Travel Photographer Of The Year
In 2003 when photographer Chris Coe and his wife and business partner Karen decided to set up a travel photography competition they could not have predicted that within just a few years Travel Photographer of the Year (or TPOTY as it is often referred to) would become one of the most prestigious photography awards in the world.
Today TPOTY receives tens of thousands of images each year from photographers in more than 140 countries, all drawn to take the TPOTY challenge by the combination of fantastic prizes, diverse category themes and the satisfaction and kudos that comes from doing well in the awards. Because Travel Photographer of the Year is something of a phenomenon – each year the winning images are showcased on press websites and in print media around the world; a fantastic opportunity for any photographer.
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In addition to the media exposure there are the exhibitions – in 2018 along TPOTY exhibitions in London,the World Heritage Site in Sintra, Portugaland in Dubai and Sharjah were viewed by some two million people. Over the years images from the awards have been exhibited in locations as diverse as Lacock Abbey near Bath, the London Eye and the China Millenium Monument in Beijing.
TPOTY is not easy to win. The international judging panel, which this year includes include double Pulitzer Prize-winner Essdras M Suarez and Lawrence Jackson, a former official White House photographer under the Obama Administration, is very hard to please and there are three rounds of judging. From the very beginning, this insistence on judging credibility and standards marked Travel Photographer of the Year out from the crowd. If the finalists in a category aren’t strong enough, there won’t be a winner, it’s that simple.
The winning images each year are glorious – a fabulous collection of contemporary travel photography that inspires people to want to travel, and to take their camera with them! Travel Photographer of the Year makes a selection of these images available in books and as cards and prints, with the photographers receiving royalties for their card and print sales.
The awards are open to everyone, young or old, amateur or professional, and from every country in the world. There are special categories for photographers aged 18 and under and even a category for images shot on mobile phones or tablets. To date the youngest entrant is a five-year-old, the oldest was aged 88. Entries are submitted online viawww.tpoty.comor as prints. The 2019 awards are now open for entry, and WILDFOOT Travel is a sponsor.
Travel Photographer of the Year 2019 has a wide range of category themes and awards, reflecting the great diversity of travel photography. WILDFOOT Travel is the sponsor of the‘Oceans, Seas, Rivers, Lakes’single image category. This category challenges entrants to show water as it appears in nature. They can include the creatures who live on or in that water, or the people who make a living or take pleasure from it.
The winner will go on an eight-day Northern Lights & Whale Expedition by Sailing Ship with WILDFOOT Travel. They will sail aboard a beautiful traditional two-mast schooner in search of Norway’s abundance of marine wildlife on a wonderful journey will take them around the spectacular fjords of northern Norway on a whale safari that visits such exceptionally scenic areas as Senja, Andfjorden and Sommarøy.
TPOTY co-founder Chris Coe is a hugely experienced professional travel photographer, writer and photographic tutor, who has shot over 40 travel, photography and coffee table books. He has led photographic tours in the UK and internationally, including South Africa, Ireland, Morocco and Svalbard.
Please contact the WILDFOOT Team on [email protected] for further information, availability and reservations.
WILDFOOT are the Photo Travel Sponsors of TPOTY. We will be arranging future Photographic Small Group trips to Namibia and Spitsbergen in 2020, expertly lead by Chris Coe. If you are interested in participating, please register your interest with Simon at WILDFOOT Travel ([email protected] ) and he will keep you in the loop.”
If you’d like to enter for 2019 you can do so on the TPOTY Website here
