 50 weeks in a year.

“The contract is guide price and is for a maximum of €60,000 per annum, or €240,000 over four years,” RTÉ said in a release this morning.

The new role will require a photographer to “deliver a minimum of 16 approved photograph stills in both high and low resolution to Fair City each week, for 50 weeks per year, as specified by RTÉ”.

This imagery will be used across a variety of media outlets to help drive audiences to the show “as viewers can now decide what to watch based on the promotional image that appears on their platform”.

Executive Producer or Fair City, Brigie de Courcy said: “I cannot overstate the importance of high quality, highly curated photography in promoting Fair City in the busy landscape of press and digital publicity. It is vital to have a skilled photographer to capture, in single frames, moments of drama that will intrigue our regular audience, and bring new viewers to Fair City.”

Mr Bakhurst on Wednesday when questioned about the previous offer from RTÉ to pay €240,000 for a Fair City photographer across three years, said he “can’t believe” the salary that was being offered for the work.

This move comes one day after RTÉ announced a recruitment freeze to combat plummeting TV licence fee revenue.

In an email sent to staff, Mr Bakhurst said the recruitment freeze will begin with “immediate effect”. He also announced all “discretionary spending” would be halted.

The new RTÉ chief said partial or full sale of RTÉ lands is on the table as the broadcaster seeks to solve a financial crisis.

Mr Bakhurst said a funding request for €34.5million had been lodged in order to give RTÉ time to see where to make further cuts next year.

It comes on the back of an anticipated shortfall of €21m in TV licence fee payments by the end of the year.

The current licence fee system is “obsolete and redundant”, the RTÉ chairperson has said, as she admitted the national broadcaster is fighting for its future.

RTÉ Commitee: Brendan Griffin TD says he’d rather spend his TV licence fee in the pub.