International Landscape Photographer of the Year announces jaw-dropping 2021 winners

International Landscape Photographer of the Year (ILPOTY) has announced the 2021 winners of its annual contest. And just as always, the winning photos will make your jaw drop and want you to pack your bags, your gear, and visit that magnificent location you’ve always wanted to photograph.

This contest is held the 8th year in a row, and it invited both professional and amateur photographers from all over the world to submit their photos. In 2021, it received over 4,500 entries who were competing for one of the rewards in the $18,000 prize pool. The overall winner and the International Landscape Photographer of the Year is Aytek Çetin from Turkey. His beautiful series of images shows Cappadocia in Turkey, which he describes as a truly magnificent place – and his photos sure show it.

“The 60-million-year-old story of fairy chimneys and the fact they have been home to different civilizations for tens of thousands of years, makes Cappadocia extremely mysterious for me,” the photographer writes “If you are lucky, you can visit there during hazy, atmospheric conditions with a soft light pushing through at sunrise or sunset.”

The second place in the portfolio category was awarded to

from the Netherlands, and Andrea Zappia from Italy won third place.

In addition to the portfolio of minimum four photos, International Landscape Photograph of the Year also awards a single image. And in this category, the winner of the 2021 contest is Tanmay Sapkal from the USA. His winning photo was taken on Mt. Tamalpais in Marin country, just north of San Francisco. “It is quite a special place for photographers as it stands above the local landscape which is engulfed in low coastal fog almost every summer evening,” the photographer writes.

“After shooting there tens of times over the last four years, I realized that I really liked the way fog looks when it is lit from underneath. I also realized that the comet would become visible in the north west sky, so I started planning this shot.

It wasn’t possible to line up the comet exactly above the foreground I wanted, so I decided to take two separate exposures. It took a couple of visits to get just the right amount of fog on the hills to create the dreamy setting and then I waited patiently for some cars to drive by and create a blanket of light under the fog.

After shooting for more than a few hours that night, my friend and I hurried back down to the car. Little did we know that parking on the mountain after sunset meant getting a parking ticket! But now, in my opinion, it’s the best $80 I have ever spent on parking! Ha ha!”

© Tanmay Sapkal/International Landscape Photographer of the Year

The second place in the single image category was awarded to Cédric Tamani from Switzerland, and Ben Goode, Australia won third place.

©  Cédric Tamani/International Landscape Photographer of the Year

© Ben Goode/International Landscape Photographer of the Year

There are also some special awards that change each year to keep things interesting, and the 2021 winners are:

• The Monochrome Award, 2021 – Heiner Machalett from Germany
• The Amazing Aerial Award 2021 – Chris Byrne from the USA
• The Snow & Ice Award 2021 – Mimmo Salierno from Italy
• The Night Sky Award 2021 – Hans Gunnar Aslaksen from Norway
• The Hand of Man Award 2021 – Chris Kirby from Australia

Enjoy the remaining category winners below, and make sure to visit International Landscape Photographer of the Year’s website for more photos, information, and stories. This is where you can also find e-books that contain the winning photos from this and the previous contests.

© Heiner Machalet/International Landscape Photographer of the Year

© Chris Byrne/International Landscape Photographer of the Year

© Mimmo Salierno/International Landscape Photographer of the Year

© Hans Gunnar Aslaksen/International Landscape Photographer of the Year

© Chris Kirby/International Landscape Photographer of the Year